Celebrity Cruises appoints first American female captain
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Celebrity Cruises has appointed Kate McCue as the cruise industry's first American female captain. (Celebrity Cruises)
Kate McCue will become the first American woman to captain a cruise ship when she takes the helm of Celebrity Summit in August.
Celebrity Cruises said Monday that McCue, 37, will be responsible for the 91,000-ton ship and the safety of its 2,158 guests and 952 crew as it sails between the eastern U.S. and Bermuda.
"Becoming the first female American captain of a cruise ship has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember," says McCue in a release. "I look forward to working with an amazing team and the exceptional leadership who bring the Celebrity Cruises vision to life every day."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The appointment comes seven months after Celebrity was taken over by its first female president and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.
McCue is a graduate of California State University's California Maritime Academy and a 15-year sea veteran. Most recently she worked as a Master Mariner with Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity’s parent company.
She will be the first American female to command a mega-cruise ship and joins a short but growing list of female captains of other nationalities in the cruise industry, including Royal Caribbean’s Karin Stahre-Janson of Sweden and Silver Sea’s Margrith Ettlin of Switzerland.