In first, American woman to take helm of giant cruise ship

An American woman soon will be in command of a mega-cruise ship -- an industry first.

Celebrity Cruises says San Francisco native Kate McCue in August will take the helm of the Celebrity Summit, which sails to Bermuda from the East Coast.

The 91,000-ton vessel carries 2,158 passengers and 952 crew.

Just 37 years old, McCue comes from Celebrity's sister brand Royal Caribbean, where she rose through the ranks to the position of Master Mariner. She's a graduate of California State University's California Maritime Academy.

The appointment comes seven months after the 10-ship Celebrity brand was put under the charge of its first female President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

"From the first time I met Kate, I looked forward to this moment, when I could extend my congratulations to her for being such a dynamic and highly respected leader who will continue to pave the way for women in the maritime industry," Lutoff-Perlo says in a statement accompanying the announcement.

While McCue will be the first American female to command a mega-cruise ship, several other women of other nationalities have gone before her in taking the helm of giant cruise vessels. Royal Caribbean is widely credited with hiring the first female of any nationality to command a major ship, Karin Stahre-Janson of Sweden, in 2007, and the line added a second female captain from Portugal in 2008. Britain's P&O Cruises and Cunard followed in 2010 with the hiring of female captains from the UK and Denmark, respectively.

In a 2007 interview with USA TODAY, Stahre-Janson said the changing role of deck officers in the maritime industry in recent decades has led to more women rising through the ranks to the highest levels.

"When shipping was blooming, it was hard, muscular work, and (therefore) it was very male-dominated," she said. "These days it's all about brains and knowledge."

Americans as captains of giant cruise ships are almost as much a rarity as are women as captains. Many deck officers at major cruise companies come from such seafaring nations as the UK, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Greece.

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