Ships captained by women
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Ships Captained by Women — Daily trivia Wednesday, August 12, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Who commanded one of history's largest pirate fleets, reportedly hundreds of ships?
- AAnne Bonny
- BChing Shih
- CGrace O'Malley
- DMary Read
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Ching Shih
Ching Shih. By 1805 the pirate confederation she helped run counted about 400 junks and 40,000 to 70,000 pirates.
Q 02Who was the first woman to captain a vessel for Disney Cruise Line?
- ASharon S. Miller
- BBrenda Jackson
- CBelinda Bennett
- DMaria Gotor
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Maria Gotor
Maria Gotor. She spent six years practising law in Spain before a ferry ride changed her course, and she took the helm of the Disney Wish.
Q 03Which woman was falsely blamed for the Suez Canal obstruction, despite being hundreds of miles away?
- ARadhika Menon
- BMarwa Elselehdar
- CInger Klein Thorhauge
- DHarriet Quimby
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Marwa Elselehdar
Marwa Elselehdar. Egypt's first female ship captain was working as first mate on the Aida IV in Alexandria when the Ever Given jammed the canal.
Q 04Who became the first woman to command a 'mega' cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas?
- ABelinda Bennett
- BSarah Breton
- CInger Klein Thorhauge
- DKarin Stahre-Janson
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Karin Stahre-Janson
Karin Stahre-Janson. The Swedish officer started out on oil tankers years before answering a Royal Caribbean job advert.
Q 05Which woman became the first American female to command a modern 'mega' cruise ship?
- AKate McCue
- BSerena Melani
- CRadhika Menon
- DBelinda Bennett
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Kate McCue
Celebrity Cruises made Kate McCue master of Celebrity Summit on 13 September 2015.
Q 06Who was the first woman to command a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?
- AMichelle J. Howard
- BYvette M. Davids
- CAmy Bauernschmidt
- DLisa Franchetti
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Amy Bauernschmidt
Captain Amy Bauernschmidt became the first woman to command a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in 2021.
Q 07Who was the first female captain to command a major warship in the Royal Navy?
- ASarah West
- BMilly Ingham
- CCharlotte Atkinson
- DSue Moore
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Sarah West
Sarah West. She took command of the frigate HMS Portland in May 2012 and was relieved of command in 2014 after an alleged affair with one of the ship's officers.
Q 08Who became the first woman to captain a large US cargo ship, taking Matson's Maui from Oakland to Hawaii?
- AMartha G. Coston
- BLynn Korwatch
- CHarriet Chalmers Adams
- DEleanor Creesy
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Lynn Korwatch
Lynn Korwatch. She was chief mate on a Matson ship in 1988 when she was offered command of the container ship Maui across the Pacific.
Q 09Who was the first woman to become captain of an ocean-going vessel globally?
- AMary Patten
- BBerta Rapoport
- CAnna Ivanovna Shchetinina
- DIngrid Resch
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Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina
Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina. She took command in 1935 at the age of 27, and her first voyage as master drew international attention.
Q 10Who was the first woman to captain a nuclear-powered icebreaker?
- AMarina Starovoitova
- BSvetlana Savitskaya
- CValentina Tereshkova
- DDiana Kidzhi
Show answer
Marina Starovoitova
Marina Starovoitova. A former school teacher, she was appointed captain of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal on 20 August 2025.
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