BANGOR, Maine, March 3 (UPI) -- Friends say Molly Kool, the first woman in North America to be licensed as a ship's captain, has died at her home in Bangor, Maine, at age 93.
Known as Captain Molly, Kool was licensed at age 23 and piloted cargo ships in the Bay of Fundy and south to Boston, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Kool, who died last Wednesday, was born in Alma, New Brunswick, Canada, the daughter of a sailor, Paul Kool, whose 70-foot engine- and sail-driven scow she later commanded, the newspaper said.
She was featured on "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" and often was profiled in the press. "Her eyebrows are shaped and arched, her lips lightly rouged, her blonde hair up in feminine curls. That's Miss Molly Kool ashore ... but in her barge ... she knows no fear ... and she'll give orders if she marries, and hubby holds only a mate's ticket," said one news account.
Kool, who outlived two husbands and is survived by a sister, sent this telegram to her family after passing the master's exams for her boating license, "You can call me captain from now on," the Times said.
