Captain Ian McNaught, (born 1954) is Deputy Master of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

, and was Captain of ships for

Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Bermu ...

and

Seabourn Seabourn may refer to: * Seabourn Cruise Line, American cruise line * Bert Seabourn (1931–2022), American expressionist painter See also * Seaborn, a surname and given name * Seaborne (disambiguation) * Seabourne, a surname * Seaburn Seabur ...

including the last Captain of the

Queen Elizabeth 2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...

(QE2).

Education

He studied at

Monkwearmouth Academy Monkwearmouth Academy is a state secondary school in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, for pupils aged between 11 and 16. The most recent inspection report was in October 2013 and resulted in a judgement of good in all four aspects of the i ...

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Career

He started his seagoing career on

oil tankers An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crud ...

working for BP.

1987-2009: ''Cunard''

Captain McNaught joined

in September 1987 as a Second Officer on the QE2. In 1989 he joined the ''Cunard Princess'' as First Officer. In 1991 he returned to the QE2 as First Officer until September 1994 when he was promoted to Chief Officer. In 1996 he became Chief Officer on ''Sea Goddess II'' and then Staff Captain on board the QE2 in 1999. His first command was in June 2001, when he became master of ''Sea Goddess I''. In April 2003 he took over as the QE2's 21st master. He was in command of the QE2 on its final voyage around the UK, including to the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

where an estimated 50,000 people attended to watch the ship. He remained onboard, in command of the QE2 for her subsequent final voyage to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

in November 2008 serving as her final Captain. He then supervised the handover and transition to her new owners in Dubai. In March 2009 he took command of

MS Queen Victoria MS ''Queen Victoria'' (''QV'') is a operated by the Cunard Line and is named after the former United Kingdom, British monarch Queen Victoria. The vessel is of the same basic design as other Vista-class cruise ship (2002), Vista-class cruise sh ...

until he resigned in 2010 to join

2010 to 2011: ''Seabourn''

Captain McNaught took command of Seabourn Spirit in February 2010.

2011 to date: ''Trinity House''

Captain McNaught joined

in September 2011 as Deputy Master. In 2019, McNaught was reported that it was not an easy decision for Trinity House to have decided to decommission the

Royal Sovereign Lighthouse Royal Sovereign lighthouse, located offshore from Eastbourne, is a decommissioned lighthouse marking the Royal Sovereign shoal, a sandbank named after HMS Sovereign of the Seas, HMS ''Royal Sovereign''. Its distinctive shape is easily recogni ...

near

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

. In November 2022, Captain McNaught acted on behalf of the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

at the 2022 award ceremony for the UK

Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service The Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service is a state award within the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system. The medal is awarded to no more than 20 recipients annually who are announced on Merchant Na ...

Awards

In 2019, he was appointed Command in the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

in the New Year Honours List.

Personal life

He is married to his wife Susan and has one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcnaught, Ian Living people 1955 births Ship captains of the Cunard Line British Merchant Navy officers Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order