Myrtle 'Molly' Kool (February 23, 1916 – February 25, 2009) was a Canadian

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and effici ...

. She is recognized as being one of the first North American registered female sea captains or ship master. She was the first female Master Mariner in Canada.

Biography

Early life

Kool was born in

Alma, New Brunswick Alma ( 2011 Population 232, 2016 population 213) is a village in the parish of Alma, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada. This village is centered on the small delta of the Upper Salmon River and Cleveland Brook, where they empty into Salis ...

, the daughter of Myrtle Anderson and Paul Kool, the latter of whom was a Dutch sailor. She grew up sailing, eventually becoming captain of ''Jean K'', a

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

owned by her father.

Career

At age 21, Kool joined the Merchant Marine School in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of ...

, being the only woman to ever do so. On April 19, 1939, Kool graduated and received her

Master Mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location o ...

's papers from the Merchant Marine Institution in

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. A port town, industries include fishing, and tourism. It is the terminus of a ferry service to Bar Harbor, Maine, run by Bay Ferries. History Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the reg ...

. As a result, a line in the Canadian Shipping Act had to be amended to read "he or she." Her father turned the title to the scow over to her and she captained it for five years, working mainly the pulp and paper trade in the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is t ...

Later life and death

In 1944, after her ship caught fire, Kool left life at sea to marry Ray Blaisdell of

Bucksport, Maine Bucksport is a historical town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,944 at the 2020 census. Bucksport is across the Penobscot River estuary from Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, which replaced the Waldo– ...

in 1944. Blaisdell died in the 1960s. and she remarried, to John Carney of

Orrington, Maine Orrington is a town on the Penobscot River estuary in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,812 at the 2020 census. History Orrington was originally part of Condustiegg or Kenduskeag Plantation, which also included the pre ...

. Kool eventually retired fully after losing both her legs to a vascular disease. In 2003, a sailing ship was named in her honour. A monument to her accomplishment was erected near the wharf in Alma. Scheduled in 2011, the home she grew up in is being rebuilt with the original remains and an exhibit is coming to the entrance of

Fundy National Park Fundy National Park is a national park of Canada located on the Bay of Fundy, near the village of Alma, New Brunswick. It was officially opened on 29 July 1950. The park showcases a rugged coastline which rises up to the Canadian Highlands, the ...

. Kool spent her remaining years in a seniors care home in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

. She died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

in a hospital in Bangor, aged 93. Her ashes were scattered on the Bay of Fundy at Herring Cove, near her birthplace. The

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues ...

named a new ship after her as in 2018.

References

External links

* *
Obituary
in the ''

Morning Sentinel The ''Morning Sentinel'' is an American daily newspaper published six mornings a week in Waterville, Maine. It is owned by MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers cities and towns in parts of Franklin, Kennebec, Penobscot and Somerset counties ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kool, Molly 1916 births 2009 deaths Sea captains Canadian sailors People from Albert County, New Brunswick People from Bangor, Maine Deaths from pneumonia in Maine