List of sea captains

English navigator who is believed to be the first Briton to reach Japan, becoming a key naval advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

A Filipino naval officer decorated for his heroism as part of the Offshore Patrol unit of the U.S. Army Forces (USAFFE) during WW2 and considered to be the father of the Philippine Marine Corps.

Last captain of SS United States, the biggest ocean liner ever built entirely in the United States and fastest passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service.

Japanese naval officer who participated in World War II. Known for his participation in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Commodore in the U.S Navy, notable for his victory over HMS Java during the War of 1812.

Commodore in the U.S Navy who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

An American who served in the Virginia State Navy during the last years of the American Revolution and commissioned in the new U.S. Navy.

American naval officer of the U.S. Navy and later Confederate Navy, acting as a representative in Europe for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Officer in the Continental Navy and later in the U.S. Navy.

19th-century American Sandy Hook Pilot. Known for being the longest serving Sandy Hook-New Jersey pilot, having served for 55 years as a Sandy Hook pilot.^[1]

Danish-born navigator in the service of the Russian Navy. The first European to discover Alaska. Many geographical features in the area are named for the explorer.

A third generation Scottish master mariner until he was found guilty of scuttling his ship and sentenced to twenty years transportation in Australia.^[2]

Among the last of the American merchant trade tall ship sea captains, commanded the barks Herbert Black and Willard Mudget and the ship Bangalore.

New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Race, Jules Verne Trophy, and led New Zealand to successive victories in the America's Cup.

Royal Navy officer known for the mutiny that occurred during his command of HMS Bounty. Bligh successfully navigated the ship's launch 6,700km to safety after being set adrift by the mutineers.

Spanish Criollo naval officer born in Peru. Explored the Northwest Coast of North America as far north as present day Alaska. Bodega Bay is named for him.

Irish-born, "father of the Argentine Navy", victorious in the Independence War, the Cisplatine War, and the Guerra Grande in Uruguay

American naval officer who served as an admiral in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War, and commanded the ironclad CSS Virginia.

Portuguese explorer and navigator, generally regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil.

Italian master aboard SS Andrea Doria at time of her fatal collision with MS Stockholm.

Irish-born founder of the Uruguayan Navy.

Chinese/Hawaiian-American naval officer. First Asian-American to obtain flag rank. Distinguished for his command of USS Sigsbee in WW2 and honored with an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named in his honor.

Genoese navigator, colonizer, and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, on behalf of Spain, led to general European awareness of the Americas.

19th-century maritime pilot best known for the captain of Columbia and Magic in the America's Cup.^[3]

British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his pioneering voyages in the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii.

19th-century American maritime pilot best known for piloting battleships built at the Boston Navy Yard on their initial seatrials.

Sea captain who later operated a ship building business at Taunton, Massachusetts.

American naval officer, best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle, a feat for which he received the thanks of Congress.

American naval officer notable for his heroism in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. The youngest man to reach the rank of captain in the U.S. Navy.

South Vietnamese naval officer who secretly organised the evacuation of over 30,000 refugees aboard 32 South Vietnamese navy ships during the Fall of Saigon, preventing those ships from falling into the hands of North Vietnamese.

English privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Known for circumnavigating the globe in command of Golden Hind.

Distinguished British naval officer of the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

Norse explorer thought to be the first European to set foot on continental North America, prior to Christopher Columbus.

American naval officer, the first admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead".

Spanish Basque navigator and explorer best known for taking command and completing the first circumnavigation of the world following Magellan's demise.

British captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who revolutionized the art of weather forecasting.

One of the first licensed marine pilots in the state of Oregon. Flavel would go on to amass a fortune with a business managing pilot boats on the Columbia River.

Master of the Great Eastern Railway's steamship Brussels, and he was shot by the Germans in 1916 after he used his ship to try and ram U-33.

Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.

Italian patriot, Italian shipmaster and merchant marine deep-sea captain. He is celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times^[4] and as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.^[5] He fought in numerous military campaigns that led to the Italian unification

Japanese naval officer during World War II, and was considered one of the most successful naval strategists of the Imperial Japanese Navy, including that of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

English mariner, empirical philosopher, nautical inventor, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.

American naval officer. The first African American in the U.S. Navy to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.

American author and at the time, the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast of the United States. She was featured in the 1997 book The Perfect Storm and the film The Perfect Storm.

Chinese admiral of the Qing dynasty and "Commander-in-Chief of Naval Forces". Established courteous relations with British Rear-Admiral Frederick Maitland. Fought in the First and Second Battle of Chuenpi, and the Battle of the Bogue.

Captained the Brunel-designed leviathan SS Great Eastern, which laid transoceanic telegraph cables in the late 19th century.

Japanese naval commander during the Pacific War and the author of the IJN manual on torpedo attack techniques.

Commander of the Japanese submarine I-58 which sank USS Indianapolis, the single greatest disaster in US naval history.

Captain of Exxon Valdez at the time of its 1989 oil spill.

American Captain of the United States Revenue Cutter Service and the first African-American to command a ship of the United States government.

Japanese naval officer during the Russo-Japanese War whose sacrifice elevated him to the status of national hero.

19th-century American harbor pilot who guided large vessels into and out of New York Harbor as a Sandy Hook pilot.^[6]

English sea explorer and navigator, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and the northeastern United States. Numerous geographical features have been named for him.

American naval officer who distinguished himself as XO aboard the frigate Constitution in the Quasi-War with France, and later as commander during her battle with HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812.

An American sail training pioneer, adventurer, lecturer and writer, best known for his film Around Cape Horn, and seven circumavigations of the world, each time with an amateur crew of students.

English captain of the 1620 voyage of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower to establish the Plymouth Colony.

British mariner and naval officer, later serving as Member of Parliament.

American naval officer who joined the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.

Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval officer during the American Revolution.

American naval officer during the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. Distinguished for his bravery during the Battle of Lake Borgne.

Decorated Dutch naval officer and submarine commander during World War II. Later served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Hawaiian sailor who was the first to captain the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa from Hawaii to Tahiti using only traditional navigation techniques.

Japanese naval officer and statesman during the end of the Tokugawa shogunate into the Meiji restoration.

American Coast Guard officer who was the first woman appointed to command an American military vessel, the patrol boat USCGC Cape Newagen, in 1979.

Highly decorated South Vietnamese naval officer with numerous "command-at-sea" posts, including accepting and delivering the first Vietnamese Navy ship across the Pacific from the US.

Captain of the tea clipper Challenger and founder of the firm Killick Martin & Company. He became affectionately known as the ‘China Bird’ and the ‘Admiral’.

Greek naval admiral and commander of the Hellenic Navy during the Balkan Wars and World War I, Later became the first and third President of Greece.

Japanese naval commander during Japan's Sengoku Period, under Oda Nobunaga, and later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

American captain of the SS Meredith Victory, a U.S. Merchant Marine cargo ship that evacuated over 14,000 refugees during the Korean War, the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship in history.

Sea captain from Guernsey widely credited as having transformed the economy of Costa Rica by establishing the Costa Rican coffee trade.

American anti-war activist and New England sea captain who devoted his pen to preaching non-resistance during the War of 1812.

American naval hero. During the War of 1812, he commanded USS Chesapeake against HMS Shannon. Best known today for his dying command "Don't give up the ship!".

A Spanish naval officer best remembered for the Battle of Cartagena de Indias where Spanish forces under his command decisively defeated a large British invasion.

A German nobleman, naval officer, author, and sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea Devil) for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) during the First World War.

American naval officer. Macdonough's actions during the decisive Battle of Lake Champlain are often cited as a model of tactical preparation and execution.

Portuguese maritime explorer who led the first circumnavigational expedition, and located the eponymous Strait of Magellan. He was also the first European to reach the Philippines.

Japanese naval officer in the Tokugawa Navy during the Boshin War, serving as Captain of the Japanese warship Banryū during the Battle of Hakodate.

British naval officer best known for defeating the pirate Blackbeard by luring him to board an unarmed sloop with most of his crew hidden below deck.

American naval officer who served in Chinese service as a naval advisor during the First Sino-Japanese War. He proved a talented tactician during the Battle of the Yalu as well being as the first American to command a modern battleship in wartime.

American naval officer who was the first woman to command a U.S. Navy ship as commander of USS Recovery in 1993. In 1998, she was appointed commander of USS Jarrett, one of the first women to command a combat ship in the U.S. Navy.

Portuguese nobleman who served in the armed services for 16 years rising from the rank of soldier to sea captain. Involved in several military actions including the Spanish–Portuguese War of 1735 Appointed in 1751 as governor of north Brazil's State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão, and in 1759 as Secretary of State in Lisbon.

First African American to command a vessel in the United States Merchant Marine.

New England fishing schooner captain, noted for surviving a series of close calls at sea.

Known as "Captain Jack" or "Jack the Pilot" to visitors, served as Honolulu harbor master and admiral of the royal fleet in the early Kingdom of Hawaii.

British naval officer known for his leadership, strategy, and unconventional tactics during the Napoleonic Wars. Widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history.

U.S. Navy officer and later a Union general in the American Civil War. He holds the distinction of being the only naval officer to achieve the rank of major general on either side of the Civil War.

Awarded a George Medal for his actions during an air attack by the Luftwaffe; Convicted of piracy by Vichy French; Instigator and overseer of the installation of the Thames Navigation Service.

English seaman and privateer. Captain of the Susan Constant and commander of the 1607 Virginia Company voyage to establish the first North American settlement at Jamestown.

British-American merchant mariner and Royal Navy officer, working his way up from ordinary seaman to merchant captain. Later worked as a flight navigator and disappeared with Amelia Earhart during their World Flight.

Antifascist boat captain that rescued Italian Resistance members and politicians from Fascist Italy

Captain of the Chilean steam tug Yelcho which rescued the 22 stranded crewmen of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance from Antarctica.

One of the most successful arctic whalers to sail from Hull in the nineteenth century and for many years captain of the whale ship Truelove.

British naval officer who was captain of HMS Serapis during the American Revolution. He was defeated by John Paul Jones in a pivotal battle.

British naval officer. Fought during the American and French Revolutionary Wars. Pellew makes a fictional appearances in the Horatio Hornblower novels.

American naval officer who compelled the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.

American naval officer who served in the War of 1812 and earned the nickname "Hero of Lake Erie" for leading American forces in a decisive naval victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.

U.S. merchant mariner, shipmaster and author, who served as captain aboard MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009.

Micronesian fisherman and navigator from Satawal, best known as a teacher of traditional, non-instrument wayfinding methods for open-ocean voyaging, sparking a Hawaiian cultural renaissance and ultimately preserving the art of Polynesian navigation.

Captain of Esmeralda, Prat was killed shortly after boarding the Peruvian armored monitor Huáscar at the Naval Battle of Iquique.

Officer in the United States Navy and United States Merchant Marine, participated in the Revolutionary War, the Quasi-War with France, and the First Barbary War.

English sailor, writer and explorer. North American explorer, confidant of Elizabeth I, builder of the English galleon, Ark Royal.

American naval officer during the War of 1812. Commanded the privateer General Armstrong and engaged gunboats from British en route to Jamaica and New Orleans.

Norwegian captain of the MV Tampa who defied Australian government demands during the Tampa Affair, was later awarded the Nansen Refugee Award and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

American naval officer who served in the United States Navy from its organization in the 1790s through the late 1830s. His service included the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812.

Son of the above John Rodgers, also with a long career of distinguished service, commanding an expedition of Naval Infantry and Marines in Florida during the Seminole Wars and the North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition.

Wife of Captain David Larkin Ross aboard the "Reform" enroute to Buenos Aires, successfully assumed command of the ship upon David's death. Her brief command made her one of America's first female ship captains.

British captain for the Cunard Line and master of RMS Carpathia during her rescue RMS Titanic survivors. Rostron was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and Order of the British Empire for his efforts, and was eventually made Commodore of the Cunard fleet.

Japanese naval officer who served during the Russo-Japanese War and one of the first submarine commanders of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Captain of the ill fated cruise ship Costa Concordia.

Welsh-American merchant captain who served as a naval officer during the American Civil War. Commanded the schooner USS Kittatinny as part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron under David Farragut.

British Admiral of the Fleet. Took part in the capture of Canton and the attack on the Taku forts. Appointed commander-in-chief of the China Station, lead the Naval Brigade in the relief of Peking during the Boxer Rebellion.

Soviet merchant marine captain, often said to be the first western woman captain of an ocean-going ship

Chinese pirate who took control of her husband's pirate confederation with personal command of 24 ships and over 1,400 pirates at the time of her retirement. Considered not only history's most successful female pirate, but one of the most successful pirates in history.

Captain of Campbell Macquarie and one of the earliest and best known merchant ship captains sailing out of Port Jackson.

An African-American born into slavery in South Carolina, worked as a deckhand aboard CSS Planter. Commandeered the vessel and piloted it to Union lines. Then served as a pilot and captain in the Union Navy.

Captain of RMS Titanic. Joined the White Star Shipping Line in March 1880 where he quickly rose in stature. Received his first White Star command, SS Republic in 1887.

Captain of the brig Williams, when passing around Cape Horn he encountered strong headwinds and ventured south, discovering the South Shetland Islands, and later sighted the Antarctic.

South Korean merchant mariner who organized the Korean coast guard, providing the groundwork to stand up a Navy at the start of the Korean War, becoming the first Chief of Naval Operations and founder of the Republic of Korea Navy.

American naval officer, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. Later served as a U.S. Senator.

Captain and ship owner from St. Malo. Notable as French corsair during the Napoleonic Wars.

Austrian Captain and Fleet Commander of the Austro-Hungarian Fleet. Considered one of the prominent naval commanders of the 19th century, Tegetthoff was known for his innovative tactics as well as his inspirational leadership.

One of Japan's greatest naval heroes known as "the Nelson of the East". As Commander-in-Chief during the Russo-Japanese War, he successfully routed Russian naval forces at Port Arthur and Tsushima.

American naval officer who operating as a privateer during the American Revolution, commanding several ships. After the war, he returned to the merchant marine, and in commanded one of the first American ships to engage in trade with China.

Irish captain of the schooner Denbighshire Lass. After inheriting her father's shipping company in the 1880s, Tyrrell fought to have her name on the documents of ownership for the schooner. Her career as sea captain spanned over twenty years, and Denbighshire Lass was the first ship to fly the Irish tricolour flag at a foreign port.

Fishing schooner captain out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He was a highliner fishing captain and captain of the schooner Bluenose, winning multiple races for the International Fisherman's Trophy.

Fishing schooner captain from Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was captain of the schooner Esperanto in 1920 when it defeated the Canadian schooner Delawana in the first International Fishing Schooner Championship Races in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

American naval officer and explorer. He is particularly noted for his 1838–1842 Pacific expedition as well as for his role in the Trent Affair during the Civil War.

Captain of the whaling vessels Phoenix and Edward Cary.

English sea captain, known as the master of the sailing clipper Cutty Sark during her most successful period of service in the wool trade between Australia and the United Kingdom.

Prominent Sea Captain, businessman and philanthropist in New Jersey and Pennsylvania involved in the spice and silk trade, Glass-making, and missionary work.

Korean admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese during the Imjin war. A brilliant naval strategist, Yi perfected use of the turtle ships and used sea tides and narrow straits to his advantage.

Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded Ming China's treasure voyages from 1405 to 1433.

Chinese admiral, merchant, and pirate. Fluent in Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. Worked with the Dutch East India Company, as a privateer overseeing an armada of four hundred junks and tens of thousands of men, controlling all shipping in the South China Sea.