History
Captain Michael A. Healy
Captain Michael A. Healy was born near Macon, Georgia in 1839. He was the fifth of ten children born to Michael Morris Healy, an Irish plantation owner, and his wife Mary Elisa Smith, a former slave. This family produced a number of distinguished individuals. Three brothers entered the priesthood; James became the first black bishop in North America, Patrick was president of Georgetown University, and Sherwood became an expert in canon law. Three sisters became nuns, one reaching the level of mother superior.
Michael Healy chose to pursue a life at sea over academic pursuits. He began his seagoing career as a cabin boy aboard the American East Indian Clipper JUMNA in 1854. He quickly became an expert seaman and rose to the rank of officer on merchant vessels.
In 1864 he applied for a commission in the U.S. Revenue Marine and was accepted as a Third Lieutenant. After serving successfully on several cutters in the East, Healy began his lengthy service in Alaskan waters in 1875 as the second officer on the cutter RUSH.
He was given command of the revenue cutter CHANDLER in 1877. Promoted to Captain in March 1883, he was given command of the cutter THOMAS CORWIN in 1884.
Finally in 1886, he became Commanding Officer of the cutter BEAR, taking her into Alaskan waters for the first time. He remained Commanding Officer until 1895.
Although already held in high regard as a seaman and navigator in the waters of Alaska, it was as Commanding Officer of BEAR that Healy truly made his mark on history. During the last two decades of the 19th century, Captain Healy was the sole representative of the United States Government in most of Alaska. In his twenty years of service between San Francisco and Point Barrow, he acted as a judge, doctor, and policemen to Alaskan natives, merchant seamen and whaling crews.
He operated in an early demonstration of the missions his Coast Guard successors would carry out a century later: protecting the natural resources of the region, suppressing illegal trade, resupply of remote outposts, law enforcement, and search and rescue. Even in the early days of Arctic operations, science was an important part of the mission. Renowned naturalist John Muir made a number of voyages with Healy during the 1880's as part of an ambitious scientific program. With the reduction in the seal and whale populations, he introduced reindeer from Siberia to Alaska to provide food, clothing and other necessities for the native peoples.
Captain Healy left behind a legacy of exceptional service to his nation and became one of the most celebrated figures in early Coast Guard history. Likewise, the cutter BEAR earned her spot in the history books under Captain Healy’s leadership, becoming the first American law enforcement presence in the newly purchased Alaska and continuing her exceptional service through both world wars.
USCGC Healy
USCGC Healy (WAGB 20) was constructed by Avondale Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her keel was laid on September 16, 1996. A spectacular launch followed on November 15, 1997. Delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard and placed "In Commission, Special" on November 10, 1999, Healy joined the icebreakers Polar Star (WAGB 10) and Polar Sea (WAGB 11) in their homeport of Seattle, Washington. The ship departed New Orleans on January 26th, 2000, arrived in Seattle on August 9th, 2000 and was placed "In Commission, Active" on August 21st, 2000.
Since her commission, Healy has supported research at the North Pole on four occasions. During her maiden voyage on September 6, 2001, Healy became the second U.S. surface ship to reach the North Pole, accompanied by the German research icebreaker Polarstern. On September 12, 2005, Healy again reached the North Pole, accompanied by Swedish icebreaker Oden. Healy became the first U.S. surface ship to reach the North Pole unaccompanied on October 29, 2015, for which she received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation. It was on 30 September 2022, that she would again arrive at the North Pole unaccompanied for her fourth and latest achievement at 90 degrees north.
On her maiden voyage, Healy was awarded the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for mapping 1,100NM of the Gakkel Ridge, the only unmapped undersea ridge at the time, including the discovery of twelve undersea volcanos. In 2003, Healy embarked on Operation Deep Freeze for vessel escort and annual re-supply of McMurdo Station, for which she was awarded the Antarctic Service Medal and the Coast Guard Unit Commendation. In 2012, Healy escorted a fuel tanker to Nome, Alaska under incredibly difficult winter ice conditions. This fuel was vital for maintaining electricity in Nome, requiring Healy to break out beset tankers numerous times.
In 2016, Healy conducted science evolutions to collect biological data in the complex Arctic environment, discovering a new marine species, the benthic ctenophore. Healy also conducted a hydrographic survey of the Alaskan North Slope and Beringian Margin seafloor top, collecting scientific data that directly led to the United States’ 2023 Extended Continental Shelf claim to sovereign rights over approximately one million square kilometers of seafloor.
In 2023, Healy hosted several engagements with Arctic partners. She exchanged crew with the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfred Laurier and the Icelandic Coast Guard Vessel Thor. Healy conducted a similar exchange with the Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel Svalbard before participating in a multi-agency search and rescue exercise with the Norwegian government. This cooperation is valuable to the U.S. Coast Guard’s role in advancing the U.S. vision of the Arctic as a region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous and cooperative.
Throughout Healy's more than 25-year tenure, it has had a lasting impact on Arctic science and national security. Healy has also proven to be a flexible asset with the ability to operate globally and with diverse partners. We are proud of our cutter and look forward to many more years of making history.