A biography of Captain Michael A. Healy (1839-1904), born to an Irish father and a Georgia slave mother. Taken by his father to Massachusetts, Healy went to sea at the age of fifteen and ten years later joined the US Revenue Cutter Service as an officer serving on the North West coast of America, primarily in Alaskan and Arctic waters. He gained a reputation as a hard-drinking disciplinarian, eventually being convicted for drunkenness and placed on the awaiting-orders list for four years. The authors also aim to provide an insight into how race and religion influenced maritime institutions during the late 19th century.