Denis Joseph Healy (April 29, 1912 – July 1, 1971) was an American explorer who was a member of the

United States Antarctic Service Expedition The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd's Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, United States Department of State, State Department, United St ...

Early life and education

Healy was the third of ten children of Irish immigrants, Hannah and John Healy. He was born in

Scituate, Massachusetts Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. History The Wampanoag and their neighbors inhabited the ar ...

in an area known as the Glades, part of the small seaside community of Minot, Massachusetts, which overlooks

Minot's Ledge Light Minot's Ledge Light, officially Minots Ledge Light, is a lighthouse on Minots Ledge, one mile offshore of the towns of Cohasset, Massachusetts, Cohasset and Scituate, Massachusetts, to the southeast of Boston Harbor.The current lighthouse is the ...

. Educated in local schools, Healy continued his education at the

Massachusetts Maritime Academy Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Mass Maritime, MMA) is a public university in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. It was established in 1891 and is the second oldest state maritime academy in the United States. Orig ...

Career

Having served as a dog driver with

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader cr ...

on the Second Antarctic Expedition, Healy was accepted as a dog driver on the

. Healy and Lytton Musselman were members of the Southeastern-Eternity Range Survey trail party, led by J. Glenn Dyer. The trail party departed East Base with

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer ...

and Carl R. Eklund on November 6, 1940, separated from Ronne and Eklund on November 21, and proceeded on their expedition until their return to East Base on December 11. After his return to the U.S. in May 1941, Healy joined the Army Air Corps. He served in

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

under the command of polar explorer/pilot

Bernt Balchen Bernt Balchen (23 October 1899 – 17 October 1973) was a Norwegian pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. A Norwegian native, he later became an American citizen and was a recipient of the Disting ...

. Healy participated in several search and rescue missions, including the rescue of twenty men from the B-17, ''

My Gal Sal ''My Gal Sal'' is a 1942 American musical film distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s German-American composer / songwriter Paul Dresser and singer Sally Elliot. It was based ...

''. By the end of the war, Healy had earned the rank of master sergeant. ''US Army Air Forces, Air Force Magazine, October-December, 1943''
/ref> Upon his separation from the military Healy settled in

Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is an historic town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore suburb of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. The town is located app ...

, and spent the remainder of his life working as a poultry farmer. Healy died suddenly on July 1, 1971, from a heart attack. Cape Healy at the entrance to Lamplugh Inlet, on the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica, is named for him.

Personal life

Healy married Anna C. Finn. They had no children.

Awards and honors

* U.S.

Antarctic Service Medal The Antarctica Service Medal (ASM) was established by the United States Congress on July 7, 1960, under s:Public Law 86-600, Public Law 600 of the 86th United States Congress, 86th Congress. The medal was intended as a awards and decorations of ...

: Gold

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healy, Joseph D. 1912 births American explorers of Antarctica 1971 deaths 20th-century American explorers