The Commanding Officer (or CO) is Captain Frederick J. Sommer. He assumed command on June 13, 2008. As CO, Captain Sommer is completely responsible for the overall safety of the ship and crew, as well as the successful completion of HEALY's assigned missions.

Captain Sommer is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation he reported to USCGC POLAR SEA at St. John's, Newfoundland as the ship completed a 5-month circumnavigation of North America, including the Northwest Passage. During the same tour, he completed a 7-month Operation Deep Freeze deployment to Antarctica. He then served as Executive Officer of USCGC MORRO BAY, homeported in Yorktown, Virginia. Captain Sommer as served as Commanding Officer of the icebreaking tug USCGC NEAH BAY in Cleveland, Ohio and more recently as Executive Officer, USCG MIDGETT homeported in Seattle, Washington.

During his shore assignments, Captain Sommer pursued a civil engineering career. After completing a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, he served as an Environmental Engineer, Facilities Planner, and eventually Executive Officer of Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland, Ohio. Captain Sommer also completed a tour as Facilities Engineer at Training Center Yorktown, Virginia, and most recently as Chief, Civil Engineering Division, Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.
Captain Sommer's military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals.

Captain Sommer is a former Navy Junior who spent most of his childhood in Honolulu, San Diego, and Seattle and is a graduate of Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. He is married to the former Valerie Nelson of Cushing, Wisconsin. They have two teenage sons, Steven and Christopher.

email: Fredrick dot J dot Sommer at uscg dot mil