Christmas Seal docked at Canning's wharf in Presque

The vessel was built by the Casey Boat Building Company of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in early 1943, as a 104-foot military crash rescue boat and designated P-102. Under the name USCB Shearwater, she operated from the Naval Air Station Argentia until 10 September 1947 when she was purchased by the Newfoundland Tuberculosis Association for US$5,000 and converted into a floating clinic. 

Renamed the M/V Christmas Seal, from 1947 the vessel sailed to isolated outports on the coast of Newfoundland, screening residents for tuberculosis, which was a leading cause of death on the island. Under the command of Captain Peter Troake from 1950, the ship was fitted to provide chest X-rays, and also carried out vaccinations for TB and polio, and tested for diabetes. Doctors, nurses, technicians, and health educators staffed the vessel in addition to the operating crew. The ship also provided general health education in the form of leaflets, talks and film shows, as well as providing emergency medical evacuations. A measure of the success of Christmas Seal can be seen in mortality rates; in 1947 there were 500 deaths from TB in the province, in 1958 it was 64. By 1970, the decline in rates of infection, and the improvements in road access on the island, meant that the services of Christmas Seal were no longer required.