When the federal courts first came to the District of Alaska, most settlements were on the coast and the primary mode of transportation was by sea. As these settlements grew and the need for a court presence increased, a special "floating court" was created. Beginning in 1891 the steamer barkentine Bear, owned by the U.S. Revenue Service (the forerunner of the Coast Guard), was commissioned to carry representatives of the Department of Justice: the circuit court judge, district attorney, marshal, and other court personnel. Trials were held in local village structures or on shipboard. The "floating court" was such an efficient way of providing justice to the outlying communities that it became a part of normal Coast Guard activities in the District of Alaska.
The Bear had been built in 1874 in Greenock, Scotland, and was bought by the U.S. Navy in 1883 for help in rescuing the Greeley Expedition. Made of squared-oak timber with iron-barked sheathing, she had a length of 198 feet, a beam of 28.5 feet, and 1,700 tons displacement. The Bear was replaced by the Northland in 1927.