Foundation Franklin - A Written History





History
The ship was originally built in Dundee, Scotland during 1918 for the British Admiralty, named HMS. Frisky. Used by the admiralty to assist ships that had gotten into trouble in the savage waters of the North Atlantic. In 1925 the ship was sold to Atlantic Ocean Towing Company of Hamburg, Germany and renamed Gustavo Ipland. The ship was fitted with an automatic self rendering towing winch. Subsequently it was laid up in Hamburg during the depression and was sold in February 1930 to Foundation Maritime of Montreal, Canada. The vessel was renamed Foundation Franklin.	Length BP	156 ft
	Moulded Breadth	31 ft
	Moulded Depth	14 ft
	Weight	700 tons
	Engine Power	1200 Hp


The ship underwent large modifications with the foremast being moved closer to the bow, and a derrick was fitted to serve the new hatch. The bridge was plated in and extended to suit the North Atlantic. The rear crew quarters where converted into a salvage gear hold. A heavy derrick was fitted on the rear main mast to serve the new hold and towing deck. The crew was rehoused beside the boiler casing on the main deck.	Equipped with heavy salvage gear, Foundation Franklin was frequently dispatched under some of the most severe weather conditions to mount salvage or rescue operations for numerous large bulk carriers and freighters, liners and tankers which had been rendered immobile by northern gales. Thirty years after first being built the tug was laid up in June 1948 flowing the arrival of Foundation Josephine, the former Samsonia.

The career of Foundation Franklin and her crew has been the subject of a book by Farley Mowatt, called The Grey Seas Under. This book is probably one of only a number of biographies about a tug, its owners and crew. The book is available from Maryland Nautical Sales, Inc at a cost of USD $16.95 The book is a lively and intriguing account of the, dare I say, adventures of Foundation Franklin from start to end.


General Arrangement of Foundation Franklin