Foundation Franklin
Foundation Franklin before World War II. Two "F"s are clearly visible on the twin funnels.
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Frisky |
Builder | John Lewis and Sons Shipbuilding, Aberdeen |
Yard number | 67 |
Laid down | 1918 |
Launched | August 1918 |
Completed | August 1918 |
Commissioned | 1919 |
Fate | Sold for commercial service 1924 |
History | |
Name |
|
Owner | |
Port of registry |
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Acquired | 1924 |
In service | 1924 |
Out of service | 1948 |
Fate | Broken up for scrap 14 April 1949 |
General characteristics as built | |
Type | Tugboat |
Tonnage | 613 GRT |
Length | 47.3 m (155 ft 2 in) pp |
Beam | 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) |
Draught | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW) |
Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) max |
SS Foundation Franklin was a seagoing salvage tug built for the Royal Navy as HMS Frisky in 1918. In 1924, the tugboat was sold and renamed Gustavo Ipland before being acquired in 1930 by Foundation Maritime and renamed Foundation Franklin. The tugboat became famous for many daring salvage operations and rescues between 1930 and 1949. Her many rescues and salvage triumphs were celebrated in Farley Mowat's book The Grey Seas Under. In 1948, the ship was damaged in a hurricane and not considered repairable. The tug was broken up for scrap in 1949 at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Description
As built, the
History
Foundation Franklin was built as HMS Frisky by John Lewis and Sons Shipbuilding at their yard in
The ship was purchased in January 1930 at Hamburg, Germany by Foundation Maritime representative Captain James Sutherland. Brought to Southampton for further refit and inspection, she was registered under the Canadian Red Ensign and given the name Foundation Franklin. Brought to Foundation Maritime headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1931, the tug was further refitted by Halifax Shipyards for Atlantic salvage service.
After a few
Her bell, bearing her original Royal Navy name Frisky, was saved from the scrapyard and used at the Foundation Wharf to summon crews to successor rescue tugs when vessels were in distress. The bell has continued to reside at offices beside the company's wharf through successive ownership changes. Today it is owned by Svitzer Canada Limited which continues to operate tugs from Foundation Franklin's old wharf. A plaque beside the wharf on the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk commemorates her many rescues. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic preserved Foundation Franklin's bridge and engine room clocks as well as several models and the tug's heavy salvage tackle. Foundation Franklin was the centrepiece of a special tug exhibit which opened at the museum in 2009 displaying many pieces of her original equipment and her original bell on loan from Svitzer Canada.[5]
Citations
- ^ a b c d Miramar Ship Index
- ^ Mowat, p. 14.
- ^ Mowat, p. 16.
- ^ "Foundation Maritime: Salvage on the Grey Seas". hazegray.org. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "TUGS! Highlights March Break at the Maritime Museum" (Press release). Government of Nova Scotia. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
References
- "Frisky (1142615)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- Mowat, Farley (May 1964). The Grey Seas Under.