''The Grey Seas Under'' is a non-fiction book by Canadian author

Farley Mowat Farley McGill Mowat, (May 12, 1921 – May 6, 2014) was a Canadian writer and environmentalist. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Can ...

about the Atlantic

Salvage Tug A salvage tug, known also historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground. Overview Few tugbo ...

Foundation Franklin 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 ...

'', operated by the firm Foundation Maritime in Canada's Maritime provinces from 1930 to 1948. The book traces the history of the company and its discovery of a powerful salvage tug, the former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

tug HMS ''Frisky'', was constructed by the John Lewis and Sons Shipbuilding at Aberdeen, Scotland. Decommissioned and in 1924 sold to a German company as the SS ''Gustavo Ipland'', she was purchased and renamed by Foundation Maritime in 1930. The book follows the tug's various captains and crews in many daring rescues during the Great Depression and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

based out of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. The book finishes with ''Franklins last voyage in January 1948 when she nearly sank while towing the Motor Ship Arosa through a hurricane. Suffering severe damage, the thirty-year-old Franklin limped home, arriving at Halifax on February 5, 1948. The tow of ''Arosa'' was completed by another Foundation salvage vessel, ''Foundation Josephine''. ''The Grey Seas Under'' is one of the few nonfiction books to detail the adventures of a salvage tug and its crews. It was inspired when Mowat heard tales about the legendary tug while his schooner moored beside a later Foundation Maritime tug during the 1950s. The book was first published in 1958 and is still in print (). Mowat followed ''The Grey Seas Under'' with a book about ''Foundation Josephine'' entitled ''The Serpent's Coil''.

External links

Pictures of Foundation Franklin and other Foundation Maritime vessels at Haze Grey and Underway {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey Seas Under, The 1958 non-fiction books, Grey Seas Under, The Grey Seas Under, The Books about companies