Grey Seas Under

Tugboats are the dearest little vessels. They are also resilient and intrepid, enduring conditions that would force many larger vessels to turn tail and heave to. Grey Seas Under is the story of one particular tug, the Foundation Franklin (originally known as H.M.S. Frisky), and the many daring rescue missions conducted by the crew as part of salvage operations in the North Atlantic.

Mowat conjures up the ice forming on the rigging, the winds making up to hurricane strength, the waves smashing across the main deck. The ships are lively, imbued with their own personalities, and the crew themselves are almost mythical in their strength and determination. I found this book endlessly fascinating, often funny, and sometimes sad. (Someone was show more cutting an onion nearby when I read the last chapter…) I particularly enjoyed the story of the ship that had the sheep roaming around on deck, and the story of the Dimitrios Englessis had me nearly gnashing my teeth to bits at how frustrating the rescue must have been for the crew of the Franklin.

The only bone I really have to pick with this book is that the blurb reduces the Franklin’s exploits to its time in the north Atlantic during the Second World War. However, the book covers the ship’s entire life as the Franklin, from the first skipper’s rescuing it from the shipyard in Hamburg to the sad day when it was finally decommissioned. You’ll get so much more than you bargained for this one. It’s well worth picking up. show less

Interesting, but not a favorite. Half about the actual rescues which were often fascinating, half about the politics and economics and stupid decisions that limited Franklin's ability to get on with the rescues. A very interesting viewpoint on the Great Depression and WWII, from the Canadian Maritimes - not an angle I'd ever thought of before. But stupid decisions seemed to be the theme throughout - there were a few amusing bits where someone or someones got their comeuppance when a stupid decision came back to roost, but mostly the stupid decisions hurt other people and the decision-makers just kept on going (and deciding). The usual Mowat style - you could feel the hard-driven spray and the ice on the deck and the fug below, and share show more the frustration and triumph of the various salvors. But it's an oddly omniscient view - the author is almost invisible, there are a very few lines of "eager to tell their stories" or "bitter, as they had reason to be" that hinted at his researches. Other than that, it's a retelling of events without sources, as if the author was there throughout her career. And a sad ending, though with a triumph just before - of survival, if nothing else. I'm glad I read it, but I don't particularly want to read it again. show less

This is the story of a Canada-based salvage ship that must have saved hundreds of ships in her lifetime. The Foundation Franklin is very much a character, and her story and that of the insanely brave men who worked her is thrilling. You get a real sense of how astonishingly dangerous the North Atlantic is - and was, during WWII. Mowat's prose isn't his best - there's too much "on March 1, this ship did this, then on March 10, Franklin did that, and on March 15..." You get the picture. But the story of the ship shines through - I think any fan of O'Brien, Forester, or Kipling's Captains Courageous would greatly enjoy this book.

This book is a history of the salvage ship Foundation Franklin, which worked the North Atlantic during the 1930s and 1940s. Although it is an interesting story, the book suffers from a lack of focus (other than the ship, which is difficult to sympathize with). No one character or event seems more important than the others. Many parts of the book read like barely-edited entries from the ship's log.

The stories told herein are of great heroics and brave men. Regrettably, they are told in a dry and uninspiring way that wasn't particularly thrilling to read.

Read this book years ago. Farley Mowat does a wonderful job of portraying the maritime life of a sea-going salvage tug.

A superb book of danger and courage on the high seas. One of the few books about salvage tugs. The tug Foundation Franklin was an important part of Newfoundland and Maritime Canadian History.