# Call Sign for Foundation Franklin, circa 1930?



## BobRyder (Feb 10, 2016)

Trying to find the elusive callsign of the Mighty seagoing tug FOUNDATION FRANKLIN. Originally built in Aberdeen around 1912 as HMS FRISKY, then several changes until she ended up in Canada as a Rescue Tug based in Halifax, NS. A great vessel, featured in Farley Mowat's book GREY SEAS UNDER.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello Bob, The earlist call sign I can find in the Mercantile Navy List is VGJQ in 1933. She was registered in Montreal from 1930. 




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Crew List Index Project







www.crewlist.org.uk




regards
Roger


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Roger Griffiths said:


> Hello Bob, The earlist call sign I can find in the Mercantile Navy List is VGJQ in 1933. She was registered in Montreal from 1930.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Still held the same callsign in 1945. * sorry I see you are looking for her around 1930 - no callsign listed in Lloyd's Register unfortunately









Regards
Hugh


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## BobRyder (Feb 10, 2016)

Thanks you, Roger and Hugh. That information is exactly what I needed!

Bob R


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Farley Mowat's SERPENT'S COIL. If you needed the callsign of FOUNDATION JOSEPHINE is MFML. I have read that book for so many years i have never forgotten. I am surprised Mowat did not mention the FRANKLIN's callsign in the book. Nice model of the FRANKLIN in the office at Water Street in Halifax. No longer Foundation Maritime, now Svitzer. Nice model of JOSEPHINE as well.

Stephen


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## BobRyder (Feb 10, 2016)

Thank you Stephen. Must have been a Marconi setup.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Marconi or Microchip... I wouldn't know the difference! ;-) How would you guess it was a Marconi setup?

I found a set of photos of FOUNDATION JOSEPHINE and LEICESTER re Serpent's Coil. The R/O on 'JOSIE' was the also the ship's photographer. A lot of the information from the photos back up everything Farley Mowat wrote in the book and his brilliant descriptions and narrative. The R/O was Robbie Vatcher and was from Newfoundland. Going through the Newfoundland telephone directory I was able to find someone that knew Vatcher. He had moved from Newfoundland he has moved to Ottawa. A long shot, and this as about 10 years ago, I found the name. Sadly Robbie Vatcher has passed, but the one that I called was he nephew.

The only crewmember that I did meet was Buck. Dassilva. He was Pumpman in JOSEPHINE. I met him 1967 when FOUNDATION VIGILANT in Bermuda. I was just 15, but I was smart enough to visit the ship and ask about JOSEPHINE etc. I'm sure I posted a photo of Buck on board VIGILANT. It was posted on SN Gallery. Good luck to try to find it now!

Stephen


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## BobRyder (Feb 10, 2016)

Stephen, before the ITU began issuing radio prefixes to countries, Marconi put M before each of his callsigns. What was once CC (Cape Cod) became MCC, and so on.
Regarding finding photos on SN, yes, very tedious, but not impossible.
I spent a few years at Bermuda as a CW op for the USCG radio NOC. Someone had to do it!!

Bob R


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## gordonarfur (May 27, 2018)

Stephen J. Card said:


> Farley Mowat's SERPENT'S COIL. If you needed the callsign of FOUNDATION JOSEPHINE is MFML. I have read that book for so many years i have never forgotten. I am surprised Mowat did not mention the FRANKLIN's callsign in the book. Nice model of the FRANKLIN in the office at Water Street in Halifax. No longer Foundation Maritime, now Svitzer. Nice model of JOSEPHINE as well.
> 
> Stephen


FArley Mowats book an absolutely stunning story regarding the Leicester which I have read many times. Lawson the captain was still in the company when I joined them in the sixties.


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