- Foundation Maritime
Foundation Maritime was a Canadian salvage company that operated out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with headquarters in
Montreal , Quebec.They started as a construction company in the early 1900s, under the name "Foundation Company of Canada." They branched off into maritime interests in the 1930s, operating primarily out of Hailfax Nova Scotia, under the name Foundation Maritime. They slowly built up a large fleet of tugboats and other vessels, for which they used to rescue ships in distress off the Atlantic Coast.
Foundation Maritime has been made famous by two books written by
Farley Mowat , called "The Grey Seas Under ", and "The Serpent's Coil".Foundation Maritime also played a role in
World War Two , by building some of the "Park Class" vessels that were used to transport goods to theUnited Kingdom . In the 1960s, Foundation Maritime sold off its maritime interests, and decided to focus on construction.When the
tugboat fleet was sold, they carryed on their work with their original names. The towing firm was eventually renamed "Eastern Canada Towing Ltd.", or "ECTUG". The remaining tugs were partially renamed, substituting "Foundation" for "Point" (e.g., "Foundation Vim" became "Point Vim".) Although no longer Canadian owned, "ECTUG" still operates a small fleet of five harbor tugs in Halifax.References
[http://www.hazegray.org/ Haze Grey & Underway]
External links
* [http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/fm/ Haze Grey & Underway "Foundation Maritime - Salvage on the Grey Seas"]
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