The steam tug Forceful is an Australian icon, having served at Brisbane, Fremantle and Darwin, in times of war and peace.
Exhibition open at QMM from 16 February 2022 to 18 September 2022.
Built on the famous River Clyde in Scotland, ST Forceful (288 tons) joined a small fleet of tug boats stationed on the Brisbane River in 1925.
Forceful earned an international reputation for service in times of peace, shepherding gigantic international passenger liners like Oronsay, or Orcades and Orion (23,000 tons) to their berths at Hamilton Wharf, Brisbane, and towing the SS Arafura to safety when she lost blades from her propeller off the coast of Australia.
In 1941, Forceful was drafted into the Navy and served in Fremantle and Darwin, conducting top secret missions, before returning to civilian duties in Brisbane in 1943.
Retired in 1970 after a distinguished career and the last steam tug operating in Australia, Forceful was adopted by the Queensland Maritime Museum, to preserve the ship and its distinguished history.
