Tug Forceful
From the Coastwatch Vault this story from May 1994 on Forceful, an ocean-going tug built for the Queensland Tug Company by Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd in Govan, Scotland. She is powered by a coal fired triple expansion steam engine, which develops just over 1000hp. Launched in 1925, Forceful arrived in Brisbane in March 1926 and spent most of her working life operating along the Qld coast. She was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy during 1942 and 1943 as HMAS Forceful and was based in Darwin and received two battle honours for her wartime service: Forceful was retired from service in September 1970 and handed over to the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane in 1971. She was kept operational and used for trips along the Brisbane River and to Moreton Bay until 2006, when a hull survey revealed that she was not safe to operate and required extensive repairs. Following a number slippings to preserve her in a safe condition, she now lives at the Queensland Maritime Museum as a static exhibit.
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