(Photo: State Library of Queensland & John Oxley Library; #7708-0001-0024)
Forceful (what a great name for a tug!), a coal-burning steam vessel, plied the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay through until World War II, when she got called up by the Royal Australian Navy to work out of Darwin for a couple of years. She then returned to her tugly duties in the Brisbane River until retirement in 1970. Wait - did I say retirement? Look, dear reader - here is a picture of Forceful in the Brisbane River taken only recently. Click on the picture if you want to see the climbers on the Story Bridge (oh! - and a closer view of Forceful). :-)

Yes, Forceful was saved from the dreaded "R" word (no Jimmy - not Recession. We still have to have that!) by the lovely people at the Queensland Maritime Museum, who have carefully maintained her since 1971. She now lives at the old dry-dock at Southbank, and takes people on tourist trips up and down the river and around Moreton Bay. And I think that's a perfect way for her to grow old.
Click here for a Google Map.
tff
Next: Bath time
is Forceful nudging that Liner metal on metal?
ReplyDeleteLooks that way!
ReplyDeletePerhaps there are a few car tyres down there that are not visible in the photo.