Friends of Forceful

Friends of FORCEFUL are for the most part Queensland Maritime Museum Association Members and Volunteers with a special interest in the Association’s 1925 vintage Port of Brisbane steam tug, SS FORCEFUL. Our aim is to augment and assist the Association in its efforts to preserve and maintain FORCEFUL for the enjoyment and education of present and future generations. In this context and in line with best practice around the world, it is also the aim of Friends of FORCEFUL to establish a financial base for the ship which would allow passengers and visitors to experience once again a live glimpse of our Merchant Navy’s sea-faring and marine engineering past. Our members have a very diverse range of backgrounds indeed. We have old salts and not so old salts, people with various trade skills, and people without trade skills. The unifying factor appears to be an appreciation of the importance of the vessel, both as a significant part of Brisbane’s maritime history, and as a rare example of early twentieth century marine engineering. If all this sounds like your cup of tea, read on and we’ll tell you a bit more about FORCEFUL including her specifications and some of her history. When you’ve finished you may even want to give us a hand, by working onboard or assisting from afar in whatever way you can. Please visit our website www.friendsofforceful.com SS Forceful: Career Details Builder: Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd, Linthouse, Glasgow, Scotland Built For: Queensland Tug Company Yard Number: 509 Launched: 20 November 1925 In service: 7 March 1926 Out of service: 28 September 1970 Homeport: Brisbane Displacement: 288 gross tons Length: 36.88 m (121.0 ft) Beam: 8.26 m (27.1 ft) Draught: 4.08 m (13.4 ft) Propulsion: 1 triple expansion steam engine with 3 cylinders, 2 single ended Scotch boilers each with 2 furnaces, 1050 IHP Speed: 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) Service in Royal Australian Navy: Requesitioned by RAN, World War Two Commissioned: HMAS Forceful 16 February 1942 Pennant Number: W126 Armament: One Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, one Vickers machine gun Decommissioned: 11 October 1943 Honours and awards: Battle honours: Darwin 1942-43, Pacific 1941-43 Passenger Vessel/Museum Ship: 10 June 1971 Last Run: 2 July 2006 Currently awaiting refit in order to return to service

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