Forceful – Tugboat

Forceful was an ocean-going tugboat built in Scotland. She arrived at her homeport of Brisbane, Queensland, in 1926. In Brisbane, Forceful was employed mainly in the Brisbane River and coast assisting with towing and helping many stricken ships.

As a consequence of World War II, Forceful was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy during most of 1942 and 1943 as HMAS Forceful (W126). During her war service, she was based at Darwin and operated mainly in northern Australian waters. She received two battle honors for her wartime service.

The postwar years saw changes to the tug fleet in Brisbane, resulting in Forceful becoming the last coal-burning tug on the river in 1964. With the more efficient diesel-engined tugs, Forceful’s work gradually decreased, and in 1970 she was retired from service.

Forceful – Tugboat

- Name: Forceful – Tugboat
- Launched: 1925
- Retired: 1970
- Tonnage: 288 gross tons
- Length: 121 ft (36.88m)
- Beam: 27.1 ft (8.26m)
- Draught: 13.4 ft (4.08m)
- Speed: 13 knots
- Machinery: 1 triple expansion steam engine with three cylinders and two single-ended boilers, each with two furnaces producing an indicated 1050HP.
- Working pressure: 175psi (1205.75 Kpa)
- Bunker Capacities: 103 tons of coal and 78 tons of water
- Coal Consumption: Approximately 10 tons per day
- Museum: Queensland Maritime Museum