 Arthur Foss in her slip at the Historic Ships Wharf at Lake Union Park, March 2021.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Willamette Iron and Steel Works |
| Launched | Summer 1889 |
| In service | Fall 1889 |
| Out of service | Summer 1968 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Museum Ship |
| Notes | Believed to be world's oldest wooden tug afloat |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tugboat |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 583 tons (unloaded) |
| Length | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Beam | 24.5 ft (7.5 m) |
| Height | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Draft | 16.0 ft (4.9 m) |
| Decks | 4 |
| Installed power | Washington Iron Works diesel, direct reversing 6 cylinder, 700 hp (520 kW), 18,382 lb⋅ft (24,923 N⋅m) |
| Propulsion | Direct-drive to 6 ft (1.8 m) diameter 3-blade propeller |
| Speed | 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Crew | 7 (inshore tows) to 9 (coastal and oceanic tows) |
| Notes | Classic heavy wood construction with limited ice-breaking capacity |
Arthur Foss (tugboat) | |
| Location | Historic Ships Wharf, 860 Terry Avenue N., Seattle |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°37′41″N 122°20′13″W / 47.62806°N 122.33694°W |
| Area | Lake Union Park, South Lake Union, Seattle |
| Built | 1889, Portland, Oregon |
| Architect | David Stephenson |
| Architectural style | Sawn old-growth Douglas fir, plank on frame |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001078 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 11 April 1989[2] |
| Designated NHL | 11 April 1989[3] |
| Designated SEATL | 14 March 1977[1] |
Arthur Foss, built in 1889 as Wallowa at Portland, Oregon, is likely the oldest wooden tugboat afloat in the world. Its 79-year commercial service life began with towing sailing ships over the Columbia River bar, and ended with hauling bundled log rafts on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 1968. Northwest Seaport now preserves the tug as a museum ship in Seattle, Washington.[4]
The tug's long service in the Pacific Northwest, including a role in the Klondike Gold Rush, was interrupted by preparations for war in early 1941. After delivering a drydock gate to Pearl Harbor the tug was chartered by Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases, a consortium formed to build air fields on remote Pacific islands as the United States prepared for war. In June 1941 Arthur Foss was supporting construction on Wake Island and was there in November along with the smaller Justine Foss transporting construction materials from barges in the lagoon to the island. When the work was completed the tug was scheduled to return to Hawaii with two barges in tow.
The captain, concerned about the warnings of war, left the island without refueling. The smaller tug had to refuel and remained to do so. Arthur Foss was about twelve hours into the voyage to Honolulu when word of the attack on Pearl Harbor was received. The tug's crew repainted the tug with what paint was available and kept radio silence. The tug, overdue and thought lost, was spotted by Navy patrol planes and made Pearl Harbor on 28 December with fuel for less than a day's operation left. The crew of Justine Foss were captured when the island was taken by the Japanese with all but one eventually executed. The Navy put Arthur Foss in service as a yard tug under the name Dohasan from early 1942 until February 1945. The tug was laid up until 1947 when it was returned to Foss and transported to its home area where it was rehabilitated for company service in 1948. It served the company for 20 more years until retirement in July 1968.
- ^ "Landmarks A–Z". City of Seattle. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
- ^ "Arthur Foss (Tugboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Delgadowas invoked but never defined (see the help page).