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This historical ship is the oldest wooden tugboat to still function today in Washington. The first name the boat was given was Wallowa, Built in 1889 by workers in Portland Oregon. This ship made its way to the Seattle coast with gold from the Klondike Gold Rush, soon settling in Alaska and began to work for lumber farms and productions. This boat has also lived through and dodged bombs in Wake Island and Pearl harbor. Arthur Foss Tugboat has many historical ties related to colonization, industrialization, and war conflicts. Now located and staying in Northwest Seaport.


Tugboat Arthur Foss is a heritage vessel-a museum ship that offers tours and public programs.

Tugboat Arthur Foss is a heritage vessel-a museum ship that offers tours and public programs.

In 1941 Arthur Foss was taken into the U.S Navy, being upgraded to a higher end version of herself.

Water, Sky, Boat, Watercraft

In this image it depicts Arthur Foss before headed into the Wake Island bombing. The ship before this voyage was made for logging and transportation of goods.

Water, Sky, Boat, Watercraft

Arthur Foss tugboat was created in the time of Industrialization. New metireals were being found and people were beginning to Industrialize. With the new coal being found Factories began to boom. The Arthur Foss tugboat was apart of a huge change in our world and lived through it. Bringing people and new metireals from place to place frequently in this time period. SInce the boat was able to live past this time as well it is a huge part and blast to the past of what it was like in those times.

Arthur Foss Tugboat was hugely influential on the colonization and growth in economics. Arthur Foss was created in Portland Oregon Origonally named the Wallowa being launched for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Co. . Arthur was made for the purpose of pulling large ships aross the port. Created to resist the heavy waves of the Culumbia River this 600-ton ship was manufactured by Davived Stephenson. After about 10 years of tugging at the Bar gold was found around the Klondike River. The ship was quickly taken over with plethra of miners and metireals for this task. Moving back and forth frequently between Alaska and the puget sond coat in Washington.

Arthur Foss Tugboat was also hours away from being right in the middle of the Wake Island bombing. Leaving 12 hours before the bombing began Arthur Foss had began to return to Alaksa leaving on December 23 1941 due to the scenarios that were possibly at hand. There is very little information on this time of the tug boats life. Arthur Foss was then taken into the U.S Navy and renamed Dohason. Being remodeled into a YT-335 and later a YTM-335. By 1946 Arthur Foss was then taken back by the Towning and Barge Co. being renamed Arthur Foss once again. She made it home after the war in one piece. Getting back to normal day activities with the mill and by 1948 Arthur Foss was pulling logs cribs and bublded logs. By 1968 Arthur Foss had created the new record of the longest working boat in the Towing service.

Arthus Foss ties didn't have a simple life. Traveling the world and being apart of war conflict, participating in a huge influential push of gold in the Klondie Gold Rush as well as being able to pull and transport wood or logs. Arthur foss has helped to bring apon Industrialization, colonization and seen some of the colflicts of our world through the Wake Island bombing and Peral Harbor. Since Arthur was able to see these things and help pull us along in our growth to today, Arthur Foss Tugboat is a huge plast to the past, showing us this growth.

Comer, Noris. Refit or Ruin: The Story of the Arthur Foss, passage maker . August 17th 2020. Accessed May 27th 2022. https://www.passagemaker.com/cruiser-reviews/refit-or-ruin-arthur-foss.

Tugboat Arthur Foss, Lake Union Park, Seattle, King County, WA, Library Of Congress. Accessed May 27th 2022. https://www.loc.gov/item/wa0868/.

Verrastro, Craig . ARTHUR FOSS (1889), Tugboat Information. Accessed May 27th 2022. https://www.tugboatinformation.com/about.cfm.

Wright, Dave . Arthur foss pre/post war, NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive. December 13th 2018. Accessed May 27th 2022. http://www.navsource.org/archives/14/08335.htm.

Arthur Foss, Military-history Fandom. Accessed May 27th 2022. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Arthur_Foss.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

http://www.navsource.org/archives/14/08335.htm

http://www.navsource.org/archives/14/08335.htm