Arthur Foss
Arthur Foss in her slip at the Historic Ships Wharf at Lake Union Park, March 2021.
| |
History | |
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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 |
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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.
Construction and early operations
Wallowa was built in 1889 in Portland, Oregon, for the
The first master of Wallowa in service was Captain R.E. Howes. Howes was born in 1846 on
Klondike Gold Rush service
In 1898, caught up in the shipping boom caused by the
Wallowa's strong construction continued to serve it in good stead. The tug made many subsequent voyages up the Inside Passage transporting supply
Puget Sound Mill & Timber Company service
In 1904, Wallowa was purchased by lumber baron Mike Earles, owner of Puget Sound Mill & Timber Company (PSM & T Co.), based at
In early 1929, Earles sold Wallowa to a neighboring timber concern: Merrill & Ring Logging Company, formed in 1886 by two families established in the lumber business back in Michigan and Minnesota. T.D. Merrill and Clark Ring had formed their joint venture after arriving in the Pacific Northwest to scout timberlands, acquiring large tracts around the Pysht River. The company still owns these today. Wallowa undertook the same types of jobs for Merrill & Ring as it had for the PSM & T Co., but operating primarily between booming grounds at Pysht and Port Angeles. However, after less than a year, Merrill & Ring decided to sell the tug.[9][10]
Foss Launch & Tug Company service (pre-war)
Afterward, Wallowa was returned to Foss, which rebuilt and modernized the tug from its main deck up at company headquarters in
For nearly three years following modernization, Arthur Foss was utilized primarily for coastal tows to California, Oregon, and Alaska, based mostly out of Tacoma. The tug set several speed and tonnage hauled records, most notably while towing large lumber schooners down the coast to California. The most famous of these voyages occurred in 1936 under the command of Captain W. B. Sporman when, battling bad weather the whole time, Arthur Foss towed the large four-masted schooner Commodore, loaded with 1,500,000 board feet (3,500 m3) of lumber, from Oregon to Los Angeles in a record seven days. During this period the tug also frequently towed log rafts, ships, and barges along the Inside Passage as it had during the gold rush. Disaster struck on 18 February 1937, when a severe fire broke out in the forward crew quarters. In order to save Arthur Foss, Captain J.M. Bowers deliberately steered the tug into shallow water near Discovery Bay and sank it, extinguishing the fire. Several other vessels came to assistance, and Arthur Foss was refloated and taken to Tacoma for repairs.[9][14]
By late 1937, Arthur Foss was back in service with a new power steering system and a new, extremely skillful captain. In November both tug and captain, Martin Guchee, were commended for towing the disabled motorship Eastern Prince from
After its involvement with the two soon-to-be-famous bridges, Arthur Foss returned to its normal towing duties up and down the coast. Captain Vince Miller was in command at this time. After a record barge tow of 1,800,000 board feet (4,200 m3) of lumber to Los Angeles in late 1940, on 8 February 1941 the tug departed Tacoma for
World War II service
Arthur Foss successfully delivered the drydock gate to the
Work was completed on schedule. Arthur Foss needed to refuel before undertaking the 2,300 miles (3,700 km) voyage back to Hawaii. Captain Rolstad and the crew were extremely anxious to leave as soon as possible. By the early morning of 8 December 1941 (7 December on the other side of the
Arthur Foss and tow were spotted by U.S.
Arthur Foss was ultimately the last vessel to escape Wake before Japanese forces captured the island on 23 December 1941, after a prolonged and bloody
Arthur Foss was placed in service by the
Foss Launch & Tug Company service (post-war)
Upon completion of repairs, the newly refurbished Arthur Foss was assigned to Foss's Port Angeles division with the task of towing log cribs and later bundled log rafts in the
Museum ship and National Historic Landmark
Northwest Seaport volunteers cleaned and organized the tug's interior and refurbished the main engine piece by piece, with the first official startup as a museum ship occurring in 1980. Afterward Arthur Foss regularly cruised Puget Sound waters during the summer months with a volunteer crew, participating in tugboat races, boat shows, and other maritime heritage events until 2001. The tug's excursions ended that year due to rising fuel and insurance costs, and increased safety concerns, in the wake of the
Arthur Foss was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a Seattle Landmark. The tug was also named a Washington State Centennial Heritage Flagship in 1989, when both tug and state celebrated their 100th "birthday".[3][4][23]
Arthur Foss is currently docked at the Historic Ships Wharf at Seattle's Lake Union Park, and is a featured attraction open for public tours most summer weekends, or by appointment. Visitors of all ages enjoy a glimpse of life aboard what is now one of the oldest and most historic vessels in the United States.[24]
See also
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Arthur Foss (Tugboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Delgado, James P. (1988). "Tugboat Arthur Foss, ex-Wallowa National Historic Landmark Study". National Park Service. Retrieved 27 December 2016.and
—— (9 July 1988). "Accompanying five photos, exterior and interior, from 1988". National Park Service. Retrieved 22 August 2012. - ^ "Telegraphic. Specials to the Astoria". Daily Morning Astorian. Vol. 33, no. 53. Astoria, OR. 4 September 1889. p. 2, col. 2.
- ^ LCCN 28001147.
- ^ "The O.R.& N. company's new tug Wallowa ..." Daily Morning Astorian. Vol. 33, no. 69. Astoria, OR. 24 September 1889. p. 3, col. 1.
- ISBN 0875642209. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-87564-224-1.
- ^ "Merrill & Ring History". Merrill & Ring. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Museum Ship: Visit Tugboat Arthur Foss". Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ Burrows, Alyssa (1 February 2007) [2002]. "Filmography in Seattle". HistoryLink.
- ^ Boba, Eleanor (4 March 2018) [2015]. "Tugboat Annie: Seattle's First Movie". HistoryLink.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Bruce (1990). Foss: A Living Legend (First ed.). Seattle, WA: Foss Maritime Company. p. 37.
- ISBN 0-945989-24-5.
- ^ a b c Skalley, Mike (June 2010). "The Arthur Foss Escaped to Hawaii, But the Justine Foss Was Caught in the Japanese Invasion of Wake Island" (PDF). The Look Aft. Tow Bitts. 23 (2). Foss Maritime: 18–19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Urwin, Gregory J.W. "Battle of Wake Island". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ "Wake Island". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Photo gallery of Dohasan (YTM-335) at NavSource Naval History
- ^ Naval History And Heritage Command. "Dohasan". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ Skalley, Mike (September 2010). "Logs Brought Foss to Neah Bay in the 1920s" (PDF). The Look Aft. Tow Bitts. 23 (3). Foss Maritime: 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Arthur Foss". Maritime Heritage Network. Archived from the original on 29 October 2005. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
- ^ Landmarks Alphabetical Listing for T Archived 9 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Individual Landmarks, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle. Accessed 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Historic Fleet: Tugboat Arthur Foss". Northwest Seaport. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009.
External links
- Northwest Seaport
- HNSA Web Page: Tug Arthur Foss
- Pearl Harbor and the Outlying Islands: US Navy Base Construction in World War II
- Massacre on Wake Island
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-190, "Tugboat Arthur Foss, Lake Union Park, Seattle, King County, WA", 55 photos, 2 color transparencies, 8 data pages, 6 photo caption pages