Arthur Foss

Arthur Foss. 1889 Tugboat. Now the oldest of its kind, Arthur Foss is a classic Pacific Northwest tugboat built for long-distance towing. During its 80-year working life, this wooden tug built up an impressive history., Built as the steam tug Wallowa in Portland, Oregon in 1889 (the same year Washington became a state), it towed sailing ships over the dangerous Columbia River bar into port. When the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1898, Wallowa was quickly put to work towing ships and cargos to Alaska. Returning to the Puget Sound area, the tug worked for the timber industry, pulling rafts of logs to sawmills., In 1929 Wallowa was purchased by Foss Launch and Tug Company (now Foss Maritime) and leased to MGM Studios to star in the 1933 blockbuster hit "Tugboat Annie" as Annie’s plucky Narcissus. Afterwards, Foss rebuilt the tug from the main deck up, installed a state-of-the-art 700 BHP Washington Iron Works diesel engine, and renamed the tug Arthur Foss after the company president. As the new company flagship, Arthur Foss rescued crippled freighters, helped build the floating bridge across Lake Washington, and won contracts towing barges to Hawaii and Wake Island, where it narrowly escaped a Japanese invasion force in December 1941., Returning to the Pacific Northwest again after US Navy service during World War II, Arthur Foss resumed work towing log booms and rafts, remaining in service until July 1968. In June 1970 Arthur Foss was donated to Northwest Seaport and later became a National Historic Landmark and Washington State Heritage Flagship on its 100th birthday in 1989., Tugs still dominate Puget Sound commerce. Arthur Foss represents the first 100 years of the industry. Retired from commercial service, it is now a floating museum. Northwest Seaport is currently restoring the tug to operational condition and offers a variety of public programs and volunteer opportunities on board. To become a part of this tug’s legendary story, contact us today!