Arthur Foss: Iconic Tugboat of the Northwest

Keeping It Alive for the Next Generation! "I think the future of the 'Foss' lies in education and getting kids out. It would be great to see the 'Foss' sailing or motoring again." (Christine Jacobson, Shipwright).

Northwest Seaport celebrates the 125th anniversary of tugboat Arthur Foss, a National Historic Landmark, in 2014. In collaboration with the Art Institute of Seattle's Summer Studio Class-2013, Northwest Seaport co-produced this film.

Arthur Foss was built in 1889 as the "Wallowa" to tow sailing ships across the Columbia Bar off Oregon's coast. During the Klondike Gold Rush, it also towed ships and barges to Alaska and eventually came to Washington State's Puget Sound as a logging tugboat. As a Foss Launch & Tug Company tugboat, Arthur Foss gained distinction as the star of the 1934 MGM movie "Tugboat Annie," as one of the most powerful tugboats on the West Coast, and the last vessel to escape Wake Island before the Japanese invasion in WWII.

Today, the 112 foot-long tugboat continues its career as a museum ship which is open to the public in Seattle for public programs, such as tugboat overnights & sleepovers, school tours, workforce development, dockside events and Tugboat Storytime. Welcome Aboard!

Learn more at Northwest Seaport's website. Please, donate to the Tugboat Arthur Foss Campaign or become a Northwest Seaport member, sponsor or volunteer.

The documentary was directed by AIS-student Victor M. Ramos III. Gratitude to filmmaker Vaun Raymond, for this partnership and film would not have been made possible without your dedication and support.