| Porthole 14 Feb 23

THE Brisbane River’s 98-year-old tugboat Forceful has been “forced” into retirement, two years short of her 100th birthday.

Sadly there will be no letter from King Charles for Forceful, which is set to be dismantled and recycled as the cost of maintenance to the tugboat has become too expensive.

The coal-fired tug also faces the exorbitant cost of renting space to store her.

The Queensland Maritime Museum Association is still hoping to find a solution which sees Forceful remain intact, but as of now, it looks as if the tug, which has called Brisbane home since the 1920s, will be headed to the big river in the sky.