ST Wattle

Steam Tug Wattle is a vessel which is out of survey. She was launched in 1933 as a tug in Sydney, Australia. She operated as a civilian crewed Royal Australian Navy tug in Sydney Harbour until 1969 and then ran commercial cruises around Melbourne and surrounding areas. She suspended her marine commercial service in 2003 and is located at 19 South Wharf, Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Construction
The S.T. Wattle was built in 1933 at Cockatoo Island dockyard in Sydney, Australia. It was often reported that it was set up as a project to keep the dockyard's apprentices in work during the depression. Recent review of the Cockatoo Island Dockyard board minutes from the National Archives of Australia shows that the project was actually intended to keep the senior tradesmen employed. The project was named Codeco.

Navy service
When tug was completed it was offered to the Royal Australian Navy. It was renamed Wattle, was manned by a civilian crew and carried out general duties around the harbour. There are also records of the Wattle towing targets outside Sydney Harbour.

Commercial service
In 1969 the Wattle was laid up by the RAN with the intention of selling it for scrap. A Sydney syndicate was formed which bought the Wattle and used her for tourist cruises around Sydney Harbour for a few years but by 1976 she was once again laid up. In 1979 she was transferred to a Victorian group who towed her to Melbourne and spent several years refurbishing her. From the 1980s through to 2003 the Wattle was used as a passenger vessel around Port Phillip, taking tourists for day trips around the bay. In 2003 she failed survey and had to be withdrawn from commercial service.

Preservation
The Wattle was recognised by the National Trust as being significant as an example of depression era Australian shipbuilding and of the transition to welded construction from riveted construction. The machinery onboard has changed very little despite undergoing regular maintenance and refurbishments.

For a period of time, the Wattle was moored at Victoria Dock (Melbourne), near the Docklands Stadium whilst volunteer members attempted to raise the required funds to get Wattle back into survey. The Wattle was then moved to No. 2 Victoria Harbour due to the new construction work going on to redevelop Melbourne Docklands. In 2009 the Wattle was lifted from the water and placed on blocks in a temporary shipyard at 19 South Wharf, Docklands. She is undergoing refurbishment and upgrade to return her to commercial survey as a passenger vessel.

In addition to returning the vessel to service the current operators are researching the history of the vessel and have plans to publish a comprehensive history of the vessel, up to and including the current refurbishment.

Sorrento Steam
During the latter part of 2007, a group of ten Melbourne-based businesspeople formed an organisation called Sorrento Steam P/L, a syndicate of vintage steam and Australian steam heritage enthusiasts, that has entered into close collaboration with the Bay Steamers Maritime Museum. The extensive restoration of the Steam Tug Wattle, and its return to active service form part of Sorrento Steam's plans for reinstating the early 1900 Sorrento Steam Trams. The scheme is also aiming for the introduction of a heritage paddle steamer capable of ferrying large numbers of steam enthusiast visitors from Melbourne to Sorrento and back.