(Frans) Oscar "Charlie" Wallin (1867 – 16 August 1934), born in Sweden and naturalised as a British subject in Australia in 1897, owned and skippered several steamboats on the Murray–Darling river system.

He built the boat at Echuca in 1908, and named it for his son Oscar William Wallin (c. July 1897 – 20 September 1917) who fought with the 8th Battalion in World War I, and was killed in action in Belgium.

Due to wartime shortages of materials and manpower the Oscar W was unable to become a tourist vessel, and in late 1943 was sold to the South Australian Government Highways Department to service ferries along the river.

Notably, the Oscar W was responsible for towing the PS Gem from Mildura to Swan Hill in 1963, where it became a static display within the new Pioneer Settlement.

Moritz died prior to the project's completion, and as a resulting lack of funds the Oscar W was sold to the South Australia Tourist Commission in 1985.