Hercules, Steam tugboat at Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, United States
The Hercules is a steel tugboat measuring approximately 150 feet in length, equipped with its original triple expansion steam engine built in 1907. The vessel displays the classic shape and structure of a working ship from that era with its distinctive smokestacks and superstructure.
Built in 1907 in Camden, New Jersey, the ship made a long journey around Cape Horn to San Francisco while towing its sister vessel. After arriving on the West Coast, the Hercules worked for decades in local harbor operations before eventually being preserved as a museum ship.
The vessel shows how people in the early harbor era powered ships and the importance of steam technology to maritime commerce. Visitors can observe the working spaces that kept the ship operational and understand its role in the local shipping world.
The ship is permanently docked at Hyde Street Pier and can be visited by stepping aboard from the nearby street-level access. The best time to visit is during daylight hours in good weather, when you can see the ship's details and the water around it clearly.
During a 1947 mission, the Hercules was involved in a dramatic attempt to salvage the battleship Oklahoma, which sank during a storm. Although the rescue effort failed, the incident revealed the ship's strength and reliability in extreme conditions.
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