National Historic Landmark · tug · San Francisco, California

Hercules (tugboat)

1907-built American steam tugboat. Added to the National Register in 1975, and a National Historic Landmark.

Open to visit National Historic Landmark Listed 1975

Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

Hercules is a 1907-built former ocean-going steam tugboat that is currently docked on Mare Island in Vallejo, California while the Hyde Street Pier, her former docked location, is being rebuilt. She is currently owned by the United States' National Park Service and has undergone a full structural rework between August 2023 and 2025.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property type	Structure
Address	Maritime Unit, Hyde St. Pier, National Maritime Museum, San Francisco, CA
County	San Francisco County
Listed	Jan 17, 1975
Listed for	Industry, Commerce, Engineering, Transportation
Level of significance	National
Also known as	Tugboat HERCULES; HERCULES (tugboat) National Historic Landma
Reference number	75000225
Type of place	tug
Designations	National Historic Landmark
Contributing resources	1 structure
Standing	Yes

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address	Maritime Unit, Hyde St. Pier, National Maritime Museum, San Francisco, CA
Coordinates	37.8100° N, 122.4223° W · Directions ↗
Also in San Francisco	197 listed places in San Francisco → · walking tours →
Nearest national park unit	San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park · under a mile · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearby	Aquatic Park Cove, Black Point Overnight Anchoring, Sailing Vessels Only (Auxiliary Engine Ok) under a mile · Rob Hill Group Campground 3 miles · Kirby Cove Campground 4 miles

This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

At a glance

State: California
County: San Francisco County
Listed: 1975
Type: Structure
Landmark: Yes

Cell signal

Verizon: 5G (fast)
AT&T: 5G (fast)
T-Mobile: 5G

Outdoor coverage as modeled by carriers in FCC filings as of 2025-12-31. This product uses FCC APIs and/or Data but is not endorsed or certified by the FCC.

Official links

Sister site

Park Atlas

Every unit of the National Park System, with its fees, hours, alerts and campgrounds.

Open Park Atlas →

This record is built from National Park Service sources, re-read every Saturday, and Wikidata, re-read on the first Saturday of each month. Register Atlas is independent and is not affiliated with any agency, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. How the data is built →

Explore

Map

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All listings in San Francisco County →

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Eureka

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Local history books for San Francisco

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

San Francisco's Ferry Building
Anne Evers Hitz, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
San Francisco's St. Cecilia Parish
Frank Dunnigan, 2016
Find at Bookshop.org
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Richard Hansen, 2013
Find at Bookshop.org
Russian San Francisco
Lydia B. Zaverukha, 2010
Find at Bookshop.org
San Francisco Zoo
Katherine Girlich, 2009
Find at Bookshop.org

Guidebooks to historic places in California

Walking L.A
Erin Mahoney Harris, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
Secret stairs: East Bay
Charles Fleming, 2011
Find at Bookshop.org
Sacramento remembers the Civil War
Robert F. Bundy, 2010
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Hercules (tugboat) listed on the National Register?

Jan 17, 1975. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Can I visit Hercules (tugboat)?

Yes. Hercules (tugboat) is recorded as open to the public.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Hercules (tugboat)?

Maritime Unit, Hyde St. Pier, National Maritime Museum, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California. The nearest national park unit is San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, under a mile away.

Source: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Where is the nomination form for Hercules (tugboat)?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Hercules (tugboat)?

Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Aquatic Park Cove, Black Point Overnight Anchoring, Sailing Vessels Only (Auxiliary Engine Ok), under a mile away. Rob Hill Group Campground is 3 miles away, and Kirby Cove Campground is 4 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Hercules (tugboat)?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 75000225. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.