With up to 17 crew on board, her voyages provided little privacy and prolonged bouts of boredom punctuated with storm-tossed moments of terror. Experience this unique survivor of the American maritime experience and share in the following celebrations:
Programs will include ranger-led tours aboard Hercules, accessible presentations on Hyde Street Pier, as well as self-guided tours aboard Hercules. Enjoy learning what it was like to crew on a long ocean voyage aboard a steam-powered tug - as a sailor on the open decks and as a crew member deep down in the boiler and engine rooms.
Musicians Bob Bossin, Hank Cramer, and David LoVine will performtraditional and contemporary songs about Hercules and the world of tugboats.
Children can participate in maritime crafts. They can also earn a Junior Ranger badge and become a “Junior Tugboater” by completing special tugboat activities.
A special exhibit entitled The Labors of Hercules tells the amazing story of Hercules’ survival through numerous storms and through two careers that kept her in service from 1907-1962. In the words of her own crew, the exhibit tells of the challenges, pleasures, and nightmares of Hercules’ first voyage from New Jersey to San Francisco. This exhibit will be on display in the park Visitor Center throughout 2007.
All activities, including admission to the park’s historic ships, will be free on September 22. -- www.nps.gov
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