The Nokomis is the flagship of the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society.

The Nokomis began in 1939 as a 218-ton Woban Class harbor tug. She was built at the Charleston Navy Yard. Placed in service in March 1940, she was assigned to the Fourteenth Naval District for service for service in the Hawaiian Islands. She arrived for duty several months before the attack on Pear Harbor. During the atack she rescued sailors from the harbors water, fought numerous fires, and assisted several vessels. Both Hoga and Nokomis pushed the USS Nevada out of the main channel. Reclassified YTB-142 in May 1944 and YTM-142 in February 1962, Nokomis operated in the Pearl Harbor area into the early 1970s. She decommissioned as naval vessel in May 1973. and sold in April 1975.

Nokomis was purchased in April 1975 by Crowley Maritime Corporation and her name was changed to Sea Serpent. She was operated in the San Francisco Bay as a commercial tugboat to assist docking vessels. The Hoga and Nokomis joined forces once more in 1984 and fought a large fire at pier 30/32 in San Francisco. The company terminated their operations in the San Francisco area in the mid 1990s and the Nokomis was abandoned in a derelict condition.

Rediscovered in mid 2002 by Melissa Parker, our founder and president, the Nokomis is now in the care of the Historic Tugboat Education and Restoration Society. Our work began by floating her off the mud, and the restoration project was begun that continues to this day. The objective of which is to open the Nokomis for general visiting in San Francisco.

If you have questions, comments, or can share with us some of the history of our boats, please contact us at info@hters.org.