As a major port a number of fireboats of San Francisco have been operated by the city of San Francisco since 1878.
[1] United States Navy fireboats USS Leslie, USS Fortune and USS Active were employed to fight the fires triggered in the aftermath of the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
[16][17] These vessels were not operated by the San Francisco Fire Department, which did not have any active fireboats at the time of the disaster.