View Full Version : fog horn....?
ciderally
26-Aug-09, 21:59
have they gone for good...when was the last time you heard the old fog horn blaring...went to wick heritage museum for the first time today...really enjoyed it..but it got me thinking of days long gone...and the fog horn...when was the last time you heard it...?
I think they are all gone now. Most craft nowadays have all the nav aids that are required to keep them clear of danger.
A sign of the times.:~(
have they gone for good...when was the last time you heard the old fog horn blaring...went to wick heritage museum for the first time today...really enjoyed it..but it got me thinking of days long gone...and the fog horn...when was the last time you heard it...?
Remember well being kept awake at night by the fog horn at Noss blasting away. Consigned to history now but I must admit I miss the blare a bit.
ciderally
26-Aug-09, 22:16
thats a shame...so do the light-houses get turned on these days..? or are they gone as well?
Stack Rock
26-Aug-09, 22:17
What a relief they're all gone now - could'nt sleep for the din they made. Used to hear the North Head and Noss ones. Maybe decommisioned 25 - 30 years ago.
ciderally
26-Aug-09, 22:22
What a relief they're all gone now - could'nt sleep for the din they made. Used to hear the North Head and Noss ones. Maybe decommisioned 25 - 30 years ago.
never that long ago .....cant be:eek:
thats a shame...so do the light-houses get turned on these days..? or are they gone as well?
Lighthouses still in use but for how long?
Fog Horns have been gone for many years.
If my memory serves me correctly what happend is this. There was a Meeting of the ILA, (International Lightkeeping Authority), in 1988 where they decided that Fog Horns were no longer necessary.
This decision began the Automation of Lighthouses in Earnest. From this time all Lighthose Boards put in place their Automation Process which included the switching off of all Fog Horns.
I believe that all Fog Horns in Scotland were silenced in 1989.
It was a further 2 years before I was made Redundant from the Lighthouse Service due to Automation.
The last Lighthouse that went Automatic was on the 31st March 1998 and was the same day when the last full time Lightkeepers were made redundant.
One of the last Lighthouses to go Automatic was Strathy Point.
ciderally
26-Aug-09, 22:31
Fog Horns have been gone for many years.
If my memory serves me correctly what happend is this. There was a Meeting of the ILA, (International Lightkeeping Authority), in 1988 where they decided that Fog Horns were no longer necessary.
This decision began the Automation of Lighthouses in Earnest. From this time all Lighthose Boards put in place their Automation Process which included the switching off of all Fog Horns.
I believe that all Fog Horns in Scotland were silenced in 1989.
It was a further 2 years before I was made Redundant from the Lighthouse Service due to Automation.
The last Lighthouse that went Automaric was on the 31st March 1998 and was the same day when the last full time Lightkeepers were made redundant.
One of the last Lighthouses to go Automatic was Strathy Point.
hey thanks for that Kodiak...very intresting...you being a light housekeeper an all...bet you have a few good stories to tell....come on what was your worst moment in the course of doing your job?
i still ere it ,, or thats my wife only time she quite wen a sleep
hey thanks for that Kodiak...very intresting...you being a light housekeeper an all...bet you have a few good stories to tell....come on what was your worst moment in the course of doing your job?
My Very worst moment was in November 1979. I had been sent out to Ailsa Craig Lighthouse and I hade to get there by Boat. The Boat was a 40 foot ex fishing boat from Girvan.
We left about 9am and the wind was starting to get up but was not too bad. By the time we arrived at Ailsa Craig the wind was about a froce 6 and we could not get anywhere near the Landing so the Boatman, Tom Harrison, decided to cancel the relief and to go back to Girvan.
We had taken about 45 to 50 minutes to get to Ailsa Craig so I expected it to be about the same on the way back, but this not to be.
The wind was in our faces and the swell was getting very bad, so bad that is really was like riding the worst Roller Coaster in the world. I was not too worried until with one lage wave that hit us and nearly all the Glass in the Small Cabin shattered and water drenched us all.
It was then that Tom started to sing Hymns and at that very moment I was terrified. The Boat Staggered on and on and on more than one occasion Tom had to Pump out water to keep us afloat. To me each wave that came towards us would overturn the Little Boat but some how it shuddered and clawed its way up to the crest and then plunged down the other side.
Some 3 hours later after leaving Ailsa Craig the the swell started to get less and this was because we were getting close to Girvan. When we did eventually tie up in Girvan Harbour I could not get off quick enough and the first thing I did was to down 2 Large Whisky's in the nearest PUB. Mind you we did get some funny looks as all three of us were soaking wet and stinking of Sea Water.
I still say that the Bravest thing I have ever done was the next day when I had to get on another Boat and go out to Ailsa Craig. Even though the sea was now quiet I was still terrified at the time. We found out later that night we had been in a Force 9 Gale and that a Container ship had been caught in the same Gale and had lost some of its load. So we were very, very Lucky!!
I have since been out on smaller and bigger boats but I still remember that moment when Tom Started to Sing Hymns.
when was the last time you heard the old fog horn blaring...?
Shortly before he got banned ;)
Lavenderblue2
27-Aug-09, 17:04
In the 1970's when I lived at Scrabster we'd hear three fog horns; Scrabster, Dunnet Head & Strathy Point. All different pitches of course, sounding one after the other. There was something peaceful and reassuring about their sound.
George Brims
27-Aug-09, 19:23
I grew up in Watten, but on a quiet night you could hear the Noss foghorm quite clearly.
My wife's grandfather was a Sergeant-Major in the Scots Guards between the World Wars, but was considered a bit too old for combat when he re-enlisted in WWII. He ended up stationed at Wick aerodrome, in charge of things like guard duty and antiaircraft batteries (well technically some officer was in charge, but try telling that to a 6ft 4in ex-Sgt-Major!). One of the things they had to do was guard Noss Head lighthouse. The first night they had to do this, he took a detail of men out there and split them into shifts, while the rest slept on the grass in sleeping bags. They were in front of what looked like a pillbox. During the night a haar rolled in, and the sleeping men, himself included, got a very rude awakening when the pillbox turned out to be the foghorn. One bloke jumped up and tried to run in his sleeping bag, and very nearly went over the cliff. I remember telling him he should have written to the writers of "Dad's Army". I'm sure the "one bloke" would have been Private Pike if they had used the story!
thats a shame...so do the light-houses get turned on these days..? or are they gone as well?
The Majority of Lighthouses still operate but they are all Automatic. They are all Monitored from the one Centre in Edinburgh.
It's amazing what folk will go through to get a curling stone!
Great stories Kodiak and George Brims, thanks for sharing.
Great stories Kodiak and George Brims, thanks for sharing.
I'd like to echo that. Thanks guys. :)
When we lived in Willowbank the noise was what you could call 'horrendous'..but some how you could sort of get used to it:)
One of the Last Lighthouses I worked at was Stroma. 28 Days on and 28 Days off. The Fog Horn had 12 Horns and could be heard 20 miles away. It was also only 50 from where I slept.
Did it keep me awake? No it did not. It used to wake up when the Horn Stopped blowing, not when it was blowing.
It is true you get uesd to sound and it really does lull you to sleep.
ciderally
28-Aug-09, 11:49
cheers for all the stories ....so the old fog horn is a noise of the past.....maybe it should be sounded on special days...just to let the young'uns hear what it was like..bet there is a few that dident even know they existed at all....ah well...
They still use fog horns on offshore instalations. So anyone missing the sound, get yourself a job offshore. :)
ciderally
28-Aug-09, 12:07
They still use fog horns on offshore instalations. So anyone missing the sound, get yourself a job offshore. :)
hey im glad to hear that...I was thinking they were all dead..xx
One thing for sure, I wouldn't be living here if the Fog horn still functioned:).
Tugmistress
28-Aug-09, 20:50
The Hamnavoe is sometimes heard using her fog horn when it's like a pea souper and she's on her way in :)
The Hamnavoe is sometimes heard using her fog horn when it's like a pea souper and she's on her way in :)
That brings back a bad memory.
I was on it's predecessor, the St Ola, returning from my first visit to Orkney in 1989 and it was a pea souper that evening, the sea was very choppy and my stomach was about to heave as well. I was standing next to the deck rail, (just in case dinner came back up), and didn't realise how close we were to Scrabster when suddenly the fog horn sounded...bejeesus!, talk about needing clean pants!, I've never had such a fright in my life. Thankfully I managed to keep dinner inside me but I was so glad to get back on solid ground. :eek:
That brings back a bad memory.
I was on it's predecessor, the St Ola, returning from my first visit to Orkney in 1989 and it was a pea souper that evening, the sea was very choppy and my stomach was about to heave as well. I was standing next to the deck rail, (just in case dinner came back up), and didn't realise how close we were to Scrabster when suddenly the fog horn sounded...bejeesus!, talk about needing clean pants!, I've never had such a fright in my life. Thankfully I managed to keep dinner inside me but I was so glad to get back on solid ground. :eek:
I take it you mean it was the Fog Horn on the St Ola and not at Scrabster.
The Fog Horn at Holburn Head Lighthouse, Scrabster was not actually a Horn. It was just a High Ptched Whistle and not that loud at all.
I lived in that Lighthouse for seven and a half years and when indoors you never even heard it as it was so quiet.
I take it you mean it was the Fog Horn on the St Ola and not at Scrabster.
The Fog Horn at Holburn Head Lighthouse, Scrabster was not actually a Horn. It was just a High Ptched Whistle and not that loud at all.
I lived in that Lighthouse for seven and a half years and when indoors you never even heard it as it was so quiet.
Sorrry, forgot to say it was the fog horn on the St Ola.
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