Artifact Archive

Fog horn

Navigating in poor visibility has long been the bane of a mariner; and navigating by sound is a familiar situation to many. Fog and layers of cold and warm air can cause sounds to deflect and bounce, or be muffled altogether. The first fog signals were rockets and cannons developed in Europe during the 18th century. The use of guns was eventually discontinued due to the inherent dangers of their use, and the brief duration of their sound. This hand-operated bellow-driven portable fog horn was used on boats in Southeast Alaska, and donated to the museum by Palmer Thomassen.

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