Hi Train Horn fans,
I’m an ex USCG Lightship sailor whom is trying to get some information on Air Horns. I was stationed on the US Coast Guard Lightship, Pollock Rip, back in the late Sixties. It was located off the coast of Chatham, MA. We had a Foghorn, which I think was a Leslie, possibly a Type F… It was powered by compressed air. It was sounded whenever visibility was low, in late summer, sometimes for weeks at a time. It could be heard for many miles.It was very loud and we were not given or asked to wear hearing protection. I have searched everywhere but have not been able to find how many decibels this horn produced. I do know that when you were too close to it, your ears would hurt. I have been given a disability rating for Tinnitus, as has every lightship sailor whom has applied, but denied one for bi-lateral hearing loss. I now have to wear hearing aids to compensate for my hearing loss. I am appealing my denial and I need to find that horns output level. I’m hoping that though you folks are primarily interested in Train Horns that some might also have some concrete info on Leslie horns or Marine Horns also.
Thanks
I did some more research after my original post and I found out that the Pollock Rips foghorn was replaced in 1958 with a Leslie Tyfon A300-110, and it appears that its output level was145 decibels. The ship was only 130 feet in length, the recommended safe distance from that level of sound is 150 feet. It’s no wonder I and my shipmates are no wearing hearing aids.If any of my info does not seem correct,I would appreciate a heads-up or correction.