Just Watched SailAway... silly ? re: horn blasts...

[cruzinmamaTN]

So.. just finished watching sailaway via the PC/Everglades/Miami webcams (sigh... 6 more sleeps til I"m on a boat.....)... and as always, there were the 3 horn blasts (and the "Wish Upon A Star" from Disney.. love that!)... but I noticed a 3 horn "response" blast from what sounds like an "air horn" near/around the port cam...

 

I know the 3 long horn blasts are based in myth/tradition/luck for Captains (something about a love story.. can't remember).. but what's up with the "response" blast from land? Is that just someone nearby recriprocating? Is there any tradition associated with it?

 

Just curious & passing time...

Edited November 16, 2013 by cruzinmamaTN

[Mysticks1]

This is the information I had found. I am not sure about them coming from land. Could it have been from another smaller ship/boat that was docked nearby?

In close proximity, here are the meanings of the Ship’s Horn:

One short blast means 'I am changing course to starboard.'

Two short blasts mean 'I am changing course to port.'

Three short blasts mean 'I am operating astern.'

Two prolonged blasts followed by one short blast to mean 'I intend to overtake you on your starboard side';

Two prolonged blasts followed by two short blasts to mean 'I intend to over-take you on your port side.'

A long blast every two minutes is used when operating in fog."

A vessel being overtaken is expected to reply with one prolonged, one short, one prolonged and another short, in that order.

 

If you search on Youtube for those ship horn videos you will hear a lot of the three blasts as ships move away from the pier.

 

I can personally testify to the long blast every 2 minutes in fog. On our last cruise on the NCL Star in the Baltics we were on the top deck forward and sailed from approx. 2 AM until we docked around 6AM in heavy fog. Very hard to sleep through that. :(

Edited November 16, 2013 by Mysticks1

[seannyice81]

Somebody was just recriprocating/sounding back. At Port Everglades, I'm pretty sure it was a person standing on the side where the ships pass.

 

It seemed like the Celebrity Eclipse actually sounded the horn back after the air horn.

[Ocean Dancer]

Please be aware of where you stand, are directed to stand when attending a drill on the deck. I was directed to stand right under the horn/speaker and when the blasts were blown, they also blew out my eardrums..............very painful, brought me to my knees and tears to my eyes. I was taken to the medic and given pain drops, and was partially deaf for weeks.:eek: I still have to attend the drills, but I have plugs in my ears, and my fingers in my ears...........I do not hear a word they say because I'm afraid of the blasts. People stare at me as if I'm crazy, but the pain was unbearable and my ears are very sensitive. Put me in the Brig as my fingers are NOT coming out of my ears!!!

Just be aware of where you stand.