Is there a proper horn salute for,,,,

My 90 year old neighbor that I have known my entire life recently passed. He was a life long boater and was looking forward to following my Great Loop trip. When I begin my trip about June 1 I want to stop in front of his house and sound the horn as a bon voyage. I have not found anything in Chapmans so I seek your wisdom or good ideas. This guy never missed a thing that happened within his water view for the last 25 years. Thanks

I can’t help with the protocol,wish I knew, but wherever you decide its the right thing.

Dipping the colors and perhaps a long blast and two short blast on the horn is the traditional courtesy sounding.

OldDan1943 said:

Dipping the colors and perhaps a long blast and two short blast on the horn is the traditional courtesy sounding.

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Good to know. Thank you for sharing.

I don't believe there is one that is appropriate...that said whistle signals are generally a free for all. I did see a youtube where Great Lake freighters use prolong/2 short as a salute, but not familiar with it being used that way.

In restricted vis, 1 prolong and 2 short is usually sailing vessel, NUC, or RAM fog signal.

psneeld said:

I don't believe there is one that is appropriate...that said whistle signals are generally a free for all. I did see a youtube where Great Lake freighters use prolong/2 short as a salute, but not familiar with it being used that way.

In restricted vis, 1 prolong and 2 short is usually sailing vessel, NUC, or RAM fog signal.

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The Ford ore carriers used to salute my dad's place as they passed by his place, on the Great Lakes.
He would go out and return the salute by dipping his US flag.

Per my suggestion to dip the ship's flag along with the horn salute was only to make it more personal.

I recall watching this video, the Arthur M Anderson coming back under the Duluth lift bridge, saluting the Edmund Fitzgerald in 2020. Three longs, two shorts.

https://youtu.be/ZDA8nF02Xy0

OPNAVINST 1710.7a dated 2001 gives the following guidance when passing Washington's tomb:

1281. Ships passing Washington’s Tomb. When a ship of the Navy is passing Washington’s tomb, Mount Vernon, Virginia, between sunrise and sunset, the following ceremonies shall be observed insofar as maybe practicable:
a. The full guard and band shall be paraded, the bell tolled, and the national ensign halfmasted at the beginning of the tolling of the bell.
b. When opposite Washington’s tomb, the guard shall present arms, persons on deck
shall salute, facing in the direction of the tomb, and “Taps’” shall be sounded.
c. The national ensign shall be hoisted to the truck or peak and the tolling shall cease at the last note of “Taps,” after which the National Anthem shall be played.
d. Upon completion of the National Anthem, “Carry on” shall be sounded.

I would add that the signals to render the salute, complete the salute, and to carry on are usually signaled by use of a police whistle sounded on the ship's topside speakers. These whistle blasts are about two seconds in duration and are sounded as one blast for hand salute, two for complete the salute, three blasts for carry on.

Naval vessels passing close aboard as in a channel render passing honors to each other with the junior ship captain initiating the salute and holding it until the senior ship gives the two-whistle signal, and the junior ship signals the carry on to its crew AFTER the senior ship has done the same for its crew.

Maybe you have some appropriate music you would like to play on a boombox or loud hailer.

All great information. Thank you all. I will do the one prolong and two short blasts. The rest is great information just not practical for a solo operator on a tiny little ship.

8 Bells

What, no cannon?


Just don't salute the way the idiot on the Costa Concordia did.

boomsurf said:

8 Bells

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Sadly (to me) metal bells seem to be disappearing in favor of electronic for boats under 60 (well, 20 meters; 33 CFR § 83.33). We still use an engraved bell on ours, but yikes it was expensive to order that custom bell, and our electronic system is probably louder and clearer anyway. And we muffle it when we're gone from the boat so we don't annoy the dock neighbors. It's pretty much a quaint relic. One of my favorite memories is walking back to our boat from the Black Pearl on a cold, foggy, drizzly night to the West Wind Marina in Newport RI, through all the dark, wet boatyards still full of shrink-wrapped boats early in that season, listening to the buoy bells and foghorns out on Narragansett Bay -- and our boat bell. Welcome home.

I keep the bell inside boat on a mount. When necessary, I move it outside on another mount. While traveling, I use the automatic 3 bell air horn, waking anyone on board. I suspect I will upset a few folks when entering or leaving a side canal too. LOL

CaptTom said:

What, no cannon?

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I do have a 12ga brass, blank shooting cannon but, I keep it at home.
Blank or not, I do believe most counties will get a bit unset when I tell them I have a cannon onboard.

I gave my son the family 10 ga cannon. My wife had used it in her garden as a decoration and it rusted solid. My son is going to restore it. It was used to start all the Coles River Club regattas when I was a kid. What I think I will do for the salute is 8 bells followed by one prolong and two short blasts of my horn.

A prolonged blast is several seconds long, shorts are one second long. My observation of recreational boaters is that their signals are mostly far too short. One second is definitely NOT prolonged.

Have loud horn and black powder signal cannon.

Bells are for cows (Swiss cows returning from alpine meadows):

markpierce said:

A prolonged blast is several seconds long, shorts are one second long. My observation of recreational boaters is that their signals are mostly far too short. One second is definitely NOT prolonged.

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Prolonged by definition 4-6 sec.

I keep looking for a high pitch 'toot toot' horn for fun around the docks. A horn one expect to hear from a cartoon tug.

What a great display of friendship and compassion.

I like your idea of bells and whistles and if it were me, I would find an appropriate memento of the old boy to take along on the loop.

Y’know, like his favoured hat hung in the wheelhouse; something like that.

I recently bought a Kahlenberg “tug boat whistle” for my Nordic Tug. Not installed yet but hope to get it aboard before Father’s Day.

While dipping the colors is frowned upon for the American flag (US Navy & CG ships never do it) and our Olympic teams never do it during the opening ceremony no matter who is on the podium, in this case I agree with OldDan1943.

OldJack1944.

Have a button off his dress uniform for my wife’s dad (marine) and a small clock pendant ( army intelligence then wild Bill/OSS) pinned next to the nav station. Each child of both were given same. Both with us always.

When I left my ship in the navy 50 years ago, they rang me off by ringing the ships bell six times ( three sets of two) "bong bong......bong bong.....bong bong...... Malley MM2, Plank owner, Departing"
The plank owner part was because I was part of the commissioning crew. But i think the rest of it would be appropriate
John

Was just at the Trawler Fest and visited the American Tug factory in LaConner. An old 34 from Florida was the only thing they had, new or used. We were very impressed with the Tug and the factory.

Here is the Navy Ceremony for Burial at Sea:

Burial at Sea Ceremony
The uniform is the Uniform of the Day for all attending personnel. If a chaplain of the appropriate faith is not available, the service will be conducted by the commanding officer or designated officer.

The service is as follows:

Station firing squad, casket bearers, and bugler.
Officer’s call. Pass the word “All hands bury the dead” (the ships should be stopped, if practicable, and colors displayed at half-mast).
Assembly.
Adjutant’s call (Call to Attention).
Bring the massed formation to Parade Rest.
Burial service.
The Scripture (Parade Rest).
The Prayers (Parade Rest, heads bowed).
The Committal (Attention, Hand Salute).
The Benediction (Parade Rest, heads bowed).
Fire three volleys (Attention, Hand Salute).
Taps. Close up colors. Resume course and speed at the last note of Taps (Hand Salute).
Encasing of the flag (Attention).
Retreat (resume normal duties).

I would suggest:

Come to a stop
Lower flag to half mast
Play Taps
Toast a Hale and Farwell to your friend
Raise flag
Underway
Send the flag to his family

Half STAFF not mast.

Fly the American Flag at Half-Staff
The United States flag flies at half-staff (or half-mast) when the nation or a state is in mourning. The president, through a presidential proclamation, a state governor, or the mayor of the District of Columbia can order flags to fly at half-staff. Most often, this is done to mark the death of a government official, military member, or first responder; in honor of Memorial Day or other national day of remembrance; or following a national tragedy.

https://www.usa.gov/flag

Dipping is also inappropriate in this case as it is usually only done for other ships.

One prolonged signal followed by two shorts, says you are a sailboat under sail. One or more prolonged signals would be more appropriate signaling "Hi."

markpierce said:

One prolonged signal followed by two shorts, says you are a sailboat under sail. One or more prolonged signals would be more appropriate signaling "Hi."

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One prolonged and two short is a sailboat underway in restricted vis. One prolonged would be power vessel underway in restricted vis or leaving a berth or concealed from sight as in a bend or different fairway...just as inappropriate....that is unless you are a Great Lakes freighter with a strange sense of the rules