Interlake Steamship Company's classic laker Charles M. Beeghly - sailing today under the name Hon. James L. Oberstar - has one of the most unique whistle histories on the Great Lakes. Featuring audio clips and pictures of my own along with those contributed by an anonymous friend, this video documents the vessel's changing voice throughout her past 17 years of service.
When built in 1959 as the Shenango II, the Beeghly was outfitted with a rare triple set of Leslie Tyfon-series steam horns arranged in a vertical line down the front of her stack. From top to bottom, these models included the 200 DVE, 300 DVE, and 425 DVE. While the 300 DVE and 425 DVE were commonplace among vessels of the 1950s, the 200 DVE was an exceptionally rare sight and sound on the lakes. This unusual combination was supposedly chosen to mimic the sound of the classic triple-chime steam whistles of years past. The 200 and 300 were eventually positioned off to the starboard side of the stack, and the 425 was moved over to port. The 200 (top) and 300 (bottom) are pictured at 0:50 and 0:56; the 425 can be seen at 0:33, partially at 0:50, and prominently at 1:07. Look closely at 0:56 to see the closed holes from which the whistles used to protrude when aligned with the center of the stack.
The 200, 300, and 425 models were typically tuned to factory pitches of 194 Hz, 129 Hz (or 138 Hz), and 87 Hz, respectively, according to the Leslie Co., but these frequencies often varied in real-world use. The Beeghly's trio can be heard in a rare recording at 0:17, at which point the 425 was beginning to falter. Only the 200 and 300 were used for the latter half of the 2000s and produced an ugly chord that easily set the Beeghly apart - hear the unique sound and its many variations at 0:33, 0:43, 0:50, and 1:01.
A 94-Hz Kahlenberg Triton S-120 electric piston horn was eventually installed atop the Beeghly's pilothouse as an alternative to the steam horns; it can be seen and heard at 1:11. A KPH-130C of the same product line was added to the stern conveyor housing years later; it can be seen and heard at 1:56 followed by a return salute from the Aerial Lift Bridge. Both the S-120 and KPH-130C sound together in a great master's salute at 1:24.
Repowered from steam to diesel in 2009, the Beeghly bid farewell to her set of Tyfon horns for good. The trio now resides in a private collection.
More recently, the now-Oberstar's pilothouse-mounted S-120 was replaced with another KPH-130C. Once carrying up to five distinct whistles at a time, the vessel is now a one-trick pony. The "new" KPH-130C can be seen at 1:52 and heard briefly at 2:14.
All audio and photos from 1:46 to the end of the video are my own. The rest are courtesy of fellow ship horn enthusiast MK, whose contributions to this channel are greatly appreciated. Used with permission. Featured images are not necessarily from the dates the recordings were taken.
Waves video by Engin Akyurt, pexels.com, free license.
Waves audio by kbeezy88, pixabay.com, free license.