With today being the first anniversary of this channel, I thought it was as good a time as any to share a recording of one of my favorite boats to ever sail the Great Lakes - the mighty Roger Blough! In addition to her intimidating presence, the Blough also happens to sport one of the meanest sets of whistles on the lakes. She is heard here blasting two commanding captain’s salutes while arriving Duluth, MN, on a rare July 11, 2019, trip. The Aerial Lift Bridge customarily replies to the first on its twin Westinghouse train horns.
As seen at 0:33, the Blough’s dual whistles are enclosed in the vessel’s stack with only the bells protruding, making it extremely difficult to identify the models from the outside alone. After many years of searching, however, I was finally able to confirm their identity with the help of an engineer working onboard the vessel.
The top whistle in the vertical arrangement is a Leslie Supertyfon KT 150/110, the same model that produces the higher pitch of the James R. Barker’s famous Barker Bark. On the Blough, the horn deviates well above its intended pitch of 110 Hz to a frequency closer to 117-121 Hz, typically a musical B 2.
The lower whistle in the arrangement is an Airchime ENC-85, an enclosed variant of the KM-85. As explained previously, this model may technically be a Leslie-Airchime joint product given that the Blough is an American-built vessel. It typically sounds anywhere from 85 Hz to a little over 90 Hz, usually a musical F sharp 2.
Even with the occasional variations on these pitches, the whistles sound a powerful perfect fourth interval when blown together, musically speaking.
There is evidence to suggest that the Blough was originally constructed with a Leslie Supertyfon KT 230/75 in place of the KM-85. Along with the existing KT 150/110, this would have been a standard set for a “supercarrier” in the 1970s.
Sadly, a fire aboard the Blough during winter lay-up on February 1, 2021, has taken the proud laker out of service with an uncertain future for the time being. She currently sits in limbo at Conneaut, OH, stripped of her whistles and other electronic equipment.
All audio and photos are my own.
Intro video by VartanMercadanti, pixabay.com, free license.
Intro audio by kbeezy88, pixabay.com, free license.