Vintage Cast Brass Hand Rung Fog Bell. Smooth concave shape, no yoke but a wall attachment branching off from between the canon and the crown, with a clapper ready to fit with string or chain for easy use. Conforms to all Coast Guard, American Boat & Yacht Council, and National Marine Manufacturers Association regulations and standards. Keep your loved ones and/or grizzled sea captains safe on a foggy night! 

Size: 9 3/8 x 5 in. 

#4353 . 

A fog bell is a navigation mark used as an audible aid to navigation in seafaring, especially in fog and poor visibility. Floating navigation signs with bells are called bell buoys. On ships, the ship’s bell is used for sound signals. Due to more suitable sound generators, but also the development and spread of radar, satellite navigation and electronic charting systems, fog bells have lost their paramount importance for maritime navigation, although they are still aesthetically appreciated by recreational, military, and industrial sailors alike. Starting in the 18th Century fog signals were given for seafaring in Europe, initially to initiate the firing of cannons or guns. In 1766 the first bell for this purpose was installed in Nidingen on the Baltic Sea. These were rung by hand, which was a chore during prolonged fog, so new devices were created that used mechanisms similar to clockwork to sound the bells, but these still had to be wound periodically. Andrew Morse Jr. eventually developed a “perpetual fog bell” that was used in 1839 at Penobscot Bay. It consisted of a long wooden beam that moved up and down with the waves, moving weights upward that struck the bell in the downward motion. However, the float was easily swept away by the sea in rough weather, so subsequent mechanisms were developed that were often either attached sturdily to light towers or housed in their own bell towers. By 1878 there were 93 registered fog bells in the United States alone, but the bells had the problem of low range, especially in windy conditions. In the United Kingdom most mechanical fog bells were decommissioned around 1905, and in the United States by the early 1960s. Although some bells are still on display, especially in historical lighthouses and nautical museums, much louder foghorns now are used for signaling. Occasionally fog bells also served for orientation on land, and a few of these are still in operation, such as those in the rougher areas of the Swiss Alps and in misty valley regions of China, Mongolia, and Japan.