Kim Hollamby

The US Navy’s latest supercarrier, the USS George HW Bush, visited the UK recently on its maiden operational assignment after taking part in war games in the Western Approaches.

Measuring 1092ft and generating 260,000shp from twin nuclear reactors, CVN-77 carries 90 aircraft, 5700 crew and has a speed of at least 30 knots. She spent five days at anchor off Stokes Bay in the Solent as her draft prevented her from entering Portsmouth Harbour.

Whether needing to signal her presence at speed or sounding her intentions and salutes in harbour, the carrier needs a reliable and powerful whistle. Given Kahlenberg Industries’ long-standing relationship with the US Navy it is no surprise to see a Kahlenberg KPH-130 Piston Horn and accessories providing for USS George HW Bush’s sound signalling requirements.

US manufacturer Kahlenberg Industries, Inc has appointed a new company, Kahlenberg UK Ltd, to handle the distribution of its full range of marine and industrial sound signals, sound signal controls, air compressors and accessories across all of Europe except Italy.

Kahlenberg UK Ltd builds on the success of sister company du Pré Marine since it was appointed as an agent for Kahlenberg in 2009.

Kahlenberg UK Ltd Chairman Piers du Pré, who also owns the telecommunications and IT specialist du Pré plc, explains: “The du Pré Group has extensive experience of managing support to BSI standards and the knowledge of how to build and maintain a thriving customer base within the UK and in overseas markets.

du Pré Marine was formed to represent a very select, high quality range of niche marine products where full service back-up and a personal approach is required. As an active owner of an 18m trawler yacht I know how invaluable this is for leisure skippers, superyacht captains, vessel masters and ship managers alike.

Kahlenberg will be building a network of European distributors and du Pré Marine will continue to serve companies and end users of the company’s IMO-approved range of air horns and electric horns as well as its high quality compressors, sound signal controllers and accessories.

Kahlenberg UK Ltd director Kim Hollamby has recently fitted a set of Kahlenberg D-0A air horns to Formanda, his 1974-built motor cruiser that is nearing the end of a three-year restoration.

“Formanda still had her original air horn from the 1970s,” Kim relates. “But for sure it was nowhere near compliant with the COLREGs and it sounded and looked very wrong too. The D-0As are something else again. They look superb and sound fantastic, although we have to be careful not to scare the neighbours. Being based in the naval dockyard of Portsmouth in the UK when we sound the Kahlenbergs everyone starts looking around for something altogether larger.

“Prior to installation we used these D-0As in a temporary rig to persuade a yacht club of the merits of using Kahlenberg air horns for yacht race sound signals,” Kim continues. “When the club commodore heard the Kahlenbergs from nearly a mile away through treble glazed glass the decision was pretty much made on the spot.”

Formanda‘s Kahlenberg D-0A air horns are shortly to be connected to an M-511 Sound Signal Controller prior to the start of this season.