![]() ![]() Sankaty was the second ship to use a steel hull as part of its design, and was three decks high on an even line from stern to bow - unlike the ‘wedding cake design’ of the older paddle steamboats. According to Ewen, the whistle was a three-chime tone that was unique to the Charles Dunning, but the original whistle on the first Sankaty had a single tone.ĭuring an interview with The Times, Bow Van Riper detailed the first Sankaty built in 1911. ![]() Sankaty was renamed the Charles Dunning after serving in World War II as a minelayer. One of Milster’s hobbies was collecting antique steamboat whistles - he had amassed an extensive collection.Įwen convinced Milster to loan a three-tone chime whistle from the Charles Dunning, which was the original Sankaty that caught fire in 1924. Milster worked as an engineer on the Hudson River for steamboats he is currently the chief engineer at Pratt Institute. The message was passed to Carl Walker, the head of engineering and maintenance for the SSA, who wrote back to Ewen saying he loved the idea.Įwen reached out to his friend Bill Muller who contacted another friend in New York, Conrad Milster, asking if they could borrow a whistle from his collection. Nantucket locals loved hearing the Nobska’s whistle on the Eagle, and when Ewen heard about the success of the antique whistle, he wrote a letter to the SSA requesting Martha’s Vineyard ferries also get fitted with antique whistles. “The larger they are, the deeper the whistle is.” Ewen is a steamship historian who loaned the Brinkerhoff whistle to the Nantucket ferry. “The Brinkerhoff is the highest-pitched whistle, and the Woods Hole whistle is the deepest,” William H. ![]() According to Cleasby, the ships’ whistles are rare because each ship’s voice had to be unique and indistinguishable from another vessel’s whistles. The captain pulls cord to sound the whistle right when the ferry leaves the dock. According to Driscoll, Ranney came up with the idea of fitting the Nobska’s whistle onto the M/V Eagle, wanting to keep the Nobska’s voice preserved for the locals and passengers who grew up with its tone - and to share its voice with a new generation.Ĭompressed air blows through the antique whistle with air tanks fastened behind the steamboat’s pilothouse. In 2006, the SSA scrapped the M/V Nobska, but the whistle was picked up by the late Flint Ranney, the Nantucket representative for the SSA. “You had boats from Boston, Maine, New Bedford, Woods Hole, Providence, and even New York.” “They designed the whistles to be distinct, and here in Oak Bluffs, all of the steamers docked at the Steamship Authority dock,” Cleasby said. And lastly, the M/V Eagle sounds the Nobska’s whistle - another old vessel from the Steamship’s fleet. The M/V Woods Hole came online in 2016 and had the SS Pennsylvania whistle installed. The M/V Island Home uses an antique whistle acquired from eBay - the SSA was unable to identify its origin. The M/V Nantucket uses the Brinkerhoff whistle - a sidewheel ferry built in 1899 to serve the Hudson River. The M/V Martha’s Vineyard uses the Sankaty whistle - an old vessel part of the SSA fleet. There are five ferries with antique whistles: M/V Martha’s Vineyard, M/V Nantucket, M/V Island Home, M/V Woods Hole, and M/V Eagle. “They look forward to them, and when it sounds off it means they know where they’re headed.” “People have much nostalgia for the whistles,” Driscoll told The Times. ![]()
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