You asked, so we asked: Ferry-dock foghorn

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Right about the time Javier Fosado sent that photo of a ferry sailing through the fog, a different reader texted a question about the foghorn(s) they had been hearing all morning, wondering if foghorns are all from vessels, as they assumed the days of fixed, shoreside foghorns were all gone. We felt fairly certain that the Fauntleroy WSF terminal, for one, has a fixed foghorn; we’ve lived uphill from it for 30+ years. But we checked our assumption with WSF spokesperson Dana Warr, who replied:

There are fog signals at all South Sound terminals, to include Fauntleroy. It is also one of the closest to residential areas. The captains can request to have this navigation aid turned on/off to aid in the vessels’ safe navigation.

Rhonda September 5, 2025 (1:11 pm)

I love the cozy sound of foghorns.

Marcus September 5, 2025 (1:50 pm)

Not a West Seattlite if one does not stop and listen to the fog horns.

ltmmgm September 5, 2025 (3:14 pm)

I too love the sound of a foghorn from a distance. Once though, out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca while fishing one blew and my dad said “pull up your lines up we gotta get out of here”! Otherwise love, love, love them.

IDC9 September 5, 2025 (3:22 pm)

Shoreside foghorns are far from a thing of the past. There is one in Westport out on the coast that routinely sounds throughout the late spring and summer months, helping vessels stay safe as they navigate up and down the coast, as well as through the mouth of Grays Harbor. Nearby Aberdeen is home to a decent sized port, so there are regularly large vessels heading in and out.