SHIP HORNS & HORN KITS

Yes, these are the real thing. The Battleship Horns are the same horns used on actual battleships and large ocean-going ships, not novelty imitations of the sound, and they are cast from heavy marine-grade aluminum, which is why they hold up at sea. The only thing that changes for road use is the air source: instead of a ship's onboard air, they run off a compressor and tank sized to feed them. That is the difference between the horn on its own and a complete kit that includes the air system.

These are full ship-scale horns, so they are really built for trucks and large vehicles that have room in the bed, along a frame rail, or on the roof. A car is not a realistic fit: the horn is far too large to tuck away, and the only way to put one on a car is to bolt it right on top of the trunk out in the open, which most people do not want. Wherever it goes it needs a clear path to project and real air behind it, which is why the complete Battleship Horn kits include a tank and compressor rather than just the bare horn.

A serious one, because a ship-scale horn moves far more air than a compact one. We recommend at least a 5-gallon tank for ample honk time, which is exactly why the complete Battleship Horn kits ship with a 5-gallon 8-port air tank and a heavy-duty compressor. If you buy the standalone Battleship Horn on its own, pair it with an onboard air system of at least 5 gallons, since anything smaller empties in a single honk.

Start with the sound, then the size and whether you need the air system. The standalone Battleship Horn lets you pick from five sizes right on the page and play each one's audio sample, so you can compare the tones and hear how the larger sizes carry deeper before you choose. If you would rather have everything ready to run, the complete kits add the matched tank and compressor in both the KM-135 and KM-165 sizes. So it comes down to which tone you want, how big a horn suits your vehicle, and whether you need the air source in the box.