Video: Audio: Listen to Souter Lighthouse's foghorn ahead of Requiem A foghorn has roared from Souter Lighthouse for the past 142 years, warding ships off a particularly treacherous part of the North East coast. But now its call is one of the last of a near-extinct species. Due to vessels becoming reliant on modern satellite navigation, Britain's foghorns are now no longer needed. In Scotland and Ireland they have already disappeared. Across England, Wales and the Channel Islands, only 24 remain. This Saturday, an armada of 55 vessels is gathering offshore of Souter Lighthouse to play an ensemble entitiled, Foghorn Requiem. The hour-long score, composed by Royal Opera House associate artist Orlando Gough, will be conducted using computers that trigger each vessel's individual foghorn. They will be accompanied by the booming bass of Souter Lighthouse and 75 brass band players stood on the shore. The project has been developed by artists Joshua Portway and Lise Autogena after being commissioned by the National Trust and South Tyneside Council. Tim Ainslie, volunteer engineer at the Souter Lighthouse, says that the foghorn can be heard by boats "12 miles away, maybe more" from the shore. The idea is for boats to "keep away" when they hear the sounds, Mr Ainslie said.