Posted on 11/07/2005 4:46:54 PM PST by ElkGroveDan
The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday.
The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.
The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.
Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.
The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.
The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.
American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.
The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said.
You know sales data sheets.
Roger that-an M2 Browning would have been really more useful.Why scare the pirates when you can end their careers instantly?
Matters to ME ! I'm planning a cruise in the Spring and would use a line that allows it over one who doesn't !
Sound is nasty lethal when focused and amplified. It can scramble your brain, jelify your guts and pop your bolts. A suitable solution for zodiac pirates. Let them the ooze flow from their orafices.
It is very interesting that they were out there. I vote for a mother ship. My 28' open outboard boat actually has the capability of operating that far out, but assuming running out there and back at cruising speed, 25 knots, I'd have 2 hours available for piracy. Does it say that they were in Zodiacs? I'd have thought them in something more like my own boat.
The intercept of the cruise ship itself that far out by pirates in small boats is interesting to me, partly because it implies foreknowledge of the cruise ships position.
From the Afrol news, here is a report from 2 years ago:
"afrol News, 30 January - Pirate attacks make the waters off Somalia "among the most dangerous in the world," a new report shows. Vessels are now warned against stopping or slowing down along the Somali coast, as this almost certainly means they will be boarded by armed militia...
"The IMB's standing warning for Somalia says:" Ships not scheduled to call at Somali ports should avoid anchoring near or passing close to the Somali coast. If not they will, repeat, will be seized by one of the warring factions from shore. The northern and north-eastern Somali coast is particularly risky..."
"Most pirate attacks in 2002 had however been noted in Indonesian waters (102) and off Bangladesh (32). Highest numbers for African waters were registered in Nigeria (14 assaults), Eritrea (11) and Somalia (6). The relatively low number for Somalia is connected to the much reduced traffic in Somali waters.
The only reason we haven't fielded all kinds of lasers is because it's taboo to blind someone. And lasers do that.
You are right, or even a couple of Remington 870s loaded with saboted slugs. I'd like to see how those inflatables would hold up after having 5 or 6 slugs rip through them. Or, islamo pirates for that matter.
Deaf pirates lead by Mohammute bin Deaf will have a field day!
I think you mean traps. Skeet are thrown from two facing towers. Traps are center launched from a bunker below grade. I think the latter would be more likely on a cruise ship.
Asuming a pure sine wave tone and typical sea-level ambient pressure of 101 kPa, complete modulation of the atmosphere will happen at approximately 188 dB SPL. Assuming a square wave, for which peak and RMS values are equal, it would correspond to about 194 dB SPL.
However, air will cease to behave in a linear fashion before this point is reached, so this is approximate.
I'm in this industry, and know the company (but I don't work for them) and the devices are real and work - they are not magic or anything, they work in a similar way to a phased-array radar just with much longer wavelengths.
OK, then please substitute "trap" for "skeet" in my post.
WEIGHT : 45 lbs
DIAMETER: 33'' diameter x 5'' thickness
MAXIMUM SPL TONE: 146dB sustained, 151dB burst at 1 meter
MAXIMUM SPL VOICE: Less than 120dB sustained, based on individual voice frequencies and harmonic characteristics
REGULATED POWER MODE: Normal operations, tone limited to 120dB at 1 meter
DURABILITY: Thermal conditions have minimal effect on system performance.
System meets MIL-STD 810 environmental specifications
EMITTER, HARMONIC DISTORTION:Less than 1% THD at 126dB at 1 meter at 2.5kHz
MAXIMUM POWER HANDLING: 500 watts; 100-240VAC at 50-60Hz, 5 amps at 115VAC
NORMAL POWER USAGE (TONE): 240 watts, 2 amps at 115VAC
DIRECTIONALITY: -20dB at +/- 15º at 2.5kHz
Beats dyin'.
I want one for my car to "respond" to those idiots who think I'm interested in hearing nothing but the booming bass of whatever stupid music they chose to listen to. Would be interesting to see their reactions when their windows crack around them.
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