Posted on 11/08/2005 9:49:17 AM PST by linkinpunk
Ship Blasted Pirates With Sonic Weapon
By JOHN PAIN, AP Business Writer Mon Nov 7, 7:20 PM ET
MIAMI - 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.
That's pretty wicked, but not much use if there aren't any Muslims...erm, sorry, 'Pirates' actually steering the attacking boat....
These are the first signs of sonic attack:
You will notice small objects such as ornaments oscillating
You will notice vibrations in your diaphragm
You will hear a distant hissing in your ears
You will feel dizzy
You will feel the need to vomit
There will be bleeding from orifices
There will be an ache in the pelvic region
You may be subject to fits of hysterical shouting or even laughter
These are all signs of imminent sonic destruction
A twin mount 50 cal. would have stopped them from doing it again though.
Allah Arrrr-kbar matey!
This is SO COOL! Imagine writing about this one for a homework assignment:
"I went on this cruise with my parents to Kenya. Suddenly, we were attacked by pirates! But the crew used a sonic disruptor beam to scare away the pirates, and we all were safe. The end."
"Timmy, please see me after class. This was to be a non-fiction report."
Those are very much like the symptoms after misuse of
Happy Fun Ball.
Fascinating!
Wonder how effexctive it was.
ping
Ok...so the pirates now know this is noise machine....Next time they will come ear plugs...
The pirate's boats were small, with a few feet of freeboard, as afar as I could tell from the pics. Anyone know if the ship's radar can detect them..?
One of Hillary's campaign speeches???
I wonder if the high pitch they heard was a tranmission of Howard Dean's scream?
so they improved on the hippie with a bullhorn.wow.
Do not taunt Long Range Acoustic Device.
I think I'd feel safer if my ship had cannons.
LOL! Very true. :-)
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