Cruise ship used high-tech noise gun on attacking pirates

The Seattle Times ^ | November 8, 2005 | John Pain

[Sertorius]

"Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates."

These weapons should not be aloud. Harmful to dolphins and whales. :)

[Sertorius]

Disney should send one of their cruise ships into the Indian Ocean with machine guns hidden on it and advertise the adventure as "Pirates of Somalia Cruise" passengers could dress up as Mickie Mouse and take pot shots at the pirates that attack.

[Boazo]

[Grizzled Bear]

Wouldn't getting "hit" with the sound waves cause physical discomfort or even tissue damage?

[Grizzled Bear]

I'd guess that would create loud noises that the bad guys might find "uncomfortable."

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The LRAD would probably have been useful when the Ismamists were using mosques as bases in Iraq. Just surround the mosque with LRADs and aim them in every window. It would have at least made it uncomfortable inside -- and there could be no complaints about defiling religious sites.

[spookadelic]

I think a cruise ship will wind up being the next 9-11. Think about it, its so easy and a good test case was already done when they bombed the USS Cole.

Imagine two fishing trawlers, one with 5K kilo's of explosives and the other with gunmen. They can leave from any port in the world and travel unchalleneged to their target. Bomb boat explodes, mega cruise ship sinks in less that 15 minutes, gunmen with AK's to clean up everyone else. Total atackers less then 19 men and a death toll of many thousand, well eclipsing 9-11.

The sound generator and even heavy weapons wouldn't do you much good since you would probably not understand whats going on until its too late, and we cant have a destoyer follow every cruiseship wherever it goes.

[Gondring]

Like the Q-Boats, eh?

[DB]

From the box of inexpensive foam earplugs I have:

Attenuation vs. Frequency
36.3 dB @ 125 Hz
38.5 dB @ 250 Hz
41.5 dB @ 500 Hz
39.4 dB @ 1.0 kHz
39.7 dB @ 2.0 kHz
46.3 dB @ 4.0 kHz
46.4 dB @ 8.0 kHz

These are nothing special earplugs. Professional earplugs are better. Damage to one's hearing is function of both sound pressure and time. Rock concerts are commonly in the 110 to 120+ dB sound pressure range near the stage. At those sound pressure levels it takes accumulated time to do permanent damage (10 minutes is unlikely to cause permanent damage). Long periods can easily cause damage at these levels.

The 150 dB sound pressure reported in this article is likely at or near the source. With 40 dB of attenuation from the earplugs the sound pressures would be around 110 dB even close to the source. No hearing damage will occur unless it is present for a long period of time. In addition it would only be real annoying, but not loud enough to drive you back.

The sound level drops 6 dB every time you double the distance from the source in open space. If the sound pressure is 150 dB 1 meter from the source, it would drop to 120 dB at 32 meters (about 106 feet) away. With earplugs it would be quieter than the typical smoke detector.

Typical home speakers produce about 96 dB sound pressure levels at 1 watt input power at 1 meter. A 100 watt amplifier could drive those speakers to 116 dB sound pressure levels before clipping (per channel).

[Gondring]

Wasn't the Mk19 automatic 40-mm grendade launcher originally developed by the US Navy?

[DB]

I don't.

[Gondring]

And earplugs covered by earmuffs... even more protection.

[ladyjane]

I think a cruise ship will wind up being the next 9-11.

Interesting. I hope the FBI, etc. are considering that possibility.

[Cold Heart]

And if they send the same guys back, who are now deaf, they won't need any ear plugs at all.

[operation clinton cleanup]

I thought I read on another thread this was a 21st century fog horn to get attention, not a "weapon". But, whatever works to ward of pirates...

[Malsua]

150 decibels?

That kind of sound could peel paint!

The only thing I can say about that is that is should have been 250 decibals.

Make their ears bleed.

[El Gato]

Yes, ma deuce is a tad loud.

But as ship as big as that one should probably have something even larger. A couple of single barrel 20mm cannon would surely discourage the snot right out of 'em. They were common secondary and anti-aircraft armament on torpedo boats, submarines, and other light vessels. Heck something that big could mount a 4 or 5 inch deck gun. Liberty mounted at least one, and more often two, a 3 inch forward and 5 inch aft, along with 10 or so 20 mm cannon, and they were much smaller than a modern cruise ship.

My uncle was Naval Armed Guard on the SS William Clark, Torpedoed and sunk by U.354 in Greenland Sea at approx.71.05N 13.10E on 4 Nov 42.)

Uncle Lennie survived the War, but some of his toes did not. (Frostbite, it's dang cold in the Greenland sea in November.)

[jan in Colorado]

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 piratesTERRORISTS off the eastern coast of Africa, the cruise line says.

[359Henrie]

Concur, but I think they have problems with lifeboat drills, much less GUNNERS, man your battle stations.