Pirates Repelled by Sonic Weapon

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.

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

from the AP