November 10, 2005. Copyright, 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Ear-splitting acoustic weapon chased pirates away

LONDON, November 10, Graphic News: Pirates who attacked a luxury liner off the east coast of Africa on November 5 were repelled at least partly by ear-splitting blasts of sound.

The cruise ship Seabourn Spirit, operated by Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, had been nearing the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt, to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia. 

The crew of the Spirit used a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of the shipÕs defence systems, as well as fire hoses to repel the attack. The shipÕs captain also shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates who were firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns from two small motorboats.

The Spirit was carrying 151 passengers and a crew of 161. No passengers were injured, and just one crew member was wounded. 

The LRAD is a so-called Ònon-lethal weaponÓ, developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to prevent operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

The disk-shaped transmitter can emit a high-intensity screech as well as ear-splitting explosive-like pulses, music or voice commands at distances over 300 metres (1,000 feet).

The maker of the device, American Technology Corporation, based in California, compares its shrill tone to that of a smoke detector, only much louder. It can be as loud as 150 decibels, compared to 80-90 decibels for smoke alarms, and be focussed in a 15-30 degree beam.

Acoustic weapons affect the inner ear which regulates the spatial orientation of the body. If subjected to high-intensity sound, an individual experiences growing dizziness and nausea. Low-frequency high-intensity sound may cause limited organ resonance, while very low frequencies (less than 20Hz) can cause internal organ damage.

Acoustic weapons have been used by the British Army in Northern Ireland and the Israeli Defence Forces in Jerusalem as a means of riot control, while FBI agents blared Branch Davidian cult members with Tibetan Buddhist chants and rock and roll for days during the Waco siege of 1993. 

In 1989, a week after dictator Manuel Noriega took refuge in the Vatican Embassy in Panama, U.S. PSYOPS -- Psychological Operations -- soldiers blasted Jimi Hendrix, Martha and the Vandellas and Linda Rondstadt through mobile loudspeakers outside the embassy compound. The opera-loving Noriega, who hated rock music with a passion, held out for only a further three days.

Since mid-2003, American Technology Corp. has sold more than 1,000 LRADs to the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, and some 300 LRADs are being used by military forces in Iraq .

Linked to a Phraselator -- a hand-held voice translation device that can store and retrieve thousands of messages recorded in Arabic -- LRADs have been used in Iraq for crowd control, area denial and clearing buildings.

A basic LRAD measures 33 inches (84cm) across, weighs 45lb (20.4kg) and costs $20,000-$30,000 (£11,500-£17,200, 17,000-25,500 EUR).
/ENDS