The Seabourn Spirit seemed like prime prey for pirates as the cruise ship, carrying 151 passengers, sailed through the waters off the coast of Somalia in the early hours of November 12, 2005. The pirates, aboard two speedboats, approached the vessel and opened fire with AK-47s, confident of their success.
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LRAD, a new super weapon equipped on luxury cruise ships (Photo: Static) |
Despite being in a perilous situation, the Seabourn Spirit did not fall into the hands of the pirates. Captain Pedersen was well-prepared. Along with the crew, he used “high-tech” measures to deliver a lesson that the pirates, or more accurately their auditory senses, would not forget anytime soon.
While some crew members used water cannons to push the pirates climbing aboard the ship back into the sea, a Gurkha soldier (Gurkha refers to a special unit of Nepalese soldiers in the British Army) responsible for security on the ship was directing the “LRAD” at the attackers. This device is a new super weapon equipped on luxury cruise ships.
LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) is a machine that produces a terrifying sound. Weighing around 20 kg, it resembles a satellite dish. When aimed at a target, it emits a piercing sound that closely targets like a beam of light from a flashlight. Its sound is akin to a fire alarm but significantly more intense and louder.
It is unclear how the pirates felt upon hearing the LRAD activate, but it is certain that they experienced immediate pain in their heads and ears, compelling them to abandon their assault on the ship. It can be said that this “sound cannon”, producing at least 150 decibels, played a crucial role in the Seabourn Spirit’s escape from peril.
LRAD is manufactured by the America Technology Corporation in San Diego, USA. Since 2003, the company has sold approximately 1,000 units. The largest customer for the company is the U.S. military. Following the bombing of the USS Cole by Al-Qaeda in July 2000, the Pentagon ordered a series of weapons designed to maintain a safe distance between approaching individuals and naval vessels without necessarily killing them immediately.
To date, around 300 “units” of LRAD have been deployed to Iraq. They have even been used by the U.S. military to demolish suspected houses. This device has also been utilized by U.S. soldiers to issue stop commands to vehicles even from distances of up to 300 meters.
The New York Police Department and Boston Police have also purchased several of these “sound cannons”, priced at $30,000 each. Several shipping companies from the U.S. and the U.K. have also acquired them to equip their fleets. The largest and most modern cruise ship in the world, the Queen Mary 2, has also been outfitted with this formidable weapon.
Đức Hùng (according to Spiegel)
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