m0tbaillie
Former SWO
I don't think it's either...it looks like a speaker system to me, but what do I know
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The Great Pirates off the Somali Coast thread
- Thread starter Beefalo
- Start date
I don't think it's either...it looks like a speaker system to me, but what do I know
2 Questions...
2nd-Why is the guy manning the gun wearing a Kevlar and flak jacket and the rest of the squids in coveralls? PPE isn't for everyone?
The ones in background have demeanor of spectators on Vulture's Row so if that's the case, PPE wouldn't apply. Likely a slow day otherwise.
The GMs wear that PPE mostly for protection from misfires and flying brass. Everybody else on the bridge would put on flash gear and helmets for GQ, but you wouldn't go to GQ for boarding/VBSS stations.
Doesn't look like a light to me. Looks like it could be a directed sound system, which means it would not be a good day to be out of uniform (hearing protection being part of the uniform of the day).
Looks like a great catch. Hopefully more will occur and this problem will be squelched significantly. We shall see...
The LRAD was mentioned in a futureweapons episode. The directed sound technology seemed pretty wild; looks like its being put to good use.
I don't think LRAD is the "sound-pain weapon". That fucker is huge. I think this is just a very powerful, focused sound-system speaker, so you can tell the pirate scum to surrender at a distance and still be heard. That's not for nothing - when we were doing CD ops back in the day, we had to be careful to give them every notification that we were the US Navy, Law Enforcement, and warning to stop, warning shots will be fired, heave to and prepare to be boarded, etc., with speakers, horns, flags, everything. Drug cases have been thrown out of court because the go-fast drivers claimed they didn't know they were supposed to stop, or thought we were trying to rob them, shit like that.
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/future-weapons/weapons/zone1/lrad.html
There's a youtube clip of a directed sound beam smoking the host. It didn't look fun. IIRC. the LRAD has the capability to act as a speaker, or to emit the shrill deterrent blast. They did some neat tricks with bouncing sounds of running water off of walls and around corners.
IDK if this is what is on the ship, but it looks similar. They had one mounted on top of a humvee, and could scale the speaker for different applications. The one that bounced waterfall sounds off the wall could be held in one hand. Pretty cool stuff, built by people way smarter than me.
There's a youtube clip of a directed sound beam smoking the host. It didn't look fun. IIRC. the LRAD has the capability to act as a speaker, or to emit the shrill deterrent blast. They did some neat tricks with bouncing sounds of running water off of walls and around corners.
IDK if this is what is on the ship, but it looks similar. They had one mounted on top of a humvee, and could scale the speaker for different applications. The one that bounced waterfall sounds off the wall could be held in one hand. Pretty cool stuff, built by people way smarter than me.
I saw that episode too and that's what I remember hearing. I could be wrong though, the main reason I watch that show is for the comedic value of the host.
I just saw that episode today. The gizmo on the show is indeed the LRAD. The thing I was thinking of is a larger device which doesn't do "ow, that sound is really loud, I want to leave" so much as focused sound of a frequency/pitch that actually causes pain and incapacitation.
Actually I believe you're referring to a ray gun rather than an acoustic device.
LRAD=Long Range Acoustic Device.
I'm not sure if it was already mentioned in this thread, but it was used in 2005, successfully.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174921,00.html
150 decibels... I found a comparison: "a 747 taking off on a runway 300 feet away is about 120 decibels."
You do not want to be on the receiving end of the LRAD. It will literally drop you to your knees.