December 5, 2008:
Efforts to use
security teams, to protect shipping
operating off the pirate infested Somali coast, are not working out. The basic
problem is that there are numerous legal problems with arming the security
teams with rifles or machine-guns. That's because most ports have strict rules
against guns on ships. Security firms thought they had a solution in the form
of "sonic cannon" and other non-lethal weapons.
Three years ago, for example, a small
(302 passengers and crew) cruise ship, 160 kilometers off the Somali coast, and
headed for Kenya, was attacked by two speedboats full of heavily armed Somali
pirates. The crew repelled boarding attempts using a sonic cannon (LRAD), one
of the many American developed "non-lethal weapons" to appear on the
market in the last decade. The cruise ship had a plan for dealing with pirate
attacks, and successfully carried it out in this case, getting away with only
minimal damage to the ship (several bullet holes, one passenger cabin damaged
by an RPG rocket and one injured crewman).
LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) is
basically a focused beam of sound. Originally, it was designed to emit a very
loud sound. Anyone whose head was touched by this beam, heard a painfully loud
sound. Anyone standing next to them heard nothing. But those hit by the beam
promptly fled, or fell to the ground in pain. Permanent hearing loss is
possible if the beam is kept on a person for several seconds, but given the
effect the sound usually has on people (they move, quickly), it is unlikely to
happen. LRAD works. Some U.S. Navy ships also carry it, but not just to repel attacking
suicide bombers, or whatever. No, the system was sold to the navy for a much
gentler application. LRAD can also broadcast speech for up to 300 meters. The
navy planned to use LRAD to warn ships to get out of the way. This was needed
in places like the crowded coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf, where
the navy patrols. Many small fishing and cargo boats ply these waters, and it's
often hard to get the attention of the crews. With LRAD, you just aim it at a
member of the crew, and have an interpreter "speak" to the sailor. It
was noted that the guy on the receiving end was sometimes terrified, even after
he realized it was that large American destroyer that was talking to him. This
apparently gave the army guys some ideas, for there are now rumors in Iraq of a
devilish American weapon that makes people believe they are hearing voices in
their heads.
But in a recent pirate attack, the pirates
simply took the pain, kept on coming, and got aboard the chemical tanker. The
three man security team, sensing that the pirates might behave violently when
they got their hands on the people who were operating the sonic cannon, decided
to jump overboard. Fortunately, the helicopter from a nearby (but not close
enough) warship that the security people had also called, arrived in time to
haul the three security men out of the water. The pirates had already moved
away with their newly captured tanker.
It's long been known that most
"non-lethal" weapons don't work against people who are really
determined. The Somali pirates, attracted by the potential for undreamed of
riches, are often sufficiently determined.
