Shouting Down the Pirates

Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia who tried to take control of the Princess Line cruise ship Seaborn Spirit, were stunned when their attack was repelled by technology.

Long Range Acoustic Devices or LRAD is designed to deliver loud and clear audible messages in English and dozen of other languages to unidentified individuals approaching a ship, vehicle or fixed location with unknown intent. Because LRAD's sound can be so tightly focused on the target intruders, it was critical that the operator knows exactly where the unit is being focused,  American Technology Corporation (ATC) is the owner of the registered trademark, LRAD. Following the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, ATC created the acoustic hailing and warning device (AHD) market by developing its proprietary LRAD. LRAD resolves uncertain situations and can save lives on both sides of the device by combining powerful voice commands and deterrent tones with focused acoustic output to clearly communicate highly intelligible instructions and warnings at distances from 300 – 2000 meters.

LRAD was used by the crew of the Seabourn Spirit to repel pirates off the coast of Somalia, ATC sold the LRAD directly to the cruise line. It developed its own pan-and-tilt system in 2007 to complement the other technology.