The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa last weekend.

The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems. Earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Its shrill tone is compared to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.