Nov 19, 2009: LRAD

[newtimer]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Can this device be rendered useless by a $50 pair of noise-cancelling headphones?

...or some foam earplugs?

That's why I'd rather just let a submarine lurk quietly in the area.

Pirate boat comes. Sub launches a torpedo. Pirate boat breaks in half and sinks without ever knowing what hit it. Sub resumes lurking down below.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by SPUCK

I'd want to stand there behind a large round target with psychotic pirates shooting at it. Yeah yeah. I volunteer.

The Gurkha operating it on the cruise ship, suffered from splinters, so I guess they were trying.

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Can this device be rendered useless by a $50 pair of noise-cancelling headphones?

I doubt it. Getting hit with this thing is more than a loud noise, it would rattle your head like a firehose, at close range.

Originally Posted by newtimer

...or some foam earplugs?

That's why I'd rather just let a submarine lurk quietly in the area.

Pirate boat comes. Sub launches a torpedo. Pirate boat breaks in half and sinks without ever knowing what hit it. Sub resumes lurking down below.

The "area" is thousands of square miles, and trying to hit those speedboats with a torpedo would be like trying to shoot fruit flies with a rifle.
IF, the sub was in the right place, at the right time, a deck gun would have a better chance.
I think aircraft is a better choice, but the ship has to hold them off long enough.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

The "area" is thousands of square miles, and trying to hit those speedboats with a torpedo would be like trying to shoot fruit flies with a rifle.
IF, the sub was in the right place, at the right time, a deck gun would have a better chance.
I think aircraft is a better choice, but the ship has to hold them off long enough.

I'm sure you're right, Bruce. But I bet it would be fun to go Q-shipping through that area.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Q-ships. Oh yes.

[newtimer]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

The "area" is thousands of square miles...

The legitimate ships are following their course, not wandering blindly. A sub would hang out near that shipping lane and just wait for the pirates to come to them.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

...trying to hit those speedboats with a torpedo would be like trying to shoot fruit flies...

...shooting loud fruit flies with a rifle that aims for the sound.

1) Speed is relative. And relative to a torpedo, a speedboat is granny limping upstairs with her cane, hoping to catch the end of Lawrence Welk Show before going to bed at 8:00.
2) Speedboats aren't made to be stealthy while they're buzzing along the surface. But subs are made to detect folks who are trying to be stealthy. Not much challenge.

There are two kinds of boats in the oceans: submarines and targets.

[glatt]

there is no shipping lane there.

Ships used to stay close to shore to keep the trip short as they went around Africa. Then the pirates came, so they moved out further into the ocean. The pirates followed, now the ships are scattered hundreds of miles off shore with the pirates sniffing around for them. Bruce is right that it's a HUGE area.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by newtimer

1) Speed is relative. And relative to a torpedo, a speedboat is granny limping upstairs with her cane, hoping to catch the end of Lawrence Welk Show before going to bed at 8:00.
2) Speedboats aren't made to be stealthy while they're buzzing along the surface. But subs are made to detect folks who are trying to be stealthy. Not much challenge.

C'mon, how in hell are you going to torpedo a speed boat;
1- that's less than 20 ft long,
2- draws less than a foot of water,
3- is staying out of the troughs so they can see,
4- is jumping over waves & wakes,
5- is buzzing around a bigass ship that you don't want to sink?

Of course it's a moot point if you can't even find them.