The crew of the luxury cruise liner Seabourn Spirit successfully deployed a military-grade sonic weapon against pirates who had attacked their ship with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons off the coast of Somalia. Here's a related story. Here are some additional details:

The 10,000-ton Seabourn Spirit came under fire at about 5:30am. The pirates approached in 25 ft speedboats and shot at the ship with the grenade launcher and machine guns. Terrified passengers watched as the pirates tried to get aboard -- only to be repelled by crew members who set off what one described as a "loud bang"...

The liner used a sonic blaster to foil the pirates. Developed by American forces to deter small boats from attacking warships, the non-lethal weapon sends out high-powered air vibrations that blow assailants off their feet. The equipment, about the size of a satellite dish, is rigged to the side of the ship...

Rogers, the Canadian passenger, said at the end of the eventful day: "We're always looking for adventure, but this is probably a little more than we would normally look for."