High-tech letdown: Somali pirates repelled by bullets, not soundwaves

When a powerful "sonic cannon" was not "effective" in repelling Somali pirates during a high-seas showdown Wednesday, armed guards successfully battled off the marauders the good old-fashioned way -- with firearms, said Vice Adm. William Gortney, who commands the Pacific region for the U.S. Navy. After pirates opened fire on the Maersk Alabama -- an American ship that was hijacked just months ago -- the crew first responded by deploying an LRAD or Long Range Acoustic Device. The dish-shaped device emits a directional stream of ear-splitting noise.

But the device didn't faze the bandits, Gortney said. The ship's four-man armed crew then returned fire on the pirates, who fled. "A well-placed round from an M-16 is far more effective than that LRAD," Gortney said. Right now, Somali pirates hold 11 ships and 254 crew.