In November of 2005 Michael Groves was a hero. According to a story in the Daily Mail, pirates (no, not Johnny Depp) attacked the Seabourn Spirit as it cruised the Indian Ocean. Thanks to the quick thinking of security officer Michael Groves, the pirates fled the scene after 30 minutes.
According to the article:
Mr Groves, from the West Midlands, was working on board the £500-a-night liner Seabourn Spirit as it cruised the Indian Ocean 100 miles east of Somalia in November 2005. It carries 200 passengers and 150 crew. Alerted by a look-out at 6am, Mr Groves rushed to the deck to see the pirates brandishing machine guns and a rocket launcher. As they shot at him with Kalashnikovs, he unreeled a high-pressure hose and returned fire with a jet of water, forcing them to retreat.
In the brief respite, he began to prepare the other weapon in the ship’s armoury – the sonic cannon – known technically as a Long Range Acoustic Device. The LRAD is an acoustic weapon developed by the U.S. Navy to repel small boats. It can direct a 150-decibel blast of ear-splitting noise at its target.
Eventually, after taking both automatic weapons and RPG fire, the ship’s crew managed to repel the pirates. Fortunately, the most popular U.S. cruise destination is the Caribbean, where pirates are uncommon.