The Empire Strikes Back

[Dyflin]

For any of you who may have seen that program on Discovery called Whale Wars about the "activists" trying to stop the Japanese Whaling fleet annually, the Japs are (finally) getting tough;

Japan deploys LRAD against Sea Shepherd helicopter

Southern Ocean- Sea Shepherd’s ship Steve Irwin is ten days at sea after departing Fremantle, Australia, and has had a Japanese tail ship for nine of those days, the Shonan Maru No. 2. This Japanese security ship is reporting the Steve Irwin’s location, preventing them from closing in on the whaling fleet.

Sea Shepherd entered French Antarctic territorial waters after graciously receiving permission from the French Base at Dumont D’Urville in an attempt to lose the tail ship. The Shonan Maru No. 2 followed the Steve Irwin into French waters without permission in illegal pursuit. The French Base confirms that the Japanese ship neither requested nor received permission to enter French waters.

At 1730, the Steve Irwin helicopter flew back to film the Shonan Maru No. 2 in its illegal pursuit. In response, the crew of the Japanese ship activated their Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD) at the Sea Shepherd helicopter. LRAD is a military class weapon.

“This was an extremely irresponsible thing to do,” said helicopter pilot Chris Aultman. “That device can cause nausea and disorientation and the use of it against an aircraft is both extremely dangerous and grossly irresponsible.”

The Sea Shepherd helicopter returned to the Steve Irwin for safety from the LRAD, at which point, the Shonan Maru No. 2 increased speed and aimed their water canons in an attempt to destroy the helicopter on the landing pad. This occurred while the crew was attempting to secure the helicopter.

Captain Watson responded by deploying a 150-meter line aft of the vessel to force the Shonan Maru No. 2 to maintain a safe distance. The Sea Shepherd ship is undamaged and the crew safe.

Sea Shepherd has reported the incident to the French authorities. The pursuit continues.

“The situation is now very dangerous,” said Captain Paul Watson. “We have deliberately led the Japanese ship into thick ice in order to lose them in the ice. The ice bergs could easily damage either vessel.”

source

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Not sure about the Emerald Isle, but the latest Whale Wars series that has just ended on Discovery, had all the LRAD footage.

Even as the Steve Irwin was running out of fuel and had to end its mission, the helicopter was flying over and alongside the Japanese ships with no ill effects, either because the LRAD was ineffective or the Japs had got the message that bringing down a helicopter was not going to aid their 'research' status or worldwide opinion.

Throughout the series I think the LRAD was used against the helicopter just once.

In the latter part of the series the LRAD wasn't even used on the RIBS or the Steve Irwin and leaves me speculating it was not as effective as planned.

EDIT: Just had a look at their website and found this: ""We can't cover all the harpoon vessels with the resources we have," said Sea Shepherd U.K. director Steve Roest who was injured as a result of a sonic blast from a Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD). "These hunter killer ships are out for blood, our blood and the blood of the whales.""

I did a bit more ferreting and found a rather amusing thread on ARRSE here http://www.arrse.co.uk/Forums/viewt...postdays=0/postorder=asc/vote=viewresult.html

Love the post that Sea Shepard once bought a submarine, but one post says, "surely it is highly irresponsible, if not illegal, to use an LRAD on a civilian aircraft. Best case being the AC crashes, worst being that it crashes into the ship that is pointing it."

Which is a good point. But the next post is brilliant.

"Now that would be ironic. A sort of reverse Kamikaze. That'll teach the sl*nty eyed little ****ing Whale killers"

Can't wait for the next series when Sea Shepard take on the whaling fleet with the 50 knot Ady Gil.

 

[V1701]

Very James Bond, best of luck to them...