It was an ordinary day. Reading a story titled "Sonar Disrupts Johnny Ray." Began with..."My" destroyer was in its final construction phase at a Seattle commercial shipyard, prior to acceptance by the Navy. It had been an unduly lengthy shipbuilding process during the Vietnam War era with ensuing delays caused by an extended shipyard strike. We were now nearing completion, with overtime authorized to expedite completion. Testing and certification of the ship's combat systems were being conducted around the clock, which included our high-powered SQS26 Sonar in all of its modes. There was a nightclub directly across Elliott Bay from the shipyard that brought in top-level entertainers. One such performer was Johnny Ray, who wore hearing aids during his show. He was performing at the club one evening when the sonar certification tests were being conducted. Whenever the sonar pinged, it resonated across the bay into the club's air-conditioning cooling ducts near the water, adversely affecting Johnny's hearing aids. It was so annoying that they had to stop the show, much to the dismay of his adoring fans. Upon investigation, the shipyard was found to be at fault, and with the threat of a lawsuit, they were directed to immediately resolve the matter. It was determined that the best way to solve the problem was to quench the sonar beam with an "air curtain screen." A form of weighted sprinkler hose was embedded in the bottom of the bay in front of the ship's bow and was attached to an air compressor. This worked to everyone's satisfaction, including local fishermen who found the air screen also attracted steel-head salmon. The author of this story was Robert O. Strange! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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