October 28, 2005:
In early October, the American carrier USS Enterprise got stopped cold by sand. No, not a sand bar, but sand that got sucked into its condensers, which jammed them up and crippled the ships power system. This has happened before, and is one reason ships with condensers stay out of shallow, or "sandy" water. The navy has been developing a "sand weapon" for use against ships that refuse to be boarded, or are otherwise giving you a hard time, but not so much that a missile or torpedo is required.