No one in the crowd of about 150 people at yesterday's hearing spoke in favor of the range, which the Navy wants to build about 50 miles off shore from Camp Lejeune.

The Navy also is considering sites in Virginia and Florida. A site will be chosen late next year.

The range would be built over a ten-year period at an estimated cost of 98 (m) million dollars. It would be used to train crews on ships, submarines and aircraft carriers to use sonar to detect and battle submarines. The Navy wants more practice tracking quiet, diesel-electric subs that can launch missiles after moving close to coastlines undetected.

Atlantic Beach charter boat captain Joe Shute says he's worried that frequent use of sonar will drive away fish. He says certain fish are so sensitive to sound that he turns off his depth finders.

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