CATASTROPHIC ENG FAILURE UPON LIFTOFF DUE TO BIRD STRIKE.

Narrative

POOR WX POOR VISIBILITY TKOF WITH MULTIPLE TSTMS IN AREA; OUR THOUGHTS ON TKOF WERE DIRECTED SOLELY TOWARD WX CONSIDERATIONS; IE; TSTM AVOIDANCE AND WIND SHEAR AWARENESS. HELD ROTATION TO V2 FOR THE LATTER. AS ACFT NOSE BECAME AIRBORNE CAPT MADE SOME STATEMENT REGARDING BIRDS JUST AS I ALSO SAW A LARGE FLOCK OF; I BELIEVE SEA GULLS DRIFTING OVER THE RWY FROM THE R. WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO TAKE MULTIPLE BIRD IMPACTS IN THE COCKPIT AREA; SO MANY THAT WE BOTH ACTUALLY DUCKED BELOW THE GLARE SHIELD IN EXPECTATION OF THE WINDSCREEN SHATTERING. I WENT TO THE GAUGES AND SAW IMMEDIATE FLUCTUATIONS IN BOTH ENGS BUT WITHIN A FEW SECONDS THE R STABILIZED. THE L; ON THE OTHER HAND; GYRATED WILDLY; THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO SHAKE; AND THE L EPR WENT TOWARD ZERO. CAPT INITIATED IMMEDIATE ACTION ITEMS AND I CONTINUED TO KEEP THE ACFT CLBING. DECLARED EMER AND REQUESTED IMMEDIATE RETURN FOR QUICKEST RWY BECAUSE WE WERE UNSURE HOW LONG THE R WOULD RUN (ASSUMED BIRD STRIKES ON BOTH). WERE VECTORED FOR A 270 DEG TURN FOR RWY 1. ON BASE LEG; ACFT AHEAD OF US WENT AROUND DUE TO WX/SHOWER AT FIELD. APCH THEN ASKED IF WE WANTED RWY 28 (LONGER; BETTER VISIBLE). WE ACCEPTED AND CONTINUED DOWNWIND FOR ILS APCH TO RWY 28 AND AN UNEVENTFUL FULL STOP LNDG. WE WERE ONLY AIRBORNE FOR 13 MIN; A LIFETIME WITH 1 ENG DESTROYED AND ANOTHER QUESTIONABLE. ALL THIS BECAUSE OF AN ENORMOUS FLOCK OF SEA GULLS WHICH SOMEONE NEVER RPTED. I DO NOT REMEMBER IF THE STANDARD ATIS BLURB 'BIRDS IN THE VICINITY' WAS ON THE ATIS; BUT EVEN IF IT WAS; IT IS SO COMMON AND SO OVERUSED MOST OF US UNINTENTIONALLY DISREGARD IT. IT IS ALWAYS PRESENT AND THEREFORE MEANINGLESS. 2 SUGGESTIONS: 1) ARPTS NEAR SUCH AREAS AS MSY (IE; LARGE WATERWAYS) NEED SOME KIND OF CONTINUOUS BIRD DETERRENT SYS. I REALIZE NOBODY CAN CTL BIRDS; BUT IT SEEMS TO ME; THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A WAY THAT A FLOCK THIS LARGE (ESTIMATE HUNDREDS) SHOULD HAVE BEEN IDENTED AND/OR DEALT WITH. 2) THAT THE STANDARD ATIS BIRDS BLURB BE ELIMINATED WHEN IT IS PUT ON JUST FOR REPETITION'S SAKE AND WORDED DIFFERENTLY AND MORE EMPHATICALLY WHEN THERE ARE ACTUALLY BIRDS ON THE ARPT.