  We assess the detectability of the gravitational wave signals from highly
eccentric compact binaries. We use a simple model for the inspiral, merger, and
ringdown of these systems. The model is based on mapping the binary to an
effective single black hole system described by a Kerr metric, thereby
including certain relativistic effects such as zoom-whirl-type behavior. The
resultant geodesics source quadrupolar radiation and, in turn, are evolved
under its dissipative effects. At the light ring, we attach a merger model that
was previously developed for quasicircular mergers but also performs well for
eccentric mergers with little modification. We apply this model to determine
the detectability of these sources for initial, Enhanced, and Advanced LIGO
across the parameter space of nonspinning close capture compact binaries. We
conclude that, should these systems exist in nature, the vast majority will be
missed by conventional burst searches or by quasicircular waveform templates in
the advanced detector era. Other methods, such as eccentric templates or, more
practically, a stacked excess power search, must be developed to avoid losing
these sources. These systems would also have been missed frequently in the
initial LIGO data analysis. Thus, previous null coincidence results with
detected gamma-ray bursts cannot exclude the possibility of coincident
gravitational wave signals from eccentric binaries.
