HONOLULU — It’s not often a sound company is asked to specify a full PA system and backline for a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, let alone to look after it on its cruise from Hawaii to San Diego, but that’s exactly what Southern California-based audio providers Mambo Sound and Broadcast Support were tasked with last month, and they chose dB Technologies for the job.
Specifying the light but powerful DVA T12 line array was not a difficult decision for Mambo Sound’s Steve McNeil. “Our friends at Broadcast Support already have a DVA T4 rig, so we knew it was reliable. It also needed to be lightweight to keep the freight costs down,” he explains. “We flew the whole sound system to Hawaii, took it to Pearl Harbor and craned it on the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier, then craned it off again in San Diego seven days later.”
The main PA comprised six dB Technologies DVA T12 active 3-way line array modules under RDNet control. Three were ground-stacked on each side and strapped atop DVA S20 dual 18-inch 2,000W subwoofers. “We brought eight T12s with us, but they were so powerful we actually only needed six,” McNeil explains.
The No-Fly Zone
“As the ship was to be in the middle of the Pacific, we could not fly the PA, so it had to be stacked and strapped. At one point, we had 30 foot swells! The supplied hardware was easy to use and versatile, and we were able to bend the stack by 3°. The system sounded smooth and open — even stacked. Area fills were handled by DVX D15s; with DVX DM12s and DM15s handling stage monitoring. “As the ship was a working vessel, we had to set the stage on horizontal plane. We relied on the area fills to get the sides and edges. It worked great. No complaints.”
The U.S. Navy provides sailors with a “Tiger Cruise” as a reward for excellent service. A select group of crew are allowed to bring friends or family members [“tigers”] on to the ship for a “ride’” back home, giving them a chance to work alongside the sailors and get a unique perspective of shipboard life. Over its eight-month deployment, the battle group for the USS John C. Stennis had seen some action whilst patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, also rescuing some Iranian fishermen from Somali pirates, and the cruise allowed them to wind down and share their experiences with friends and family before heading to their home port in Bremerton, WA.
The Kelly Bell Band provided musical entertainment for the troops, but diverse demands on the PA throughout the week meant the system had to be flexible. Along with spoken presentations made to the tigers for the schedule of events, there was a 26-act talent show performed by service members, a “rap-off” hosted by the band, readings, a step performance and an awards ceremony commending top sailors.
“We needed a powerful PA to cover the 5,000 crew members plus 1,000 tigers, which made the DVA T12s an ideal choice,” says McNeil. “Indeed, the dB Technologies boxes are reliable, energy efficient, flexible and really great sounding.”
“This job presented a unique set of problems for a sound company,” McNeil recalls. “This is a working 90,000-ton aircraft carrier, and we are at the mercy of the ship’s operational needs. Besides setting up for the music portion, our time schedule had to be flexible — world events could change the gig at a moment’s notice, and when the commanding officer wants the stage, it’s his.
“It was a stunning setting,” McNeil enthuses. “A stage was built in the hangar, in an enclosed steel room in the belly of the craft where the planes and helicopters were stored, and large doors that lead to the ship’s five aircraft elevators could be opened, exposing all to an awesome view of the open sea.”
