Three years ago, I received an e-mail from my cousin, Chris, who was stationed in the Philippines with his team of Navy SEALs. His message described life in the village where they were staying, the people he was “working” with, the unusual local cuisine, and so on. Then he mentioned that his squad had just watched the movie Black Hawk Down in their tent — on a large-screen front-projection system.
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I'd watched this movie myself in a theater just days before — how'd they get it so soon? And what was a front projector doing in the middle of the jungle with a bunch of Navy SEALs?
Intrigued, I made some calls and eventually reached Mike Maus, the deputy public affairs officer for the Naval Air Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet, who explained that it's important to the Department of Defense to keep troops entertained when they're off duty. For instance, there's the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), which provides a mix of news, sports, and regular U.S. network shows on three TV and radio channels, plus a data channel for news and information. This programming is available to members of the armed forces virtually anywhere in the world, including aboard nearly every Navy ship. Letting soldiers in Tikrit, Iraq, or sailors off the coast of Korea “play along” with Super Millionaire , or watch the Super Bowl or World Series live, helps them feel closer to home.
A program called First Run Overseas provides prints of new films to overseas bases, normally within two weeks of their theatrical release. Another program delivers new movies on 8mm tape to “hot zone” forces, typically 30 days after their theatrical release. Troops also receive 8mm tapes of movies new to video from 30 to 60 days before their scheduled stateside video release.
To facilitate viewing in the field, troops are supplied with “cinema in a box” systems that include a front projector, a screen, an 8mm player, and a sound system. And all ships in the fleet are equipped with a Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment (SITE) system to handle onboard audio/video distribution.
Sensing the opportunity of a lifetime — and a great story! — I told Maus that I'd love to see the SITE system in action. But, with many of the Navy's ships committed to fighting overseas, months passed with no news, until one day the phone rang:
“Can you be at Norfolk Naval Base on April 15?” Maus asked. “I've got you scheduled to go out on Truman .” USS Harry S. Truman is the second-newest aircraft carrier in the the U.S. Navy and is outfitted with all the latest technologies. “Tax deadline be damned,” I told myself, “I'm going to sea!”
The Navy Way
Arriving at the base in Norfolk, Virginia, photographer Jim Raycroft and I learned that Truman was miles off the North Carolina coast and that we'd be delivered to the ship via a plane that's mainly used for carrying mail and supplies. Passenger comfort is a low priority.
Landing on the carrier was amazing. As the plane came in at over 120 mph, a tail hook grabbed one of four arresting cables on the ship, bringing us to a complete stop in about two seconds. Stepping onto Truman 's flight deck, we were surrounded by nothing but blue water and the ear-splitting shriek of jets coming in for a landing.
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From the flight deck, we were led to our escort, Petty Officer 3rd Class Dale Eng. Besides working with the SITE system, Dale's a Sound & Vision subscriber, so he was the perfect guide.
The first stop was to drop off our gear. Our Distinguished Visitor status provided us with officer-rank privileges, meaning that our quarters had two bunks plus a writing desk, lots of locker storage, a sink, and a TV (ironically, it was on the fritz). Enlisted quarters can hold from 10 to 200 people, and while personal space is extremely limited, no one has to share a bed (or “hot bunk”) the way they do on a submarine.
Cinema at Sea
Dale took us on a tour of the ship's A/V nerve center. One compartment houses 40 DirecTV satellite receivers, with 10 more receivers onboard to receive programming from other satellites when the ship sails into South American waters. Each receiver is tuned to a specific channel, and the programs are distributed for viewing on the thousand-plus TVs aboard the ship. Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Harris, who makes sure that the satellite systems are up and running, told us that “reception is pretty good, unless someone does something like park a helo [helicopter] in front of the dish.”
Truman also has its own video facilities, which are used to produce four channels. Two provide information on things like movie schedules, weather forecasts, and safety notes, and two show movies provided by the Navy Motion Picture Service. A weekly 10-minute news program called Synergy is shown on all four channels. Each day's lineup is printed in the ship's daily paper, the Give 'Em Hell Herald .
Dale says war movies are always popular — Enemy at the Gates seemed to be on every TV that we passed — but the Navy tries to offer a diverse selection. The ship receives 16 new movies each month and maintains a library of 750 to 800 titles. And with regular mail service provided anywhere in the world, sailors like Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Johnson can satisfy their personal film cravings by renting DVDs from services like Netflix and playing them on portable gear or on DVD players in the ship's library.
The daunting task of keeping the sailors happy while at sea for seven months falls to civilian Jane Clark, who's in charge of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. Known as the “Fun Boss,” she oversees the lending of movies, videogames, musical instruments, and exercise gear. While the ship is underway, she also organizes a monthly event called Hangar Bay Cinema. Jets are cleared out of the hangars, and 300 to 500 sailors get together to watch a movie. (We missed the showing of The Return of the King by two weeks.) Clark also uses the onboard video system to hold Bingo games that anyone on the ship can participate in by simply turning on a TV.
Once a month, jets are moved aside for the Hangar Bay Cinema, where as many as 500 sailors gather to watch movies like The Return of the King on a front-projection system. (Photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class John L. Beeman.)
Rank Has Its Privileges
For “serious” viewing, the Officers' Wardroom Lounge has a decent home theater setup with a 60-inch RCA high-definition rear-projection TV (RPTV). Five in-ceiling speakers and a JBL sub handle the audio, and a Sony receiver/VCR combo and a Zenith DVD player provide the video. But the best rig was in the Chief Petty Officers Mess Lounge, which has theater-style seating, a 60-inch Mitsubishi RPTV flanked by carefully positioned NHT speakers, and two 8-inch Energy subwoofers. A Sony receiver, fed by a Denon DVD player and Toshiba VCR, drives the system.
Home theater setups in the Officers Wardroom Lounge (left) and the Chief Petty Officers Mess Lounge.
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The largest TV available for viewing by enlisted men and women, a 40-inch direct-view Sony tube model, is in the ship's library, which also has 12 computers that can be used for sending and receiving e-mail. Noticing a hole in the library's magazine section, we arranged for a complimentary S&V subscription. And since the enlisted-rank sailors were missing out on surround sound, Definitive Technology, Denon, and Monster Cable are donating a system that should make life more enjoyable. The new system includes a Denon surround receiver and progressive-scan DVD player with a 5.1-channel Definitive Technology ProCinema 200 speaker system, all connected with Monster Cable wiring and a Monster Power surge protector.
When we visited Truman 's commanding officer, Capt. Michael Groothousen, on the bridge, he confessed to being an HDTV buff. (At home he has an LCD HDTV and a high-definition satellite receiver.) Capt. Groothousen said the entertainment systems aboard the ship were phenomenal for morale — especially because, given the ship's 24-hour schedule, the entertainment is continuously available.
This Is Only a Drill . . .
The next morning began at 0600 to calls of “Reveille, reveille!” from the speaker in our room. After breakfast, we geared up and were led onto the flight deck. No home theater system could possibly re-cre-ate the visceral experience of standing 15 feet from F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets as they're catapulted from 0 to 150 mph in under two seconds. Bass drivers would shred and tweeters would melt trying to reproduce the 140+ dB of jet engines winding up to full power — no subwoofer could ever rattle your organs that hard!
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Visiting USS Harry S. Truman was an incredible experience, and everyone we met was friendly, professional, and extremely proud of the roles they play. While these brave men and women sacrifice their personal freedoms to defend the freedom of others, it's nice to know that modern technology can keep them entertained and in touch during their down time.