190610-N-YW264-1045 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (June 10, 2019) Boatswain's Mate Seaman Elias Bell, left, from Fresno, California, and Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Allen Jen, from San Jose, California, both assigned to the deck department of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), splice line in the ship's forecastle. Rope splices can be used to form a stopper at the end of a line, to form a loop or an eye or for joining two ropes together. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary Melvin/Released)