191020-N-DN657-3015 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 20, 2019) Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Natia Ellam, from Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, assigned to the deck department aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), performs a pre-operation check of a rigid-hull inflatable boat prior to a nighttime small boat training evolution. Gerald R. Ford is currently making final preparations to get underway for the first time since beginning its post-shakedown availability in July 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Zack Guth/Released)