NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO (Jan. 23, 2024) Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) connect the sea painter line aboard a seven-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat during small boat operations alongside Essex at Naval Base San Diego, Jan. 23, 2024. Essex is homeported in San Diego, conducting a maintenance period to upgrade and refurbish many key systems aboard. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Guadalupe Barragan Arenas)