The ship's bell was a traditional Earth nautical device designed to indicate time intervals in relation to duty watches aboard a ship with the sounding of a bell. In the late-23rd century, some Federation Starfleet starships had a ship's bell, with the USS Enterprise being an example. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) In 2293, aboard the USS Enterprise-A, as the ship's bell sounded, the Klingon delegation were preparing to transport back to Kronos One after dinner and General Chang rhetorically asked "have we not heard the chimes at midnight?" (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)