U.S. Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit fill plastic containers with potable water in the hangar bay of amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) in the Pacific Ocean on March 25, 2011. The water was transported to various locations in Japan as a part of Operation Tomodachi. The Essex and the dock landing ships USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and USS Germantown (LSD 42), along with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit were operating off the coast of Hachinohe in northeastern Japan.