On the Delaware (8/16) (PHL, P72) [Image Heavy]

[Kiffy]

I spent a good chunk of Saturday sailing on the Delaware River on my friend's J/22 and was able to do some plane (and ship) spotting on the way.
It was definitely not a normal spotting excursion but I can't wait to do it again.

Started off the day heading south with the current and passing the Penn's Landing Heliport (P72)
Just like every other time I've passed the heliport there were no helicopters even though it's a pretty busy place.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/14970830092_17bc055e93_c.jpg

...with the Philly skyline.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/14967471871_18a552797f_c.jpg

Some ship spotting:

The SS United States looking worse-for-ware. Hopefully something positive will come of her soon.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/14970503562_5f112393ba_c.jpg

The tug, "Reid Mcallister" helping out "Loa" to get turned around.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/14965153792_21b9265c50_c.jpg

"Loa" turning south and in doing so, blocking off most of the river!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5593/14778816940_020edca98a_c.jpg

Back to the planes:

A great looking Challenger air ambulance (D-AFAI) en-route to PHL.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/14964516162_67d9e8d93e_c.jpg

After about and hour and 15 minutes we finally got to the sunlit side of the arrivals.

AAL1003 on a four mile final for runway 27R.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/14784397968_ac8dfbb2c3_c.jpg

Allegheny retro inbound.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5567/14784317810_bbe8925896_c.jpg

One of the remnants of the old Philadelphia Navy Yard Field/Mustin Naval Air Facility that was very active during WWII.
The main hanger and the seaplane ramp into the river.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14970649682_996a4e0966_c.jpg

DAL1561 from ATL over "Loa".
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/14964516512_7d2bc84598_z.jpg

The "Spirit of Philadelphia" passing by the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) at the naval yard.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/14970846445_a2a1716a17_c.jpg

Two hours down river the tide was about to change so we decided to head back up north.

The "Spirit of Philadelphia" heading back to Penn's Landing.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3901/14970503672_1713502d7f_c.jpg

The first of two surprising catches that day; FDX9004, one of the new 763s, inbound from MEM for some type of charter...
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5589/14941859056_b52df5c8e7_c.jpg

..with the ramp tower behind.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3848/14778248808_ec95f25c15_c.jpg

AWE799 from AMS, 2.5 miles from runway 27R.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5587/14778248848_465d6fc4a2_c.jpg

JBU759 from BOS.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/14778180750_277d614acc_c.jpg

AWE735 from MAN.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3874/14778248678_fbe367a031_c.jpg

US 762 above the sail.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5576/14778173749_05bebc4899_z.jpg

Tacking!!!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5563/14778817010_30ef581030_c.jpg

USCGC "William Tate" (WLM 560) crossing beneath the Walt Whitman Bridge.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14970358472_d1d758e0ef_z.jpg

"William Tate" docked at the USCG Station, beat us back by some time.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/14784105448_e96c66079a_c.jpg

A look up the river.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3901/14778818520_5e506c5e67_c.jpg

This time while we passed Penn's Landing Heliport there was a pleasant surprise.
A Super Puma, N7801F. In town to remove the giant "PNB" letters from a downtown sky scrapper.
http://6abc.com/realestate/pnb-letters-being-removed-from-philly-skyline-/266420/
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3858/14947734886_d996a66877_z.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3916/14967611631_c4855e0966_c.jpg

The venerable USS New Jersey (BB-62)
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3843/14947783856_7c5471425f_c.jpg

Finally, "Summer Wind" with the Battleship New Jersey in the background.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3889/14784210547_b51db3d5a1_c.jpg

Hope you enjoyed your trip on the river :cool:

[SengaB]

Nice shots Kiffy,
I am sure many of the Intermodal Container buffs and Ship spotters woudl Love those shots too! That puma is very nice I still need to get one of those into my collection. I have not shot at PHL for a few years now but i looks like a trip may have to be planned soon.
http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part1/sea_containers1.htm :)

Senga

[Kiffy]

Thanks Senga,

I had no idea there were so many different types of cargo containers!

It's also cool to see that there are ship trackers just like the plane trackers we're so use to:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/

http://shipfinder.co/

[Gintaras B.]

Kiffy, great photos...

Not long ago I saw Pinkfroot.com - Home of Plane Finder, Ship Finder and more (http://my.pinkfroot.com/) site and noticed that there is another kind of spotting - ships...

Then...one day @ home I looked thru window and saw a police car passing by...What came to my mind - to start taking photos of police cards - they're numbered, different paint schemes...and later I found out that there already is such hobby:

http://www.policecarwebsite.net/main.html

http://www.police-car-photos.com/