Seafair

The Blue Angels visited Seattle this past weekend to celebrate Seafair, Seattle's annual summer festival. Although the squadron of six Boeing F/A-18 Hornets performed over Lake Washington rather than Elliott Bay, we caught several glimpses of the team as it took off from, and landed at, nearby Boeing Field.

During Seafair, we had a birds-eye view of the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson, which was berthed at Pier 66.

The Sampson is an Arleigh Burke-class US Navy destroyer launched in Bath, Maine in 2006. She carries a crew of about 370 and is capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots.

Because of space constraints at Pier 66, where the Sampson was berthed, her bow projected a good distance into the entrance to Bell Harbor Marina, requiring private boats to exercise caution when entering and exiting the marina. US Coast Guard patrol boats provided escort and security during the Sampson's visit.

Despite its berthing at Pier 66, the Sampson set an anchor on the floor of Elliott Bay to secure its position. She weighed anchor only a few minutes before her departure at 8 AM Monday morning.