Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Fast Freighter

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Tuesday, 7th June 2005

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Here’s a totally huge freighter off the coast of California. Check out how cool its wake is too!

Freighter and wake

Thanks to Jason for this one :-)

14 Responses to 'Fast Freighter'

  1. robertw says:

    quite close, northeasterly from this is what appears to be a little learjet flying out in the ocean.
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  2. robertw says:

    and just for the record, you can see this beast when zoomed out at level 8!!

  3. Kati says:

    Maybe my 21 year old eyes aren’t as good as they used to be but I can’t see it at zoom level 8.

  4. izzy says:

    I can see a smudge at 10. At 9, it is clearly visible.

    Are you counting from zoom level 1 being the most zoomed in?

  5. Twombly says:

    Another plane in flight near TWO more freighters to the Southeast:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    (Go E for the second)

  6. Twombly says:

    Oops – sorry for the dup post, but you’ll have to zoom out to see the second one.

  7. XF says:

    Uhm… I remember me suggesting the same ship through the suggestion form some weeks ago… but I might be wrong… or was just late?

  8. Peter says:

    The ship appears to be what’s called a “Post-Panamax” container ship, one that’s too large to pass through the Panama Canal. Most of them operate between Asia and U.S. west coast ports.
    It’s quite possible that most of the containers on the ship are empty, as it’s heading back to Asia from the United States and most of the trade is one-way.

  9. Phaedrus420 says:

    How much one can see at a given zoom level depends on how large the window and screen are. [I don't know this, but it follows.] Someone in 1600×1200, who has pushed F11 to maximize the window, will see more at zoom level n than another who is in 800×600 mode.
    I need a new monitor. I can only pull 1400×1050.

  10. jillian says:

    That is way cool! I wonder if we could see any whales travelling down the coast to Mexico….

  11. robertw says:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    the planes are probably on approach/leaving this airport here..

  12. Aminal says:

    It’s a CIA drug trafficking freighter. It goes very fast.!!!

  13. Edward K says:

    These things that looks like comets in the water are actually turbo jet foils that are travelling back and forth from Hong Kong and the casino mecca in Macau.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    Here is a picture of one of these in flight: http://www.249m.com/turbojet-19-9-04-cacilhas-01.JPG

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