2007-01-24 - Tacoma, WA - Triangle

((NUFORC Note: Witness determines that object in fog was, in fact, an object seen floating on the surface of Puget Sound. See addendum below. PD))

Photographed triangular object moving slowly 30'-50' over Tacoma narrows heading north: 2min duration.

I’m a photographer. I was on the walkway along the beach at Titlow Beach Park in Tacoma, Washington between 8:30 and noon 24 January 2007. I was there for the purpose of photographing trains on the BNSF tracks that run along the shoreline. While waiting for trains I photographed cormorants perched on pilings just offshore using a Nikon D80, Nikkor 70-200mm lens with a Nikkor TC2EII teleconverter.

There was a varying layer of fog over the area during this time period with the sun occasionally shining through. While looking for a good shot of the cormorants I saw two bright reflections coming through the fog (looking west across the water). At first I thought them to be reflections from windows on a house across the narrows on Point Fosdick. But as I watched the reflections were moving slowly northward. I estimate they were moving about 5 mph. I zoomed my lens to 400mm and looked at the reflections through the camera-lens. Through the lens I saw that the reflections were coming from two rectangular surfaces on a triangular shaped object. The object appeared to be roughly 30’-50’ above the surface of the water. I watched it for about two minutes. It was difficult to judge the distance above the water due to the fog obscuring the far shoreline. I estimated the object to be a half mile away. I wondered if I was just seeing the top of a barge or tug but I could see nothing below the triangle which I could see fairly well. I shot two photographs of the object. In subsequent review of the images I can discern nothing below the triangular object.

I heard no sound that I could attribute to the object although I could hear traffic noise from the Narrows Bridge a mile to the north. After taking the two photos I looked around to see if there was anyone nearby to ask if they had seen the object. There was nobody nearby and when I looked back the object was gone. I continued to look out across the water for the next five minutes or so and did not see the object again. I specifically looked farther to the north to see if this was a barge or tug and did not see anything even though the fog was thinner in that direction and I could clearly see the Dockwise, the bridge deck carrier ship anchored under the bridge.


((ADDENDUM #1 OF 2))

Here are the two original images I photographed 24 Jan 2007 of a triangular object moving slowly northward over (estimate 30’-50’) the Tacoma narrows. Photos taken westward from the shoreline along Titlow Beach Park, Tacoma Wa toward Point Fosdick.

((name deleted))

I’m really hoping someone can identify this object so that it will no linger be ‘unidentified’ to me.

((END ADDENDUM))


((ADDENDUM #2 OF 2))

Hello,

I really thought I’d seen and photographed a UFO yesterday 24 Jan 2007. I emailed the two original images to this email address yesterday.

I spent several hours yesterday enhancing the images using photoshop and consulted with some photographer friends of mine. We came to the conclusion that I had become disoriented in the fog and my perception of where the far shoreline was in my photos was incorrect. We have also come to the conclusion that what I photographed was in fact something floating IN the Tacoma narrows rather than something moving ABOVE the narrows. Our best guess is that it is a partially sunk dock that has broken away from its original mooring.

I went back out to the location this morning and using the same camera, lens and focal length re-shot the scene from the exact same vantage point using the same two pilings as reference.

I’ve enclosed a photoshopped image of my now tentatively identified ufo with a line marking where the far shoreline really was (upper line) and another line (lower) to indicate where I had thought the far shoreline was in the fog. I superimposed today’s image over yesterday’s to locate the lines.

I’m very sorry to have taken your time and even sorrier that I filed a report when in fact what I saw was not a UFO. Please know that I did not do this as a hoax; at the time I really thought that what I saw was slowly floating 30’-50’ feet above the water. Also, until I had the chance to enhance the image using photoshop (unfortunately after I’d made my call and report) I could not make out the details of the object I’d seen with my eyes.

Again, I’m sorry to have taken your time. Can you please remove the report I made from your database?

Thanks in advance,

((name deleted))

((END ADDENDUM #2))