In pictures: Plane lifted from Hudson

The white wing of a US Airways plane is just visible among the ice of the Hudson River. It had been tied to a Manhattan pier since crashing on Thursday. The crane was used to lift the wreckage on Saturday.

In a delicate operation, the plane was lifted and placed on a barge. Salvage crews overcame the freezing conditions and the immense weight of the water-logged wreck to complete the task.

All 155 people on board survived the crash and freezing temperatures in the strong current. An emergency slide was still attached to the wreckage. (Photo: Alex Geovanis)

Three flight recorder boxes were retrieved and stored in boxes filled with fresh water. Investigators hope they will shed light on what happened in the brief minutes between take-off and crash.

The plane's captain said he made the decision to ditch in the river to avoid a "catastrophic" crash on densely populated land. Birds apparently flew into both engines, disabling them instantly.