100 years of the Panama Canal

[Two Skies]

100 years ago today, the Panama Canal opened for business!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28794485

[VirginiaJim]

Hmmm, never knew about the French aspect.  Thanks!

[Strawboss]

So lets see, that's yet another time this past century we bailed out the French. 

[VirginiaJim]

Yeah, paybacks are heck and all just for helping us against the British in the late 1770s.

[Strawboss]

Yes, but they were also a hair away from helping the CSA during our civil war weren't they? Well, officially at least.

[B.D.F.]

Not really- both the English and the French were fairly anxious to see that war stop as it denied them raw cotton, and they significant leanings toward the Confederate side but it was by no means unanimous and there was no official 'recognition' or support for the Confederacy.

Some official on that project had medals made out of an abandoned piece of French heavy equipment and given to all the Americans who participated in the initial building of the canal. I saw an ancient man named Robert <something- can't remember> proudly showing his medal some years ago on TV.

Brian

Yes, but they were also a hair away from helping the CSA during our civil war weren't they? Well, officially at least.

[Strawboss]

That's basically what I said. But ok, whatever. Bye.

[B.D.F.]

Uhm, OK. Bye back at ya'.

I guess I was not clear enough: France was not "a hair away" from doing anything official regarding international relations with the Confederacy.

Not really sure why you have a hair across your butt but if it makes you feel better, banter away....

Brian

That's basically what I said. But ok, whatever. Bye.

[VirginiaJim]

banter..

[jettawreck]

Went thru the P canal in '09 and read up on it a bunch then. The cruise ship barely fit in the lock (as do most of the PanaMax cargo ships) but in the achive photos it shows 3 detroyer/escort ships going thru in the grand opening-all in the same lock with lots of water in between!
The history read that if the French had kept digging with the equipment they had in place, they would still be excavating today.
The "new" canal system alongside to the south was getting done at that time. Haven't heard/seen much about it since.
When the US ran the canal, it was pretty much free passage. After they returned control of it to Panama, it's quite costly to go thru. I'm sure they know how much it saves in fuel to go around. To move ahead to the front of the "waiting list" is really spendy!! Better keep on schedule or pay up.

[gPink]

Or wait for the Chicoms to build the canal across Nicaragua.

[MrPepsi]

I'm travelling through it in October!

[jettawreck]

I'm travelling through it in October!

Which one?? The old one, the new one or the one thry Nicaragua they haven't started yet??

[MrPepsi]

NCL cruise through the Panama Canal.
There will only be one Panama Canal, the other will be like you said, in Nicaragua.

[rocknrod]

"...The Nicaraguan government granted rights to build the canal to the Chinese group last year. It claims the project will create jobs and tackle poverty. According to government officials the canal would create about 250,000 jobs..."
http://www.trust.org/item/20140814100220-5f8vq/?source=jtTheWire

[jettawreck]

NCL cruise through the Panama Canal.
There will only be one Panama Canal, the other will be like you said, in Nicaragua.

Well, there will be two canals in Panama. The "old" one and the "new" one they are/were building when we were there a few years ago, which I don't think is finished yet, but not sure. That's what I was wondering, if they were using the "new" one yet.
The proposed one in Nicaragua hasn't been started yet.

Cool newspaper article!!

[MrPepsi]

I stand corrected, you are right.
I did read that, it opens next year.

[Two Skies]

In my reading on the subject...

The 'upgrade' to the Panama Canal, which will allow triple the capacity, is about a year behind schedule.  Might be done by 2016.

The newly installed locks will be to either side of the existing locks, but are still narrower than some of the largest cargo container and tanker vessels currently in service.  The new locks will be 180 feet wide.  The existing canal locks are only 100 feet wide.

There is some question as to whether a U.S. Supercarrier could traverse the new canal.  while the hull will fit, the 'wings' underneath the flight deck are wider than 180 feet...  Most modern supercarriers have about a 134' width at the waterline, but exceed 250 feet at the height of the flight deck.  A 2008 U.S. Navy article mentioned that there might be some paint scraping involved...
http://www.usni.org/userfiles/file/%20Sept/Selle%20Sept%2008.pdf

Of course, even allowing a supercarrier to traverse the canal could be a security nightmare...
 

Apparently the last U.S. Carrier which was able to traverse the Panama Canal was the WWII era Essex Class, and it's been a couple of decades since those were in service!  The last Essex class to be decomissioned was the Lexington, in 1991.

Soooooo, some Chinese company wants to build an entirely new canal, which can handle the largest vessels.  They are shooting for a 300 ft width, with a completion date of 2019-2020.

So, we might go from one set of canals to three sets of canals in the next few years...

[gPink]

Speaking of canals, I think one from Texas to Baja would be a great project.

[jettawreck]

Speaking of canals, I think one from Texas to Baja would be a great project.

A really wide one.