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The Panama Canal: An Engineering Wonder of the World
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The Panama Canal |
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The Panama Canal is still one of the engineering wonders of the modern world. Even by today's standards it is awesome to see a container ship gliding through massive locks and past a rain forest. The possibilities of a waterway linking the Atlantic and the Pacific in this region had been well appreciated for four centuries before anyone started to dig. The Spain's King, Carlos V, ordered a survey of the canal route in 1524 but it was presumably decided that cutlasses would no be adequate for the job. The French started a canal in 1880 under de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal, but after 20 years of struggle with the jungle, disease, financial problems and the sheer enormity of the project, they were forced to give up. In 1903, Panama seceded from Colombia and the United States signed a treaty in which the concession for a public maritime transportation service across the Isthmus was granted. The following year, the USA purchased the French Canal Company properties for $40 million and began to dig. On August 15, 1914, the US cargo ship "Ancon" made the first transit. Every year, the Panama Canal is handling more than 13,056 blue water ships, under the flags of about 70 nations. The average toll for ships using the canal is about $29,700 but many save about ten times this figure by eliminating the journey round the Horn. Records tolls are: Rhapsody of the Seas which transited for $165,235.58 and Mr. Richard Halliburton who swam the Canal in 1926 and was charged by $0.36 after displacement tonnage was calculated.
The canal is about 50 miles long and ships are lifted 85 feet in three locks; Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores as they cross the Isthmus. The journey through the Canal takes about 8 hours and a ship is normally in canal waters between 14 and 16 hours.
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Greetings. God Bless all here. It has been my pleasure to bring you all a bit of paradise. Panama is a very enchanting place with lots of wonderful people and places to see. The Panama Canal became a reality through the great efforts of President Teddy Roosevelt. The first commercial ship to lock through the Panama Canal was the United States Cargo Ship Ancon on August 15, 1914. The first Navy Battleship to lock through the Panama Canal in 1915 was the USS Missouri BB-11. The US Navy has always played a major role in Panama. At Rodman Naval Station, the Navy provided fleet support at the crossroads of the world. If you decide to visit......may you have fair winds and a following sea. Enjoy yourself.....it is still great Liberty!
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