January 25, 2015  The Panama Canal

We spent yesterday traveling through the Panama Canal, from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.  There are three sets of locks throughout the length of the Canal. The tri-level Gatun Locks are on the Caribbean side, with the single Pedro Miguel and two-step Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side of Panama’s Continental Divide.  On each side of the Divide, ships are raised and lowered 85 feet in a series of three lock steps.  Each lock is 1,000 feet long and 110 feet wide.  The lock doors, made of riveted steel, are 65 feet wide, 7 feet thick and range from 47 to 82 feet high, depending on their position in the Canal. The gate locks are hollow, so they virtually float and their balance is such that it takes only a 40 horsepower motor to move them. No pumps are used to fill or empty the locks.  Instead, water is moved by the force of gravity, flowing from one level to another.  When the water level in one lock step equals that in the forward lock, the gates between the steps are opened and the ship is towed forward.  When approaching a lock, the ship is under its own power, but guided by tug boats. When it reaches the mouth of the lock a person in a row boat (no kidding!) paddles out to retrieve the ships’ bow lines and returns them to shore where they are attached to locomotives on either side of the lock.  The locomotives are called Electronic Mules.  They work to tow the ship into the lock and four more “mules” attach lines from the ship, mid ship and stern, to keep it stabilized in the lock as the water rises, or lowers.  It is quite an awesome sight and took approximately 9 hours to complete the 50 mile canal transit. All ships are charged a toll for use of the Canal. The largest toll ever paid was over $200,000. The smallest was 36 cents, paid by a man who swam the canal in 1928.  OK kids….Google to see who that man was!!  Our ship’s toll was about $115,000.

This time we were able to see the progress being made on the construction of the new canal which will be able to accommodate larger ships than can't currently pass through the Canal.  You will be able to see from one of our pictures, why larger locks and wider and deeper canals are necessary as the size of both cruise ships, freighters and military ships continue to increase in size. A container ship in a lock next to us looked like it could barely squeeze inside the walls. Unfortunately, the completion of the new locks is running behind schedule, and is now projected to be completed in 2016. I guess that means we may have to make one more trip to see the project completed!

Interesting Facts:

During Canal construction days, over 200 million cubic meters of material were removed.  Were this material to b placed on railroad flatcars, it would circle the globe 4 times!

On August 15, 1914, the SS Ancon officially inaugurated the Panama Canal.

The Canal initiated round-the-clock operations on May 12, 1963, with the installation of new fluorescent lighting in Culebra Cut and the three locks.

The new Panama Canal locks will be 427 meters long and 55 meters wide, the size of four football fields.

During construction of the Canal, 25,000 workers died. Of these, over 5,600 lives were lost during after the Americans took over the construction after the French failure; there would have been more had it not been for the efforts in eliminating the threat of malaria and yellow fever by the American doctor, William Gorgas.

Cheers!  Rick & Paula

View of the 3 steps of the Gatun Locks

Electronic Mule used to tow ships through the locks

A perfect example of why there is a need for bigger locks.

The container ship leaving the second step
of the Gatun Locks

Approaching suspension bridge over the Canal

Passing under the suspension bridge

Entering the left lock of the Pedro Miguel Lock The arrow shows which lock to use.

New canal constructions

New lock construction

Bridge of the Americas. The Pan-Am Hiway that runs from Alaska to the tip of Argentina 

Balboa in the front with Panama City in the background