Through the Panama Canal

Friday 24th October 1975

Turned into bed about 01.40 and went straight to sleep exhausted from the night before. When I woke up we were underway at sea. Due to the late hours yesterday work did not start till 10.00 when we helped to clean the holds out, removing all the cargo hooks, ropes and sticks (i.e. Spanish windlasses). The ropes were useless, being so short and were thrown “over the wall” but the hooks and sticks all had to be stowed in the forepeak, and I spent most of the afternoon walking up and down the decks with lines of cargo hooks and parcels of sticks.

Saturday 25th October 1975

Spent the morning finishing off the cleaning of the hatches. The afternoon was spent watching a film but at 17.00 I was called onto the bridge as we were nearing the Eastern end of the Panama Canal. I broke out the Stars and Stripes, quarantine and request pilot flags and assisted with the rigging of the pilot ladder. We entered the breakwater on the leading lights of the canal and anchored for a short while before berthing at Pier 16 for bunkers. I helped the Bosun’s Mate to take on freshwater and prepare for bunkering (plastic bags over vents and stoppering the scuppers etc. Then after tea a parcel of mail arrived. It was good to hear from my family and girlfriend and not so good to get my income tax return form for last year. That night I went ashore with the other cadet, 2nd electrician and Asst engineer. It was quite a good night out and we got back to the ship at about 23.00. I had bought a silk scarf from a chap as a souvenir for $2 after much bargaining, but it was good fun.

Sunday 26th October 1975

Up at 08.00 and out on the foredeck with the 2nd officer as we left the bunker berth and headed up the canal, anchoring for about 12 minutes. Saw two natives in a dugout spear quite a large fish just before Gatun  locks. It was quite something being lifted so quickly and efficiently and once at the top we dropped anchor again for a short time.

Once underway I went into my cabin and wrote a couple of letters, being called at 15.30 to go on watch. I was the one on the bridge working the telegraph for the pilot until we were out of the locks and I saw the pilot safely off the ship. The Panama Canal really impressed me and I can’t wait to go back.

The Panama Canal

The first survey of a canal route was ordered in 1524 by Charles V of Spain. No attempt at construction was made until 1880 when the French labored for 20 years before disease and financial problems overcame them. In 1903 Panama revolted from Columbia and signed a treaty with the USA who guaranteed Panama’s independence (and paid $10 million). In 1904 the USA purchased the French Canal Company’s rights and properties for $40 million and began construction. It took 10 years and cost $387 million. It was opened to commercial traffic on 15th August 1914.

The Canal is 50 miles long from deep water Atlantic to deep water Pacific. The level is 85 feet above sea level between the lock systems. At Gatun locks (the Atlantic side) there are 3 lock chambers stepping up the 85 feet. Each is 1,000 feet long and 110 feet wide. The lock gates are steel structures 65 feet wide and 7 feet thick. Each lock chamber holds 8,800,00 ft 3  (cubed) of water on 65,800,000 gallons. No pumps are used, only gravity using water from the immense lake system shown on the map. The Pacific end has two sets of locks, the Pedro Miquel and the Miraflores. The lock gates at Miraflores are the highest in the system due to the extreme tidal variation of the Pacific Ocean.

Every time a ship makes a complete transit it uses 52,000,000 gallons of fresh water.  

Panama Bay