History of the Panama Canal
History of the Panama Canal
History of the Panama Canal - The Panama Canal is a large canal located in the country of Panama, Central America. The Panama Canal or better known as the Panama Canal in more detail is a canal that divides the isthmus of Panama along 82 km, while also dividing the mainland of North America and South America and thus successfully connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This canal cuts the travel time of ships because there is no need to rotate through the southern tip of South America. For example, if a ship sails from New York (US East Coast) to San Francisco (US West Coast) and does not pass through this canal, the journey distance will be 22,500 km (14,000 miles), whereas if using the canal, the distance will only be 9,500 km (6,000 miles) only!
Plans for the construction of this canal had begun to emerge in the 16th century but only succeeded in realizing it on August 15, 1914. Although the construction was hit by various problems such as malaria, yellow fever, landslides, and water shortages, this canal was finally successfully built and has helped hundreds of thousands of people. ships crossed since its opening or an average of 12,000 ships per year.
History of Panama Canal Construction
The idea of building the Panama Canal was first coined in 1524 by the Spanish king at the time, Charles V. The king was of the opinion that if the isthmus in Panama was split, it would ease the journey of royal ships sailing from Ecuador to Peru or vice versa. In the following years, a number of other kingdoms in Europe also put forward the same idea but still faced technological and resource constraints.
The physical construction of the canal finally started on January 1, 1880. At that time the French government, inspired by the success of its engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, who succeeded in establishing the Suez Canal on the African continent, decided to start this very difficult project. The construction of the canal was entrusted directly to de Lesseps. Unfortunately, because it seemed rushed and did not carry out adequate geological and hydrological studies, this project began to cost a lot of people and funds. Outbreaks of malaria and yellow fever spread and a large number of workers were infected and even died (about 22,000 people were recorded) so that the project began to be abandoned. Equipment made of iron and steel began to rust, some workers raised their hands and returned to their countries.
Seeing this condition, the French government in 1893 decided to temporarily suspend this project. Then in 1898, France lobbied the United States (US) to continue the project. In 1902, the US Senate approved the takeover of this project. In 1904, the then US president, Theodore Roosevelt, decided to buy the remnants of the project's equipment from France and continue construction of the canal. However, this was done by the US after successfully liberating Panama from Colombia. As compensation, the Panamanian Government granted the US the right to manage the canal.
The construction of the Panama Canal was resumed! This time through careful preparation and provision of adequate infrastructure. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed George Washington Goethals to lead the project. Old equipment gradually began to be replaced with new, more sophisticated equipment. In 1914, the Panama Canal project was successfully completed. Two years ahead of the target set, namely on June 1, 1916. The Panama Canal was finally officially opened on August 15, 1914 which coincided with the start of World War I in Europe and the first ship to pass was a cargo ship named, Ancon.
In the 1930s, the Panama Canal was perfected by the creation of artificial lakes as reservoirs of water which were opened when ships were about to pass. In addition, several floodgates were also made. After World War II, the people of Panama began to demand management rights and in addition to protesting against the growing US military presence. Finally, on September 7, 1977, US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian President Omar Torrijos signed an agreement that allowed Panama to manage the canal on its own but still guarantee the Neutrality Treaty and the US was allowed to return at any time. However, this agreement was denounced by most Americans. Subsequently, on December 31, 1999, the management of the canal was completely handed over to Panama through the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).
Prior to this handover, the Panamanian government had held an international tender for a 25-year container port operating contract which was won by Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong company.
How the Panama Canal Operates
Unlike the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal relies on a number of floodgates and several artificial lakes. From Limon Bay in the Atlantic Ocean, the ship enters the Gatun Locks sluice gate which lifts the ship 26 meters above sea level. A number of small electric locomotives guide or propel ships through the sluice gates. Small ships turn off the engine and are pushed, while large ships are led but still move on their own. The giant steel sluice at the back of the ship was closed and the sluice in front of it was opened to slowly drain water from Gatun Lake. There are three sluice gates that must be passed, which finally raises the ship until it is parallel to the surface of the lake.
The ship then detached from the electric locomotive and sailed across the artificial lake for 22 miles or 35 kilometers. This artificial lake was originally a valley of the Chagres River which was dammed by building the giant Gatun dam. Arriving at the southeastern end of Lake Gatun the ship enters the Gaillard Pass (gill-yard) which is 13 kilometers long, 150 meters wide and a minimum depth of 13 meters. At the end of the Gaillard track the ship re-entered the floodgate which was also equipped with booster locomotives.
The first floodgate Pedro Miguel Locks lowered the ship 9 meters to the surface of Lake Miraflores. From here the ship then sails across Lake Miraflores for 2 and a half kilometers to the Miraflores sluice or Miraflores Locks. Here two floodgates lower the ship until it is parallel to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. And from here the ship sailed into the Gulf of Panama and then out into the Pacific Ocean.
Measured from the Gulf of Limon in the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Panama in the Pacific Ocean, this canal has a length of about 82 kilometers with a sailing time of about 8 hours. On average there are 12,000 ships crossing the canal every year, or about 33 ships a day. But because it is narrow, this canal cannot be passed by aircraft carriers and giant tankers. Therefore, ships that can pass through the Panama Canal are called Panamaz ships.