Discussions, Comments and Notes

The Panama Canal, Statistics and Traffic Oddities

Ralph Z. Kirkpatrick.—It is axio­matic that a long continuation of success­ful operations is not newsworthy. Hence the press gave limited space to the fact that August 15, 1939, was the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal to world shipping. However, since the Canal is of such primary importance to the Navy, and is so often seen by its personnel, a detailed resume or inventory of its physical features and a comparison with its principal competitor (the Suez) seems well worth while.

Statistics of the Canal.—From August 15, 1914 to July 1, 1939, 104,417 ocean­going vessels of over 300 net tons (and 8,199 of less than 300 tons) had transited, carrying 499,077,200 cargo-tons of freight; and the total tolls had amounted to $453,­046,857.91 on a net capital investment of $509,008,594.38 (which sum includes $128, 991,063 compound interest on construc­tion funds from 1904-20).

During the fiscal year 1939, 5,903 ves­sels passed from ocean to ocean, carrying 27,866,627 cargo-tons and paying $23,­661,021.08 tolls; there was a 2.86 per cent net profit (income over operating and maintenance charges) based on the net capital investment; there were also 664 nontoll paying transits, with a displace­ment tonnage of 1,670,646. These 1939 free transits were: U. S. Navy, 453 (fleet transits of January to the Atlantic and April to the Pacific are included); U. S. Army, 165; other U. S. government ships, 7; Colombian Government boats, 9; ves­sels passing through for repairs, 30.

Oddities that have transited the Canal.— In September, 1914, one month after the Canal first opened, 4 Norwegian whalers, homeward bound from their season’s catch off the Mexican west coast, saved voyaging around South America by using the Canal. Numerous whaling ships or fleets have since used the route, usually after receiving heavy repair work or re­-outfitting at Canal ports.

The ancient barkentine Success, launched 1790, long used as prison ship between Great Britain and Australia, was towed through in 1914, en route to become an exhibit at the Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco.

The historic American 44-gun frigate Constitution (Old Ironsides), with much of her ordnance in place, was towed through for public exhibition on her round trip to the west coast, 1932-33.

Admiral Robert E. Peary’s SS. Roosevelt, specially built for and used in arctic ex­plorations, now sits in the mud near Mount Hope Coaling Plant; after its vari­ous polar voyages, this old tug was oper­ated by the Bureau of Fisheries, but de­generated into a lumber-barge towboat from the Pacific through the Canal. In 1937 she became a marine (and financial) failure in the Caribbean in her attempted tow of the ex-Navy collier Jason from California and was brought back to the Canal and abandoned.

Admiral Byrd’s three Antarctic expedi­tions (1928-29, 1933-35, and 1939-40), with their oddities of ships, dogs, sleds, planes, etc., have been most interesting transits to Canalites.

The unique German rotor-ship Baden- Baden (after Inventor Flettner converted her to the motor principle) became a freighter through the Canal. Renamed the Rio Nozara and probably badly handled, in 1931 her crew were narrowly saved (after radio notification from a Pan­-American plane) by the U.S.S. Swan from the naval base at Coco Solo; the boat itself sank shortly after the rescue.

The Carnegie Institution’s nonmagnetic ship Carnegie was in Canal Zone waters 1915, 1918, 1921, and 1928 in the course of her oceanic magnetic studies; she had transited some time before she met her tragic end by fire in the Orient.

The U. S. Fleet has transited several times; sometimes these were in regular maneuver problems. The most recent cases were the January (to the Atlantic) and April (to the Pacific), both in 1939.

The largest warship to transit was the British battleship Hood in 1924, with a displacement tonnage of 44,800 and $22,­400 tolls. H.M.S. Renown brought the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) to the Zone in March, 1920; later this ship brought the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) in January, 1927.

Several troop or hospital ships from or to Canada or Australia and New Zealand during the World War I. Likewise, great quantities of Chilean copper and nitrates came through the Canal in vital war use by the Allies and the United States. In Janu­ary, 1940, the British prize-ship Dusseldorf transited to the Atlantic, with her German crew working the boat under close super­vision of His Majesty’s armed naval guard.

In the more pleasant (internationally) days of 1938 the North German Lloyd transatlantic-liner Bremen, the largest vessel ever to enter the Canal, was tran­sited without untoward incident though she gave the marine division and the locks force some unusual handling problems.

Panama and Suez Canals Compared

Panama                                                                                                        Suez