Why is there locking on the Panama Canal? Panama Canal. Everything you need to know about the engineering marvel and how to visit it. Some interesting facts about the Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the most important milestones in shipping. Commissioned in 1920 (the first ship passed through it in 1914, but due to a landslide in the fall of that year, official traffic was opened only six years later), the canal shortened the distance between the ports of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans several times - previously, To get from one ocean to another, ships had to go around South America all the way around Cape Horn. Today, the Panama Canal is one of the world's main shipping routes, through which about 18 thousand ships pass annually (the current canal capacity is 48 ships per day), which constitutes a significant part of the world's cargo turnover.
The history of the Panama Canal dates back to the 16th century, when the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first to cross the Isthmus of Panama and reach the Pacific coast - so it was discovered that the territory of modern Panama is only a narrow strip of land between the oceans. In 1539, the Spanish king sent an exploration expedition to study the possibility of building a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, but the expedition reported to the king that this idea was not feasible.
The first real attempt to build the Panama Canal was made by the French in 1879 under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps, a diplomat and leader of the Suez Canal project, which had opened shortly before, in 1869. But building the Panama Canal was a much more difficult task. In 1889, the French project went bankrupt - the challenge posed by the Panamanian jungle with its tropical rains, impenetrable swamps and at the same time rocky soils, floods and, worst of all, deadly epidemics of malaria, yellow fever, plague, typhoid and other diseases was too difficult , which claimed the lives of about 20 thousand people in the first campaign.
Then the States took up the construction of the Panama Canal. The United States was interested in shortening the waterway from the ports of California to its Atlantic coast, and most importantly, the Panama Canal had enormous military significance - it made it possible to almost instantly transfer a fleet from one ocean basin to another, which significantly increased the power and global influence of the United States. In 1903, the United States bought the Panama project from the French, ensured Panama's independence from Colombia, which did not want to provide the Americans with the canal zone for essentially indefinite use, and then signed a formal agreement with the new Panamanian government (which was again represented by the Frenchman Philippe-Jean Bunod -Varilla, who was one of the main participants in the bankrupt first project). The treaty gave the United States a 5-kilometer zone on each side of the canal for indefinite use (that is, essentially forever) and the exclusive right to occupy territories outside this zone as part of any measures to protect the waterway. Thus, the declaration of the canal as neutral and the guarantee of free passage through the canal for military and merchant vessels of all nations, both in time of peace and in war, was destroyed by the American stipulation that these regulations would not apply to such measures as the United States deemed necessary to take for the defense of Panama and maintaining order in the channel. In fact, in a war in which the United States participated, its military fortifications would inevitably deprive the other belligerent of the opportunity to use the canal on an equal footing.
John Frank Stevens became the chief engineer of the Panama Canal. Taking into account the mistakes of the French, the Americans first of all took enormous measures to disinfect the construction area and prevent tropical diseases. The project was also changed - according to the French project, the Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal, was supposed to be built at the same level as the oceans, without locks. This required a colossal amount of excavation work on the watershed section of the route. American engineers changed the project and proposed a lock canal with three stages of locks on each side and a watershed section at an altitude of 26 meters above ocean level. The Gatun Reservoir was created on the watershed, into which ships from the Atlantic side were raised in the Gatun locks, and from the Pacific side - in the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.
The Panama Canal opened in 1920 and remained under US control for many years. There were dozens of American military bases in the canal zone, and about 50 thousand military and civilian specialists worked. Over time, dissatisfaction with this began to grow more and more in Panama, and in 1977 an agreement was signed on the gradual transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama. In reality, this process took more than two decades, and the canal zone finally came into the possession of Panama on December 31, 1999.
The length of the canal is 81.6 kilometers, of which 65.2 kilometers are actually on land and another 16.4 approach kilometers along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays to deep water. Vessels large enough to pass through the Panama Canal are called Panamax vessels. This standard was the main one for seagoing vessels until the beginning of the 1990s, when active construction of Post-Panamax class vessels (mainly tankers), whose dimensions were larger than the dimensions of the Panama Canal locks, began. Today, the cost of one trip through the Panama Canal depends on the type and size of the vessel and ranges from $800 for a small yacht to $500,000 for the largest vessels. There were also funny cases - for example, in 1928, the famous American traveler Richard Halliburton, who sailed through the canal from one ocean to another, was charged 36 cents. 🙂
The Panama Canal today is not only one of the world's most important transport connections, but also the main tourist attraction of Panama. The Panama Canal now operates a large tourist center at the Miraflores locks, where from several special observation platforms you can see the locks and the ships passing through them, while the loudspeaker tells about each ship, its route and what it is carrying. There are other tours - by bus along the canal, by rail, walks on small boats; Some standard Caribbean cruises take cruise ships through the Gatun Locks up the Atlantic side of the canal to the watershed and then back out into the Caribbean Sea (and tourists can sail the rest of the Panama Canal on excursions). But by far the best, most unique and enthusiastic way to see the Panama Canal is to transit it entirely on a cruise ship, cross it from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice versa) and continue the cruise further in a completely different ocean basin. Absolutely everyone, even the most experienced travelers, prepare for the passage of the Panama Canal in a completely special way.
The actual passage of the Panama Canal takes on average about 9 hours, not counting the waiting time for ships at huge sea roads on each side. The cruise ship, naturally, is strictly on schedule and heads into the canal immediately, out of turn. The Zaandam approaches the Panama Canal Zone at approximately 5 am. The entrance to the spacious approach area of the Panama Canal from the Caribbean Sea is marked by powerful lighthouses and protected by many kilometers of dams. At the entrance to the canal in the roadstead, dozens of ships of all sizes and colors stand waiting for their turn, brightly lit in the night. And on the shore of the bay there is the city and port of Colon, with a huge container terminal. The same container terminal is located at the other entrance to the canal - thus, container ships of the “Post-Panamax” class (that is, larger than the locks of the Panama Canal) are unloaded at these entrance ports, containers with cargo are transported along the railway running along the canal, and then on the other side they board new ships and continue the route. The railway between ports is also used to partially unload large container ships passing through the canal to reduce their draft.
1. It’s five in the morning, it’s just starting to get light, but most tourists are already on their feet: entering the Panama Canal is one of the central events of the cruise! We enter the approaching water area, from the board in the pre-dawn twilight the lights of the Colon port are visible.
4. Having taken on board a group of pilots, we head to the entrance - from the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal begins with a three-stage staircase of Gatun locks, in which ships rise from the level of the Atlantic Ocean to the watershed section of the canal.
5. To the left of the existing two-line locks, starting in 2007, an additional third line of Panama Canal locks has been built.
They will be significantly larger than the existing ones and will increase the maximum size and draft of ships that can sail through the canal. If the current locks have dimensions of 304.8 x 33.5 and a depth of 12.8 meters, then the new ones are respectively 427 x 55 x 18.3. In addition to the construction of the second stage of locks, the fairway at the Culebra watershed is currently being expanded and deepened, so that two-way traffic of vessels along the entire length of the canal becomes possible (currently, traffic and locking on the Panama Canal is essentially one-way - first a group of ships goes in one direction, then in the opposite direction, and the ships diverge on wider lake sections of the route). After the completion of this large-scale reconstruction, the capacity of the Panama Canal will double.
6. Old and new locks of the Panama Canal
9. Longitudinal profile of the Panama Canal
10. Route plan
11. At 6-30 am we approach the Gatun locks. The movement of ships along one of the most important transport links in the world goes on continuously, from the bow of the Zaandam we can clearly see four ships ascending the lock stairs in front of us, two in each line.
12. On the bank of the canal there are huge gates for the second stage of locks under construction - they were made in Italy and were delivered to the canal recently, at the end of August 2013.
13. We approach the first gateway. Clumsy sea vessels are moved from chamber to chamber with the help of special locomotives, to which mooring lines are attached and tensioned. Locomotives with stretched moorings attached to them accompany the ship on four sides (at the bow and stern on each side) - thus, a perfectly clear entry of huge sea vessels into a very small chamber compared to their size is carried out. Mooring lines from the locomotives are supplied to the ship using a boat.
14. The mooring lines are secured - let's go! 🙂
15. We enter the first lock chamber - ships rise from the Caribbean Sea to the watershed area in the three-stage Gatun locks. The total lifting height is 26 meters. Accordingly, just under nine meters per step. But from aboard a huge sea liner, this nine-meter drop is not perceived as significant.
16. There is incredible excitement on the decks!
17. Since the United States finally withdrew from the Panama Canal in 1999, the unique structure has been maintained entirely independently by Panama. The channel is in good hands! 🙂
18. The locomotive, starting the ship from the stern on the starboard side, deftly climbs up. Now the gates will close and the locking will begin.
19. Having risen in the first, we move to the second chamber.
20. One of the Panama Canal webcams is installed in the Gatun locks, which broadcast images on the Internet in real time. At this moment, many of my friends and colleagues are watching us walk through the locks. This is what the Zaandam slowly rising along the Atlantic slope of the Panama Canal looks like from the side. 🙂
21. Having completed the locking in the third chamber, “Zaandam” rises to the level of the watershed section of the canal. From the stern there is a stunning view of the lock staircase going down and the ships ascending it behind us. Breathtaking! Far below lies the expanse of the Caribbean Sea. And for us - to the Pacific Ocean. Goodbye Atlantic! 🙂
24. Having risen through the Gatun locks, the ship enters the lake of the same name. Lake Gatun is actually a large reservoir formed on the watershed by a large dam on the Chagres River, which is clearly visible on the right side.
The canal is fed with water from Lake Gatun. Such canals, in which the reservoir feeding them with water is located in a watershed area, from which water is distributed by gravity to both slopes, are called canals with natural feeding (gravity). In our country these are the Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic canals.
25. On Lake Gatun there is another raid of ships waiting their turn at the locks and waiting for the end of locking of those who are coming towards them. When the second stage of the Panama Canal is put into operation, traffic along the entire length of the route will become completely two-way.
26. The route along the Gatun Reservoir is approximately half the entire length of the Panama Canal. We admire the surrounding landscapes of the equatorial belt from the deck.
29. The fairway is not wide and quite winding. The waterway is marked with special buoys.
30. At the Gatun Reservoir, ships going in opposite directions diverge. A caravan of ships is coming towards us, having passed through the locks of the Pacific slope in the morning and now heading towards the Atlantic slope of the canal. Large tankers, bulk carriers, container ships pass very close by...
35. The Zaandam is also viewed with interest from the bridges of oncoming cargo ships. The passage of cruise ships through the Panama Canal is a fairly rare event.
36. On the left side you can see the confluence of the Chagres River, which is crossed by a bridge. Gatun Reservoir ends here. Next, the canal route passes through the artificially dug Culebra cut.
37. A railway runs along the Panama Canal route, along which containers are transported from the Atlantic port to the Pacific port and vice versa. Sometimes tourist trains also run along it.
38. We go through the Culebra notch - the narrowest part of the Panama Canal.
39. In some areas, ships travel along the canal accompanied by tugboats. There is a whole special flotilla of them working on the Panama Canal.
40. In the place where the Culebra notch crosses a high mountain range, the banks rise steeply in steps, and the cable-stayed Centennial Bridge is already visible in the distance. It was built in 2004 and became the second permanent bridge over the canal. By the way, bridges over the Panama Canal connect two continents - let's not forget that the Panama Canal not only connects two oceans, but also separates the two Americas. The motto of Panama and the Panama Canal, “A Land Divided - A World United”, I think, is clear without additional translation. Now we have North America on the starboard side, and South America on the left side. 🙂
41. Rising with stone ledges and reinforced with powerful anchors, the slopes of the excavation in this place are reminiscent of some fantastic Mayan pyramids. In principle, in terms of its grandeur, the Panama Canal is a structure quite comparable to them. The volume of rock excavated during the creation of the Culebra excavation is equal in volume to 63 Cheops pyramids in Egypt.
42. The bridge is left behind.
43. Soon after the bridge, the watershed section of the canal ends and the descent to the Pacific Ocean begins, which ships also overcome in three 9-meter steps. But the Pacific slope is a little flatter - if on the Atlantic slope all three steps are located in a row in the Gatun locks, then here there are two groups of locks - Pedro Miguel (1 step) and Miraflores (2 steps), separated by a small intermediate pool. So, we go into the Pedro Miguel locks.
44. Approximately the same view opens from the captain's bridge. From this angle you can clearly see how narrow the lock chamber is compared to the colossal dimensions of ocean-going ships. Even with locomotives guiding the vessel, the navigators here require pinpoint precision. All ships navigate the canal with a group of local pilots.
46. Locomotives bring the Emerald Express tanker into the parallel chamber.
47. At this time on its decks.
48. Having finished sluicing in the Pedro Miguel locks, the Zaandam emerges into the small Lake Miraflores, like Lake Gatun, formed by the dam. Here we will have to wait a little - a huge floating crane is being pulled towards us along a parallel thread of locks, and for some time the ships go only along one thread.
49. We go out into the water area and stop. We'll have to wait half an hour until the ship in front of us locks into two chambers, and it's our turn.
50. The ships following us are also waiting - a small traffic jam! 🙂
51. On the left you can see the dam on the river that formed the Miraflores reservoir.
52. Finally, the lock chambers are cleared and are ready to receive our ship. This arrow shows the skippers which of the two lines they need to go to.
53. We go into the left chamber, and towards us from the right chamber the tugboat finally slowly brings out a huge floating crane, the “culprit” of the traffic jam. Now the locking process will go much faster again.
54. Near the upper left chamber is the Panama Canal Visitor Center. There are several large open areas, from where anyone can watch the ships passing through the locks.
55. There is also a webcam from which our ship can be seen as the largest one on the canal. Separating yourself from the crowd, here you can pose gorgeously for your friends and say hello to the Motherland that doesn’t sleep at midnight! At this moment, from the outside we look like this. 🙂
Having said goodbye to our friends, we disappear from the field of view of the video cameras. Now see you in two weeks at home, but for now the Zaandam is heading to the last chamber of the Miraflores lock, after which it will leave the Panama Canal, enter the Pacific Ocean and continue its cruise along the coast of South America.
56. The observation decks of the Miraflores tourist center are crowded. The passage of a cruise ship through the canal is a significant event and a unique opportunity for many land tourists to capture rare footage.
57. Excitement!!!
58. The gates of the last chamber of the Miraflores locks are closing - the final lock, and we will again find ourselves at ocean level.
59. Before the construction of two permanent bridges on the Panama Canal, this drawbridge operated, through which communication between the two Americas was carried out for 50 years. 🙂
60. Locomotive driver at work.
61. Locking is finished - let's go out! 🙂
62. The Pacific Slope locks of the Panama Canal remain behind.
63. On the Pacific slope, the construction of the second stage of locks is also actively underway - the outline of the future new water staircase is already visible here.
65. We leave the Pacific container port on the left.
66. The exit to the Pacific Ocean is unusually beautiful - we pass under the openwork arch of the Bridge of Americas, opened in 1962.
67. On the left is a magnificent panorama of the city of Panama, the capital of the state of the same name, surrounded by green hills.
69. The pilot boat picks up the pilots accompanying the ship on the Panama Canal, and, giving a good-natured siren as a farewell, returns back.
70. There are also many ships at the entrance to the Panama Canal on the Pacific side.
72. A fresh wind blows in the face, emerging into the open space “Zaandam” is accompanied by a flock of birds...
73. We are in the Pacific Ocean!
Panama Canal this is 80 kilometers of high-speed waterway. It is also called the bridge between East and West, through which about 5 percent of world trade volumes are transported.
In the last century, larger ones have emerged in global shipping, and the ageless waterway has become a million-dollar bottleneck. Reconstruction is the future of the Panama Canal. The expansion project is expected to last 7 years and cost $5 billion. If the outcome is successful, the canal will remain the shortest sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and will contribute to the further development of the world economy.
Panama is a strip of land between Costa Rica and Colombia, connecting the northern and southern continents. The capital of Panama, Panama City is a vibrant metropolis with a population of one million. Modern high-rise buildings coexist with ancient architecture. This city is located at the entrance to the most famous of the world's waterways, the Panama Canal.
For 500 years, Panama has been a port of call for various countries. In the last century, the Panama Canal accommodated about 1 million ocean-going ships. Today in the 21st century through Panama Canal There are approximately 40 ships a day, but aging technology cannot meet the ever-increasing demand. Small vessels transit through the canal with delays that are very costly. Large modern ships cannot squeeze through here at all. The fee for passage through the canal can reach up to 300 thousand dollars. An alternative bypass route extends 12 thousand kilometers through South America.
When passing through Panama Canal control of the vessel is completely transferred to the workers of the structure. The captain of a vessel whose length exceeds 20 meters is obliged to transfer control to the pilot. A team of canal workers navigates more than 1,000 ships through it every month.
At the initial stage of the passage, tugboats take over and guide the vessel to the Miraflores lock system, where the passage through the canal itself begins. Ships line up waiting for their turn to enter the lock, as the lock chamber is 34 meters wide. Naturally, this requires precision from tugboat captains in order to bring giant ships into the lock, while the gap on both sides is less than 1 meter.
During the second stage of the passage, the ship is driven by custom-made locomotives. These one-of-a-kind locomotives run on rails along the lock. “Mules,” as they are jokingly called here, weigh 55 tons each. Cargo ships are secured to them using cables. The locomotives in the lock help the ships stay in the central part so that the hull does not hit the walls of the structure. The width of the first lock is 33.5 meters.
Panama Canal it is not a straight water corridor located at the same sea level. Over the course of 8 hours, ships pass through several waterways, connected to each other. A two-way canal was built in one of the narrowest isthmuses of Panama. On the Pacific side, there are two lock systems, Miraflores and Pedro Miguel, which lift seagoing vessels to the Gaillard Cut, a narrow 13-kilometer stretch passing through the rocks of the Continental Divide.
Miraflores gateway
Gateway Pedro Miguel
Gaillard Cut channel
Gatun Locks
The Gaillard Cut channel leads ships and vessels to Gatun Lake. Here the Gatun Locks system lowers the vessel 26 meters to sea level, which opens into the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the canal. In this place, the ships are piloted by a control center. The remote control controls the equipment and machinery that helps guide ships through the locks. The Gatunsky lock consists of three chambers.
The lock system appears to be tamper-proof, but the locks are equipped with backup gates in case a ship inadvertently damages the first gate.
The gateway control panel is almost 100 years old. When it was a breakthrough technology into the future. With its help, about 1 million ships and vessels have already been transported through the canal. However, today its main part needs modernization - the vertical water level meter, which has undergone only one modernization since 1914. But this is only part of the reconstruction that the Panama Canal needs. The owners of the structure expect that new systems will soon manage the canal.
Panama Canal has been the dream of many for centuries. In 1880, the French made the first attempt to realize this dream, but work for ten years was not crowned with success. According to some reports, more than 20 thousand workers died here from malaria and yellow fever. The enthusiasm of those wishing to implement this project quickly subsided. But in 1904 the Americans took over the baton. They had new safety precautions and a new construction plan. The French wanted to build a canal at sea level, but the Americans preferred a lock system that raises and lowers ships passing through the canal in accordance with the landscape.
It took 10 years of grueling work to complete this project. They dug canals, drilled rocks, blasted hills, and rebuilt the railroad to transport the earth. This time, safer conditions were created for the workers, and yet another 5 thousand people died at this construction site.
After 10 years, the project was completed two years late. These were powerful gateways and canals that the world had never seen before. Panama Canal called the greatest engineering feat in human history.
100 years passed and modern ships became too large for the Panama Canal. Any vessel that does not fit into the canal's 33.5 m wide locks is now called Post-Panamax. This means it is too large to pass through the historic waterway. The channel clearly needs modernization and this process has already begun.
So who is this?
That's right, mule. Child of a donkey and a horse.
Does it have anything to do with modern shipping?
Where is the mule and where is the modern ship?
And here it is.
Mules were once used as traction for towing ships along rivers. Well, like barge haulers...in some places. Then the iron horse replaced the peasant horse. And this iron horse was also called a mule in honor of those draft mules.
Panama Canal.
The not-yet-grown locomotives that help guide the ship through the canal are called mules. Then the mules grow up and become big electric locomotives, and...
This contract went through the Panama Canal. From the Pacific to the Atlantic. How the canal was built, who built it. I won't talk about that. Just about how we went.
At first they frightened us with the fact that if we didn’t arrive at such and such a date, we would lose our turn, and we would be stuck in the roadstead for about 10 days until the nearest passage. Then with the fact that our draft didn’t fire there. Everything ended well. And they made it in time and sorted out the sediment. But they still spent the day at the roadstead.
The ubiquitous Chinese.
Panama City. We're standing a little far away. 
Around 23:00 we weighed anchor and went into the canal. We arrived at the locks at 2 am. They took on board a team of mooring men; they are the ones who take the steel lines from the mules; the crew is not involved. Our helmsman. It seems that only in the Kiel Canal the helmsman comes along with the pilot.
Night. Jumped out on deck late. They have already made ends meet and are closing the airlock.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time. He rushed towards the deck. Gateway wall. The gates will be closed and they will begin to lift us up.
They lift very quickly, the pumps are good. The canal has two threads, which means they can carry ships in different directions. But for some reason, two threads went into one. And here is the mule of the next thread.
And this is our... mule.
We had four locomotives. Two on the forecastle, two on the stern on different sides. In addition to helping in pulling, the locomotives also center the vessel in the canal, making it almost lapping.
Two docks have already passed and you can see the next ship coming in behind.
The level in the neighboring lock has been lowered, and a steamer is being started there.
We pass the dock, making room for the queue.
The little locomotive puffs and whistles as real as a folder. And he can climb hills like a real mule.
The iron mule's assistant fell asleep.
And we are already approaching the exit from the locks.
Neighbour.
We are now about 25 meters above the level of the Pacific Ocean.
Bridge over the canal.
It's dawning.
It's narrow here and the tug helps a little. And for insurance. Soon he will leave us and return.
Along the canal, and along the narrow path.
Some Mayans or Aztecs muddied the pyramid, then they gave up and started digging a canal.
More profitable business.
The jungle, however. How do they survive there? It's mind boggling.
And the tug ran home.
The channel is being maintained.
Shrew jaws.
The lake begins and becomes wider. Channels, islands.
It's about 10 am. We anchor and wait for further assistance.
Tugboats are running towards us. We'll be moving soon.
Handsome. He was already spinning this way and that in front of us.
And the breeze... for some reason picked up. Lake.
And here comes the caravan from the Atlantic.
Well, we moved too. Balaban, Turk. He will follow us. He was a neighbor in the first locks. And the container ship is right behind us.
The next branch and we are approaching.
The locomotives finished up and went to the dock.
Remus is already sitting down while we stand.
So our gates are closed.
View from the bridge. Neighbor Remus is exactly the length from gate to gate, and the width is almost close to the walls. A visual representation of the Panamax class of vessels, i.e. the maximum size that can pass through the canal.
And ahead of us we can see the “steps” along which we will go down.
And here are stands for visitors and sightseers.
And now we’re sitting down. And they let down the person on the waiting list.
Carpenter poses with Remus.
Remus moved. He has more mules than we do.
And we continue to sit down.
Everything is old, but it works.
We also moved.
Now down the hill.
For visitors, it is established how the gate opening mechanism works.
Let's move on to the last doc...
And these are stables and depots for servicing mule locomotives.
From the hill.
Latest doc..
Cheerful Panamanian guys.
And Remus is almost everything. The gap between the side and the wall is clearly visible.
And our turn is coming.
Just a little more...
Ultimate for mules. The ends are dropped. That's it, we're in the Atlantic.
By the way, there is no bridge on this side of the canal. Therefore, cars wait for the ship to pass, then a bridge is built for them and they drive through. This is the queue. Steamboat-auto-steamboat-auto. I didn’t have time to take a photo of the bridge itself, just the queue of cars.
The moorers were disembarked. They bring commemorative medals, coins, magnets, T-shirts, and baseball caps for sale. I also bought a couple of magnets, but what?
When we were still walking with them, one showed me some gray logs on the shore. It was already getting dark, and you couldn’t tell what was there. The moorer said they were alligators. Yah? Well, yes! And he told this story: sometimes alligators, together with steamships, enter the lock and go into the lake. I don’t even know whether to believe it or not. On the other hand, nothing human is alien to alligators. Visit there or get married. Nice thing.
Well, four days later we arrived in Port Everglades, Florida. USA. One last look at the channel.
The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Panama (Spanish: Golfo De Panama) of the Pacific Ocean, to this day is considered one of the greatest structures in the history of mankind. This channel is unique - one of the largest and unsurpassed in complexity construction projects, the importance of which in the global economy is difficult to overestimate.
The construction of the canal was an incredibly dramatic and lengthy process. Enormous sums of money and many thousands of human lives were spent on its construction. The Panama Canal had an invaluable influence on the development of world shipping. Thanks to the construction of this waterway, the sea route from New York to San Francisco, for example, was reduced from 23 thousand km to 10 thousand km.
The idea of uniting the oceans
The navigators were haunted by the peculiarity of the geographical location of 2 giant bodies of water - the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were separated only by a thin strip of land, the width of which at its narrowest point was only 50 km. Australian traders delivering their goods to England and Europe not only wanted to reduce travel time, but were also worried about the integrity of their cargo: the ominous (Spanish Cabo de Hornos) was famous for its disgusting weather conditions. However, to get from one ocean to another, ships had to go around the South American continent, making a detour of more than 20 thousand km, which took months. As trade expanded, seafarers increasingly needed a canal cutting through the narrow isthmus, which would allow ships to significantly shorten the journey.
However, this was an impossible task for humanity in the 16th century. But it was then that people began to seriously think about building a canal, and even began exploring the territories of the isthmus. The name of the Spanish merchant, navigator and conquistador (Spanish Vasco Nuñez de Balboa; ca. 1475 - 1517), who was the first European in the 16th century, went down in history. (September 29, 1513) crossed the Isthmus of Panama, reached the waters of the Pacific Ocean and founded a settlement on the shores of the Gulf of Darien (Spanish: Golfo del Darien; located in the southwestern part of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Panama).
In search of fabulous riches, he and his squad of fortune seekers walked through the jungle, reaching the northwestern coast Golden Castile(Spanish: Oro de Castilla; this is how the Spaniards called Central America and the Isthmus of Panama) and, climbing the mountain, saw the endless Pacific waters, which he called the South Sea. So, the Isthmus of Panama was included on geographical maps thanks to that very campaign, and the idea of uniting the two great oceans has since acquired concrete features.
Already in the 16th century, progressive people understood perfectly well that a canal was needed between the two oceans. It was at that time Alessandro Malaspina(Italian: Alessandro Malaspina; Italian navigator and geographer), having examined the Isthmus of Panama, proposed a unique project for the construction of the Panama Canal.
The Spanish monarch Philip II, a devout Catholic, was furious: “What was created on Earth by God, what he considered necessary to unite, we do not have the right to tear apart!» The king documented a ban on both the construction and development of such projects.
First construction of the Panama Canal
Documents that have survived to this day allow scientists to conclude: the construction of the Panama Canal, which began in 1879, turned into a terrible disaster - both for humanity and for the economy. “Tragic” construction at the end of the 19th century. led Ferdinand Lesseps(French Ferdinand Marie vicomte de Lesseps; 1805 - 1894), French diplomat and lawyer, leader and author of the project for the construction of the Suez Canal (connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas).
The well-known name of the construction manager served as a guarantee of the success of the undertaking. In the capital of France, the “General Company of the Interoceanic Canal” (French: “La Compagnie Universelle du canal interoceanic de Panama”; 1880-1889) was officially registered, the shares of which were extremely expensive, but were in unusually high demand - about 1 million of them were purchased . a person who firmly believed in the success of grandiose construction.
After 9 years from the start of construction, when colossal sums were spent (more than $300 million), the work was not even ¹⁄3 completed. The calculations of the Lesseps project turned out to be fundamentally incorrect, which led to the bankruptcy of the company and to numerous casualties: more than 20 thousand workers died from epidemics of malaria and yellow fever. People ran away from the construction site as if from a place cursed by God. Accused of a gigantic financial scam, Ferdinand Lesseps was arrested. Although the brilliant architect made a lot of serious mistakes, most likely he did not plan to get rich in this way. Unable to withstand the cruel blow of fate, Lesseps lost his mind.
This incident will forever remain a dark spot in the history of mankind; since then, the largest economic frauds and financial “pyramids” are often called “Panama”.
Second canal construction
But the Panama Canal was necessary for humanity, the US authorities understood this very well. After analyzing all the shortcomings of the previous project, they seriously thought about the cause of the epidemics. By the way, thanks to the new construction of the Panama Canal, a scientific discovery was made: the carrier of the causative agent of a terrible disease - yellow fever - is a mosquito. To destroy mosquitoes, entire forests in the construction zone were burned, grasses were mowed down, and swamps were drained. As a result, the mosquito population, which had been reduced to almost nothing, no longer threatened workers with malaria and yellow fever.
Further, a new project was developed in the shortest possible time J. Frank Stevens(eng. John Frank Stevens; American engineer, chief engineer of the construction of the Panama Canal in 1906-1908), who proposed using artificial lakes and special locks to regulate the water level in the canal.
New construction of the canal began in 1904, it lasted almost 10 years and cost the United States almost $400 million. And this grand enterprise cost the lives of almost 6 thousand workers. However, this time the colossal project was brought to life: on October 13, 1913, the owner of the White House pressed a special button, which led to a powerful explosion: 4 thousand km from the residence of Thomas Woodrow Wilson; 28th President of the United States in 1913-1921) more than 20 tons of dynamite destroyed the last bridge (located near the city of Gamboa) - finally, the waters of two titans, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, were connected by water.
The official opening of the Panama Canal occurred on August 15, 1914. The first ship to pass through the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in just a few hours was the American steamer SS Ancon.
Regarding the history of the construction of the Panama Canal, it should be noted that the United States, which invested enormous amounts of money in the implementation of the project of the century, was well protected by making every effort to separate Panama from Colombia. For assistance in gaining independence, the country’s authorities gave the United States “very little” for eternal possession: the land, the bottom and the water space of the Panama Canal.
Modernity
Today, the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and plays an important role in maritime transport. Built 100 years ago, the lock structure meets the most modern requirements.
The average fee charged to a ship passing through the canal is about $13,000.
The length of the canal is relatively small - 81.6 km (of which 65.2 km runs on land, and 16.4 km - along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays), the total width is 150 m, and the depth is 12 m. The construction includes 2 artificial lakes and 2 complex lock systems. Crossing the canal is not so easy due to the fact that the difference between the levels of the World Ocean and the Panama Canal is 26 m. A ship passes through the canal on average in 9 hours. 3 bridges rise above the canal, and a highway and a railway line run along the entire waterway road.
Cargo ships, ocean liners and luxury yachts travel along this waterway every day. About 15 thousand ships cross the canal annually, its throughput capacity is about 50 marine vessels per day. The record number of ships passing through the Panama Canal per day is 65. Moreover, the number of sea cargo transportation increases every year, and the gigantic structure is systematically improved and modified.
It is interesting that the journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and back at the present time can be covered by any ship. Because today certain standards have been established in the world shipbuilding industry that exclude the construction of sea vessels whose dimensions do not allow them to cross the Panama Canal.
The number of ships wishing to sail through the canal is very large. It often happens that they wait more than a week for their turn. Any vessel, even a small yacht, does not have the right to move independently along the canal. It is pulled by special trains, nicknamed “mules” among sailors.
To visit Panama and not see the Panama Canal means not to have visited Panama. Today we talk about this attraction, and also share tips on how best to visit the Panama Canal on your own.
Panama Canal. Data.
For those who have never been particularly interested in the Panama Canal, it may seem like a small stream that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In fact, its length is about 80 km, which ships travel in 8-10 hours. Until recently, the width of the canal at the lock points was 34 meters. Thanks to the opening of a new branch in June 2016, the canal can now accommodate ships with a width of 55 meters and a depth below the waterline of more than 18 meters.
The canal consists of a system of locks (gates), which, if moving from the Caribbean Sea, first raises the water level by 26 meters above sea level in the Gatun area. After passing the main part, the water level is lowered using the Pedro Miguel lock (9.5 meters) and the Miraflores lock system (two chambers 16.5 meters). 
The electrification of the site was carried out, among other things, with the help of two hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of 22.5 and 36 MW, located in Gatun and near Miraflores. 
History of the construction of the Panama Canal.
The idea of building a canal was first mentioned in the 16th century, and the history of its approval and construction was accompanied by political and economic confrontations in countries such as the USA, Spain, Great Britain, and France. Now they are going to dig a similar canal through Nicaragua: the project was adopted relatively recently - in 2014.
In 1879, the developer of the Suez Canal, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, began a campaign to build the Panama Canal. As a result, the French arrived in Panama in 1881 and began excavation work in 1882. Thus, 1882 can be considered the beginning of the construction of the canal. 
The original plan was to build a canal 22 meters wide and 9 meters deep. Interestingly, the project did not include a lock system: the canal was supposed to naturally connect two oceans to the same sea level, which meant cutting off the isthmus and deep excavations. In addition to engineering difficulties, construction was complicated by the yellow fever epidemic, the financial crisis, and a legal scandal in which many politicians, including Ferdinand, were accused of accepting bribes.
As a result, the project was bought by the Americans, who made the key decision to use a lock system to reduce excavation work. Over seven years, 153 million cubic meters of earth were excavated in dry mining. The work also included drilling and blasting rocks.
To increase the depth of the canal, various techniques were used, including ships. This vessel was specially built in Scotland and began work in 1912. A chain with 52 buckets made it possible to excavate more than 1,000 tons of material in less than 40 minutes. 
On October 10, 1913, US President Wilson ordered by telegraph to blow up the remaining small part of the land that separated the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The first ship to pass through the canal while still in operation was the floating crane Alexandre Le Vallee. This happened in January 1914. In August of the same year, its path was repeated by the cargo and passenger ship Cristobal. The official opening of the canal is considered to be August 15, 1914 and the passage of the cargo ship Ancon.
How to visit the Panama Canal.
Few people know that the passage of ships through the Panama Canal can be seen in several places: in Colon (Gatun Gate) and near Panama City (Miraflores Gate). Gatun has the advantage of being cheap to visit and lacking crowds of tourists. On the other hand, these advantages are completely outweighed by the disadvantages. Colon is one of the most dangerous cities in Panama. We are often skeptical about horror stories from Lonely Planet, where it is also written that you should not go to Colon, so at first we planned to visit it. However, after talking with the locals, we abandoned this idea. Colon turned out to be really dangerous, and we were told that even at the station there was a possibility of robbery. “It depends,” summed up one of our random local fellow travelers.
If you have plenty of time in Panama, you can take a boat trip through the canal. There are commercial offers, but you can also become a volunteer on a yacht waiting in line. There are special sites where yacht owners look for a crew. According to Panamanian law, any ship must have four mooring crew, and their services are not cheap - from $50, so captains and owners are looking for adventure seekers. You can google Panama canal transit line handlers or look at the website http://www.panlinehandler.com/. We even had the option of couchsurfing on such a yacht, but, unfortunately, it didn’t suit the dates at all. 
There is also the opportunity to ride a special train along the canal. It’s hard for us to say what you can see from him there to pay pretty decent money. 
In the end, we went, like most, to Miraflores. You can get there from Albrook station, which is probably familiar to tourists arriving in Panama City on their own. The bus to Miraflores leaves every hour at 00 (exit F), and, lo and behold, the sign says Miraflores (usually logistics in Panama are not so simple). The bus takes you all the way to the Miraflores complex; entrance tickets cost $15 for non-residents and $10 for children. 
Despite the technical possibility of simultaneous servicing of ships in two directions, in the morning the ships go towards the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic), and in the afternoon back towards the Pacific Ocean. The channel is recommended for visiting from 9.00 to 11.00 and then after 13.00. We were late for the first period due to problems with breakfast at the hotel. We managed to pass the time a little by visiting the museum and watching a short film about the construction of the Panama Canal. The session in English starts every hour at 50, in Spanish – at 20 minutes.
The museum complex includes a souvenir shop, as well as a museum with an exhibition, where the most interesting was the video of the passage of the canal from the captain's wheelhouse. 
Despite all this entertainment, we had to wait about three more hours for the ships to pass. Meanwhile, local personnel, using loudspeakers, told some facts about the canal, and also informed about the probable time of arrival of the ship. In general, at first it was interesting to listen to, and people with a bullhorn said that it was not the season, but then this record began to really tire and irritate. In our case, the movement was supposed to start at two o’clock, but in fact it happened even later – at three. 
There are several opportunities to watch ships. Firstly, there is a large deck on the 4th floor. From there we watched as pleasure boats with tourists who paid $150 per ticket passed the canal from the middle. 
On the second floor there is a small amphitheater with stadium-style seating. We had to wait another three hours, so we landed there. True, we were tormented by doubts whether everyone would sit so decorously during the passage of the ships. The center workers assured that this would be the case. Naive... Closer to three people kept coming and coming, and simply stood near the fence. 
Just before their arrival, workers with a bullhorn tried to reason with the people, but after unsuccessful attempts they quickly retreated. We specifically took places on the edge so that in case of emergency we would have a view towards the approaching ships. But the smartest spectators stood on the steps and could not be moved. So every now and then I had to get up to take a photo or even go downstairs and brazenly squeeze through. 
Probably the best option for observations is the cafe on the third floor. But we don’t know how to book a table and wait, and what the general policy is in this regard.
And then everyone perked up. In the speakers, we heard about the approaching ship. Everyone started clicking their cameras despite the fact that the ship still had a long way to go. 
The passage of the ship is certainly interesting and fascinating. The ship enters the lock chamber and stops, after which the first gate closes behind it. 
Then the water is pumped out of the chamber, and the ship quietly sinks with it. From the photographs you can see for yourself the initial and final results. As we have already written, the total drop at this gate is 16.5 meters. 
When the water level in the two chambers becomes the same, the gate in front of the ship opens and it moves into the next chamber. Locomotives or “mules”, as they are called here, help the ship move inside the canal. 
The ship passes the last gate far enough from the observation deck, according to the same scenario as the previous gate, so almost no one paid attention to it. 
Thus, we were able to see how the three ships sailed. It was impressive. We spent almost a day here and got a little tired from the heat, the waiting, the people who couldn't sit still, but it was still worth it. We went to Panama Bay to have dinner by the ocean, and along the way we even managed to overtake a ship we were already familiar with. 