On the Transit page, it shows how ship would progress thru the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
On the Operations page, it shows how one of the individual locks works!
I can watch those 2 pages ALL DAY LONG.
On the Dimensions, it gives a pictorial view of the dimensions of the locks. There is also a button to get the Maximum Dimensions allowed for a Ship. This is also known as PanaMax. These numbers are becoming very important for the cruise industry, which is building bigger and bigger ships.
MC I had that site bookmarked. Used it a lot when we did the canal on the Brilliance last year..........and we will be doing the canal again on the Radiance next year.........it is a very good site.
MC - Have you read The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough? It's great. Chronicles the Canal from it's inception to it's completion. It's written almost like a novel, as only McCullough can. I love politics (my Dad was a behind the scenes politician), and the politics of the canal is fascinating. I am sure not too many are aware of the superb technical engineering of the project (without benefit of computers), and of the many deaths caused by this engineering marvel. I am a huge fan of McCullough -- well into 1776 now and I've gained new respect for George Washington. McCullough can take a dry subject, like the construction of the Panama Canal, and make a book a real page turner. The Canal book is just fantastic.
Kathy and Jim, I took the book out of the library, but because it was so long, it was intimidating! I did try to start it once or twice, and just never got into it. But since I have 2 new recommendations, I will try again.
The book I used to learn about the Canal was Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels. It was written in the 30's as a childrens' book, and my copy was my Dad's. If you can find a copy, he writes about when he SWAM the Panama Canal! He had a chapter for each place around the world he had visited, each more interesting than the last.
The first time we visited the canal, there was a passenger who had a portfolio of photos from her father. He was an engineer on the canal project. There were about 40 pics and they showed how they all swam in the canal, including their wives in bathing suits of the times. And many, many photos showing the progress of the locks. They were really something to see. She had them with her trying to find where she could determine the worth of the photos. The Canal lecturer on board ship was enthralled with them, and was attempting to help her. Unfortunately, I never did see the outcome of her search.
MC -- The book is a long one, but if you just scan and examine the photographs in the book even that is enlightening. I loved the politics between the French and the USA....The French built the Suez Canal and believed they were experts. BUT the Suez was in shallower waters and there was only sand to contend with, not mountains and they failed. I am convinced that created the tension between our countries, with a WWII recess.
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