Boat used for Panama Canal transit

The Isla Morada...A Ship With Much History

The Isla Morada is surrounded by a fascinating history, long before transporting tourists across the Panama Canal. It was designed as a luxury megayacht for Boston millionaires. It was Built by Lawley & Sons, the company Cox & Stevens. All in wood, was built in the shipyards of the East Coast of the United States, and began sailing in 1912 with the name Santana. It had five luxury bedrooms, a lavish dining room, a library and was home to a crew of seven sailors. Among its owners was a very special one, the most famous gangster in history, the legendary Al Capone.

In the years of World War II it was requisitioned by the United States Navy, later to be acquired by a sailor who lived in Florida, which re-christened with the name of Isla Morada. It arrived in Panama in 1960 and served as a hotel ship anchored off Piñas Bay during the construction of the Tropic Star Lodge, the world famous sport fishing resort.
With capacity for 100 people, complete sets of Signs and Lighting, Help Communication System, Navigation lights properly installed and operational, and Fire Systems First Aid Kit. The conditions of the hull, machinery and electrical installations are periodically reviewed and are appropriate for making the spacecraft trajectories.

The ship has the following life-saving appliances:

• 6 bags with capacity for 132 lifeguards people.
• Life jackets for 165 people.

Its dimensions are:

• Length (L): 96.00 mts.
• Beam (width): 19:00 mts.
• Depth (draft): 5.00 mts.
• Gross tonnage: 94.00 tons

The second boat we have is the Fantasia del Mar with a capacity for up to 434 people.

It was built in Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, E.U.A. by Eastern Shipbuilding Corp.

The Fantasia del Mar has the following life-saving appliances:

• 22 bags jackets with a total capacity of 440 people
• Life Jackets for 440 people

Its dimensions are:

• Length (L): 35.66 mts.
• Beam (width): 8.69 mts.
• Depth (draft): 3.23 mts.
• Gross Tonnage: 465.14 tons

The third and last boat  is the Tuira II with a capacity for up to 492 passengers with 2 spacious floors.

It was built in the USA by Willey Manufacturing Co.

The ship has the following life-saving appliances:

• 26 bags with capacity for 572 Lifeguard people
• Life Jackets for 600 people

Its dimensions are:

• Length: 35.80 mts.
• Beam: 10.02 meters.
• Depth: 3.26 mts.
• Gross Tonnage: 227.00 tons

Itinerary : Panama Canal Full Transit Tour

About 8-9 hours

  

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The tour starts at 7:00AM at the Flamenco Island in Amador Causeway in Panama City. You will check-in at the ship to start this adventure. The ship will cross under the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de Las Americas) and then start your transit through the Miraflores Locks, the first set of locks. While in Miraflores you will ascend 18 meters in two steps. After that you will find yourself transiting the artificial Miraflores Lake which is located just between the Miraflores Locks and Pedro Miguel Locks. You will still be in the Pacific Ocean.

At Pedro Miguel Locks the ship will ascend again another 9 meters in one step. While exiting Pedro Miguel Locks you will transit the Gaillard Cut (Corte Culebra). This area is full of history, is one of the most important points of attraction of this trip. Also, you will witness the works being done for the Canal expansion project.

Then you’ll find Gatun Lake. The second largest man-made lake in the world. You will find the Barro Colorado – Smithsonian Research Station and then you will transit the Gatun Locks the last and only set of locks located in the Atlantic side. At this point you will experience a 26 meters drop in three different steps which will complete your transit through the Panama Canal.

You will dock at Pier 6 in the Colon area where the transportation is provided to return to Panama City.

What's Special about the Panama Canal Full Transit Tour?

• English/Spanish guide-narrator.
• Continental Breakfast.
• Complete Lunch, bottled water and soft drinks
• Snacks
• Transportation by bus from Colon to Flamenco Island in Panama City where tour started

Teodoro Roosevelt visit during the Panama Canal construction

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The 26th U.S. president, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, was the first president to visit a foreign country. His enthusiasm for the Panama Canal project led him to see it for himself in November 1906.

In anticipation of his visit Panamanians and Zonians alike went into overdrive to make the place presentable. David McCullough writes in his seminal book, Path Between the Seas:,

Advanced preparations involved the efforts of thousands of people. . . . streets were scrubbed, houses were painted or whitewashed, flags were hung from windows and balconies. Programs were printed, schoolchildren were rehearsed in patriotic airs. The Republic of Panama declared his day of arrival a national day of “joy and exalted enthusiasm” and instructed the populace to behave, since “all thinkers, sociologists and philosophers of the universe [will] have their eyes upon us in penetrating scrutiny.”

At Ancon, construction of a big three-story frame hotel called the Tivoli, a structure begun the year before but still far from finished, rushed ahead with all speed as soon as Stevens learned of the visit. One wing of the building was finished and furnished in six weeks.

Once Roosevelt arrived he was not the most obliging to his hosts. At one point he pulled Dr. William Gorgas into his carriage then slipped out the other side with him for an impromptu inspection of Ancon Hospital. Later he would report their medical accomplishments were astounding.

The President toured the bay in a tug boat and then popped in for a surprise visit and lunch at an employee mess hall instead of showing up for the luncheon in his honor at the Tivoli. He took the site-seeing train to Culebra Cut where he walked the railway ties. He was continuously pointing out the things he wanted to see and demanded to see them, even going so far as to inquire of black workers if they had any complaints. In his enthusiasm he inspected everything from dam sites, to steam shovels, to kitchens, to military troops. Teddy’s secret service men frantically scurried around trying to keep up as he dashed around the Canal Zone. Standing at the back of the train, he waved his hat and flashed his toothy smile at the children lined up to wave flags as he passed.

After his whirlwind three-day visit everyone complained of exhaustion. As for Teddy, his only regret was that he didn’t have time to explore Panama’s tropical forest. He wrote in a letter to his son Kermit,

All my old enthusiasm for natural history seemed revived, and I would have given a good deal to have stayed and tried to collect specimens

Panama Canal Locks Gates

Tour Suggested

Panama Canal Tour

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Panama Canal Full Transit

Panama Canal Partial Transit

More Tour Options www.panamatourismtravel.com

The gates which separate the chambers in each flight of locks must hold back a considerable weight of water, and must be both reliable and strong enough to withstand accidents, as the failure of a gate could unleash a catastrophic flood of water downstream.

These gates are of enormous size, ranging from 47 to 82 ft (14.33 to 24.99 m) high, depending on position, and are 7 ft (2.13 m) thick; the tallest gates are required at Miraflores, due to the large tidal range there. The heaviest leaves weigh 662 t (730 short tons; 652 long tons); the hinges themselves each weigh 16.7 t (36,817 lb). Each gate has two leaves, 65 ft (19.81 m) wide, which close to a V shape with the point upstream; this arrangement has the effect that the force of water from the higher side pushes the ends of the gates together firmly. The gates can only be opened when, in the operating cycle, water level on both sides is equal.

The original gate machinery consisted of a huge drive wheel, powered by an electric motor, to which was attached a connecting rod, which in turn attached to the middle of the gate. These mechanisms were replaced with hydraulic struts beginning in January 1998, after 84 years of service. The gates are hollow and buoyant, much like the hull of a ship, and are so well balanced that two 19 kW (25 hp) motors are enough to move each gate leaf; if one motor fails, the other can still operate the gate at reduced speed.

Each chamber also contains a pair of auxiliary gates which can be used to divide the chamber in two; this is designed to allow for the transit of smaller vessels — such as canal tugs — without using the full quantity of water. They were originally incorporated because the overwhelming majority of all ships of the early 1900s were less than 600 ft (183 m) in length, and would therefore not need the full length of the lock chamber. Nowadays these gates are rarely used; instead, small boats such as tour boats, tugs, and yachts are passed in groups.

VIDEO: The Panama Canal

 

Tour Suggested

 

 

Panama Canal Tour

City Tour and Panama Canal

Panama Canal Full Transit

Panama Canal Partial Transit

MoreTour Options: www.panamatourismtravel.com

VIDEO : Widening The Panama Canal

It’s time to experience the Panama Canal Transiting.  the Panama Canal is a traveler’s “must do” adventure

Tour Suggested:

Panama Canal Partial Transit
Panama Canal Full Transit
Miraflores Locks Visitor Center
Panama Canal Helicopter Tour

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For more Tour Option : www.panamatourismtravel.com

About the Video : Extreme Engineering is a documentary television series aired on the Discovery Channel and The Science Channel which features futuristic and ongoing engineering projects.The show was renamed Build It Bigger in the US but retains its name when broadcast in Europe.

Panama Canal Transit Tour

Book it Now

Tour Suggested

Panama Canal Full Transit

Panama Canal Partial Transit

Panama is one of the most modern and progressive tourism destinations in Central America. Although Panama offers a wide variety of attractions and activities, the Panama Canal is perhaps its best-known and most popular attraction. A voyage through the Panama Canal is at the top of the list for thousands of tourists, and those who have completed the trip describe it as one of the most memorable adventures in their lifetime. The Panama Canal is one of the most fascinating places in the world where human ingenuity, and the wonders of nature, come together to connect two great oceans and join the world.

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It’s time to experience the Panama Canal Transiting,
                                                  the Panama Canal is a traveler’s “must do” adventure