CARR Families and Friends,
This week’s big event was our transit through the Panama Canal. It was a long night, but everyone performed exceptionally to make it a safe evolution. Our other significant milestone was reaching half-way day!
Welcome aboard to our three newest CARR Sailors who met us pierside in Panama: ET3 Dustin Jackson, EN1 Andrew Moye, and EMC Aaron Obrien.
Congratulations to CTT2 Joseph Seal and his wife Jessica who are the proud parents of Joseph Seal IV who was born on August 31st, weighing in at 8lbs. Mother and baby are both doing well.
Day 87 – Sunday, August 26th
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As is tradition, we held our Sunday Captain’s Cup event – today’s event was Bozo Buckets which involved two members from each division throwing 5 golf balls each into cans at varying distances. The farther the distance the throw, the more points received. S2 Division’s team of CS1 Brian Cook and CS2 Timothy Faulkner took first place with 220 total points, second place went to the OI Division’s team of OSC Chris Van and OSSN Joseph Casias, and third place went to the S3 Division represented by SHSN Rashad Simpson and SH2 Justin Howard.
After eleven Captain’s Cup events, the standings are as follows:
1st Place: S2 Division (24 pts)
2nd Place: OI Division (21 pts)
3rd Place: LEDET (20 pts)
Day 88 – Monday, August 27th
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Today’s focus was preparation to transit southbound through the Panama Canal. Great job to the entire Navigation Team led by our Navigator LT Mark Hardzinski. The team put in countless hours to ensure our paperwork was in order and all charts were prepared. Thanks for a job well done to QM1 Byron Patterson, QM2 Andre Menice, QM3 Justin Arnold, QM3 Mark Gary, QM3 David Blancoventura, QM3 Richard Andino and QMSN Austin Holcomb.
We also held a brief in the Wardroom to discuss the plan and share information from shipmates who previously transited the Panama Canal.
Thanks to the GSMC Ravi Tobierre, FCC Brian Runningen, and the other forsharing their experience. Knowing what to expect makes this a much safer evolution.
Day 89 – Tuesday, August 28th (Panama Canal Transit – South))
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We broke station and headed south, entering Limon Bay inside the Colon breakwater and anchoring there while awaiting completion of our inspection by the Panama Canal Authority (PCA). The PCA must board all ships prior to transiting in order to ensure that all the paperwork is properly completed (and there is a lot of paperwork associated with the transit) and essential navigation and engineering gear are in proper working order. Once the team cleared us, the pilot embarked and we were headed South just before sunset.
The most interesting part of the transit is passing through the locks. Upon approaching the lock, a team comes out in a row boat to pass cables to the ship – port and starboard side on the bow and stern. These cables are then attached to “mules”.the mules are basically train engines which can pull the ship forward or stop all motion as well as pay out or reel in cable to center the ship in the lock. These engines are not like typical trains, although they do run on rails, they are hooked into a center rail which prevents them from being yanked off the rails and gives them additional traction.sort of like a cog railway.
Amazing job by the entire crew, especially our bridge watchstanders,
Engineering watchstanders, and Deck Division – it was a long night for many. Great job by BM1 Marcus Mincey and BMCS Ken Feagin who ensure Deck Division remained on station throughout the night in order to be ready to anchor in the event of a casualty as well as handle lines near the locks.
Day 90 – Wednesday, August 29th (Arrive Vasco Nunez Balboa, Panama)
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As midnight rolled around, we were transiting at about 85 feet above sea level and were approaching our 4th lock (in total there are 6 locks). We also received late notice that we would have to proceed to anchorage to wait for a vessel to be towed out of the slip where we were supposed to go.
At approximately 0400 we arrived at our anchorage point near Vasco Nunez Balboa (VNB) where our Conning Officer, ETC William Dowe, maneuvered us to the anchorage spot. Great job to LSC Jeff Fries who coordinated with the husbanding agent (liaison for overseas port visits) to ensure we received potable water and sewage services while at anchor. After getting a few hours rest, we got back underway at around 0800. We experienced a few delays due to shipping traffic (PCA controls who has priority to enter the channel), so we did some loops through the anchorage while we waited for our turn. Great job to our Conning Officer, ENS Joshua Stewart who brought us safely pierside without the use of tugs.well done!
BZ to both ENS Joshua Stewart and ETC William Dowe who split the duties as Conning Officer throughout the long night transit – great job to both of them!
Day 91 – Thursday, August 30th (Vasco Nunez Balboa, Panama)
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Thanks to our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) committee who have been active in setting up activities for our Sailors. MWR arranged tours that included horseback riding, fishing trips, and jungle tours.
In addition to the tours, our Sailors had the opportunity to relax. Sailors
also visited the shopping malls and grocery stores to stock up on supplies for the second half of deployment. There were many familiar restaurants in town, such as TGI Fridays, Bennigans, and of course the typical fast food establishments (McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC). There were plenty of local restaurants as well for the more adventurous types.
Day 92 – Friday, August 31st (Vasco Nunez Balboa, Panama)
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Although this was a liberty port, FC2 Gary Freas expended many hours on board (including several hours that he could have spent on liberty)
troubleshooting and repairing sections of our Weapons Control console. He continued to use his troubleshooting acumen, in addition to coordinating with off-ship technicians, to make significant progress in restoring the console.
Great job to EM2 Germaine Pelican who worked late into the night while working with local contractors to install an exhaust fan. The previous exhaust fan failed a couple weeks back. The fan weighs almost 800 pounds and is used to ventilate laundry and engineering berthing among other spaces. Thanks to his efforts, everything was connected to restore ventilation and make it a bit more comfortable on board.
Day 93 – Saturday, September 1st (Underway – Half Way Day!)
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Today we started out by receiving mail, food and parts. Great job to LSSN Augustine Otwori and LSSN Keith Green who were busy sorting through 81 bags of mail while the entire crew moved fresh food and stores on board. CS3 Willie Martinez stowed over 8,000 pounds of food today – including peanut butter. Our Sailors have consumed over 5,200 individual serving cups of peanut butter thus far this deployment.
About an hour after reaching the half-way point of deployment (2 pm as
calculated by the XO) we were back underway. Great job to LT Aleron Rognlie who got us underway from VNB without the use of tugs. We then proceeded out of Panama and into the Pacific Ocean to continue our Countering Transnational Organized Crime mission.
Thanks to FC1 Cody Koch who repaired our Weapons Control Officer console by replacing the Cathode Ray Tube. Well done!
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PANAMA CANAL – PART 3
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Up until 1906, the decision still had not been made regarding whether the canal would be built at sea level or use locks. On June 19th, 1906 a Senate committee made the decision to build a canal with locks. In order to support the lock plan, a man made lake would have to be created. Gatun Lake would encompass 164 square miles of jungle, an area as large as the island of Barbados would eventually vanish under water. After expending considerable energy and getting the project back on track, the Chief Engineer unexpectedly resigned in 1907. Steven took the reason for his resignation to his death bed; however, it was most likely a result of being overworked and on the verge of a breakdown. Stevens accomplished creation of a well fed, housed, equipped, and organized work force; it was now time for the next Chief Engineer to get the canal built.
In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed U.S. Army Colonel George Washington Goethals, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as Chief Engineer. Roosevelt stated to the ICC, “he is to be chairman. He is to have complete authority. If at any time you do not agree with his policies, do not bother to tell me about it-your disagreement with him will constitute your resignation.” Colonel Goethals was the right man for this phase of construction; he was a civil engineer who was experienced with dams, locks, and canals. Colonel Goethals did not court popularity; he abhorred waste and inefficiency, and was determined to weed out all incompetents associated with the project.
He divided the engineering and excavation work into three divisions-Atlantic, Center and Pacific.
– The Atlantic division took charge of construction of the massive breakwater at the entrance to Limon Bay, the Gatun locks, the 3.5 miles approach channel, and the immense Gatun Dam.
– The Pacific Division was responsible for the Pacific breakwater in Panama Bay, the approach channel to the locks, the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks, and their associated dams and reservoirs.
– The Central division was assigned one of the most difficult parts-excavating the Gaillard Cut (then called the Culebra Cut) through the continental divide to connect Gatun Lake to the Pacific Panama Canal locks.
The project now needed more equipment to move the earth. The Americans replaced the old French equipment with new construction equipment that was designed for a much larger and faster scale of work to increase the pace of construction. About 100 large railroad-mounted steam shovels were purchased and brought in from the United States to be used primarily on the Culebra Cut and the lock building projects. At the time, these steam shovels were some of the largest in the world. The process involved the excavated material being broken up by explosives, the loose dirt was scooped up by steam shovels, and then the loose earth was placed on railroad cars. The railroad cars were hauled out by locomotives to a dump site or other site that needed back fill material – the Gatun Dam and Panama Railroad being the two biggest users of this material.
Near the end of the project, the death rate had dropped to 8 deaths per 1000. The locks were finished in 1913 along with the Gatun dam and in September 1913 the first trial run of the locks was made by the seagoing tug Gatun. The first ocean going ship to make the trip through the canal was the Cristobal, although the grand opening was officially held on August 15th of 1914. The cargo rate was set at 90 cents per ton of cargo.
Since commencement of work in 1904, the Panama Canal cost the United States $352 million, four times as much as the French had spent on Suez. 5,609 had died from either accident or disease between 1904 and 1914. The project was completed $23 million under budget and six months ahead of schedule despite significant additions, including widening the canal and building fortifications. The total volume excavated was 232,440,945 cubic yards (in addition to the 30,000,000 excavated by the French).
Traffic through the canal was at first meager; however, usage continued to steadily climb:
1917 – 2,000 ships per year
1924 – 5,000 ships per year
1939 – 7,000 ships per year
1970 – 15,000 ships per year
By the 1930s the water supply became an issue which resulted in building the Madden Dam across the Chagres River above Gatun Lake. The dam, completed in 1935, created Madden Lake (later Alajuela Lake), which serves as additional water storage for the canal. In 1939 construction began on a further major improvement: a new set of locks for the canal, large enough to carry the larger warships which the United States was building. The work proceeded for several years, and significant evacuation was carried out on the new approach channels, but the project was canceled after World War II. In 1966 channel lighting was installed to allow for night time transits.
After World War II, U.S. control of the canal and the Canal Zone surrounding it became contentious. Relations between Panama and the U.S. became increasingly tense. Many Panamanians felt that the Canal Zone rightfully belonged to Panama; student protests were met by the fencing-in of the Zone and an increased military presence there.
One of the United States’ primary motivations to build the Panama Canal was to provide cost savings to stimulate intercoastal commerce. As a result of the canal, growth of the West Coast rapidly increased; the canal generated economic benefits several times beyond the canal costs. By maintaining control of the canal, the United States ensured that transit rates would remain low; however, by 1970s the canal had become a fiscal drain. Maintaining low tolls through the canal was no longer a major concern because throughout the 20th Century the canal’s economic value had decreased as a result of the increased efficiency of railroads and development of the Interstate Highway System. In 1974, negotiations toward a settlement resulted in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Many were afraid of the strategic impact of losing access to the canal; what if Panama closed the canal to the
United States? During Congressional inquiries, President Carter’s national security advisor was asked what would happen if a future Panamanian government shut down the Panama Canal for repairs – he responded, “In that case, according to the provisions of the Neutrality Treaty, we will move in and close down the Panamanian government for repairs.”
On September 7, 1977, the treaty was signed by President Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos, de facto leader of Panama. The agreement stated that the Panamanians could take control of the canal as long as Panama signed a treaty guaranteeing the permanent neutrality of the canal. The treaty led to full Panamanian control effective at noon on December 31, 1999, and the Panama Canal Authority assumed command of the waterway.
The Panama Canal is one of the primary revenue sources for Panama.
Canal Facts & Trivia:
– The word “Panama” is from the Cueva Indians, which means, “a place where many fish are taken.”
– In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt was the first American President to leave the United States while in office. The President and his wife embarked on the 16,000 ton battleship Louisiana to visit Panama.
– The Queen Mary, launched in 1936, was the first ship built that was too big to pass through the canal.
– The largest toll paid prior to turning the canal over to Panama was the Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, paying $42,077.88.
– The average toll per ship is about $10,000; roughly 10% of what it would cost in fuel to go around South America.
– Tolls were raised in 1974 for the first time since the canal opened – from 90 cents to $1.08 per ton of cargo.
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Jessica Meissner OMBUDSMAN
April Linton Co-OMBUDSMAN
Jackie Lease FRG President
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Sailors Name
Department/Division
USS CARR (FFG 52)
FPO AE 09566-1506
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Until next Sunday, stay safe CARR Family and Friends!
CDR Patrick Kulakowski
Commanding Officer
USS CARR (FFG 52)
“Courage, Will, Determination!”
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