Struggles to Make the Panama Canal Viable, 1914-39

Abstract

The Panama Canal opened just as the First World War erupted in August 1914. The newly completed canal was underutilized and plagued with closures by massive landslides throughout its first quarter century of operation. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson empowered the National Academy of Sciences to undertake a scientific study of the landslides and report on how they might be mitigated. During the interwar years the canal became a naval bastion almost without peer in the western world, but plans for capital ships began exceeding the width of the canal's locks by the late 1930s.

Meeting Name

World Environmental and Water Resources Congress: Crossing Boundaries (2012: May 20-24, Albuquerque, NM)

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

First Quarter; First World War; National Academy Of Science; Panama Canal; Scientific Studies; Hydraulic Structures; Landslides; Military Operations; Water Resources

Geographic Coverage

Panama Canal

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-0784412312

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2012

Link to Full Text

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