Panama leads/Seaway leads

[Tony Wilding]

GREAT ! Was hoping someone would post a photo,

[alf corbyn]

mr strange!! muffin the mule is not a criminal offence

[Captain Kong]

It would be if I had my way.
Imagine what it would be like if the neighbours saw you.

[moktay]

It is if your name is Enid Blighton

[Les Woodard]

I was under the impression that the Panama Canal is still under control of the yanks. Did they not back the uprising to get rid of Noriaga (think that is how you spell it) just as their lease on the canal run out. Once he had been caught the yanks turned their backs on the rebels and Noriaga was freed. Once free he took his revenge on the rebels who had a lot of the armed forces on their side. Then because they did not have enough armed forces to protect the canal the yanks stepped back in to take control again to maintain security of the canal. Not to sure if it happen exactly like that but know that they used the rebels to retain control. Just a bit of trivia on the subject.

[j.sabourn]

Tony cant really make oiut but could be. They consisted of vertical rolllers and horizontal rollers. Cheers John Sabourn The Panama Canal Zone came under the authorization of the US government. Believe now it is probably leased to the U.S. but actually run by panama. John Sabourn

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Shipmates,

Interesting topic. I believe the comments made by Les, Ivan and John in posts #7, #8, and #9 are mostly correct. If my memory serves, in the 50's when transitting the canal the 'mules' were all fitted with their own drums(reels) and operated in the manner Ivan describes. The handling of the wires was carried out by 'crews', employed by the Canal Authority, who came aboard each ship as it passed through the locks. Mostly young Afro-Americans, they seemed very fast and well practiced in what they did.

Incidentally, can anyone tell me what I'm supposed to do with all this stale
bread ?


............Roger

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John .
When I went through the Panama in the year dot, the ship I was on had vertical rollers in the Panama leads to stop chaffing on the sharp edges of the bow. I never went any further than Montreal in Canada
so an't say anything about that. Going through the Panama I know we had an armed guard in the wheelhouse with orders to shoot if there was any untoward movement by the wheelman.
Cheers Des

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[Les Woodard]

Roger looks like the ingredients for a bread and butter pudding mate LOL.

[Bob Hollis]

In the Great Lakes I was on ships which had leads consisting of two sets of rollers, one horizontal and the other vertical, a bit like the #. the other type of lead in regular lake ships was known as a Port Colborne lead in which the rollers were set in a ring which could swivel so preventing the wire from always leading from one of the corners of the lead.