RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Underwater Anchor System

[Lew Clayman <lew_clayman@yahoo.com>]

--- Greg Snyder <snyde032@tc.umn.edu> wrote:
> Apparently, the panama canal puts their own captains about each and every
> crossing vessel - military and otherwise. Although I can't honestly see the
> captain of a military ship tossing over the keys and saying "O.K. Skippy,
> why don't you drive now..."

It's a long-standing practice.  The other option, even for a military vessel,
is to add thousands of miles and some of the planet's roughest seas by going
around South America "the long way."  Or, for some submarines, to go around
"the other long way" around North America, under the icecap.  It's a decision.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Navy would even surrender the wheel to an
American Canal pilot once in a while.  I'm sure they chose this route only when
they considered it absolutely necessary and I'm sure they "escorted" the pilot
heavily, but yes - it happened.

-L

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"It's never happened in the World Series competition, and it still hasn't."
             - Yogi Berra
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