The dream of a water passage across the Isthmus was long-lived. Actual construction of the Panama Canal began in 1891. Finally, the first ship made a complete waterway transit on January 7, 1914. Global shipping patterns changed significantly with this technological marvel.
It was not until August 1943 that the next member of our family crossed the Isthmus of Panama; he too was but a young man and he also noted the experience in his WWII diary. My father, John Smith, joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1941 at the age of 18. After basic training in Ontario he was stationed at HMCS Naden, in Victoria BC. and then assigned for duty on the HMCS Prince Robert, which set sail from Esquimalt Harbour on July 29, 1943. The crew learned eleven days out to sea that their destination was Greenock, Scotland via the Panama Canal.
Dad was 20 year old sailor from the Canadian prairies. He had seen the ocean for the first time about five years earlier on a family vacation to Vancouver. His relaxing holiday at Kits Beach was no preparation for the experience aboard a warship bound for Panama. He marvelled at the sight of flying fish, sharks, dolphins and even a USA dirigible. The temperatures were hotter than any he had experienced. Without the modern convenience of air conditioning the sailors often slept on deck under the stars, occasionally doused by a deluge of tropical rain. They even rigged a canvas pool on the upper deck in which they tried to cool off. At the entry to the canal locks on August 9, 1943 the ship’s medic ordered all hands to wear tropical uniforms (white shirts, shorts and caps); a much appreciated command given the heat of the morning. The fascinating journey through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic took nine hours. John and his pal Ed were given shore leave in Colon where more unique experiences awaited. In exchanging Canadian money the sailors were conned with an exorbitant exchange rate. A US Navy officer directed them to a club where they drank Singapore Slings for the first time, watched the raunchiest strip tease ever encountered and were initiated into the sailor’s life in a foreign port. They were shocked at the squalor, poverty and destitution, which defined the port of Colon; astounded too at the level of military presence in the region. It was a reality check for a young man who had hoped to fulfill a dream that fall preparing to play for the Chicago Blackhawks.
As the ship
left Colon for Bermuda he wrote: “August
12: Really rolling today, the waves breaking over the bridge. Pretty groggy at
times but haven’t been sick. We are in the Caribbean; pretty dangerous reports
on Subs. August 13: Not rolling bad but still hot. We expect to go through Mona
Pass tonight; subs reported in the district between Puerto Rico & Haiti.”
Dad was 20 year old sailor from the Canadian prairies. He had seen the ocean for the first time about five years earlier on a family vacation to Vancouver. His relaxing holiday at Kits Beach was no preparation for the experience aboard a warship bound for Panama. He marvelled at the sight of flying fish, sharks, dolphins and even a USA dirigible. The temperatures were hotter than any he had experienced. Without the modern convenience of air conditioning the sailors often slept on deck under the stars, occasionally doused by a deluge of tropical rain. They even rigged a canvas pool on the upper deck in which they tried to cool off. At the entry to the canal locks on August 9, 1943 the ship’s medic ordered all hands to wear tropical uniforms (white shirts, shorts and caps); a much appreciated command given the heat of the morning. The fascinating journey through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic took nine hours. John and his pal Ed were given shore leave in Colon where more unique experiences awaited. In exchanging Canadian money the sailors were conned with an exorbitant exchange rate. A US Navy officer directed them to a club where they drank Singapore Slings for the first time, watched the raunchiest strip tease ever encountered and were initiated into the sailor’s life in a foreign port. They were shocked at the squalor, poverty and destitution, which defined the port of Colon; astounded too at the level of military presence in the region. It was a reality check for a young man who had hoped to fulfill a dream that fall preparing to play for the Chicago Blackhawks.
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1943 - some of the Prince Robert crew in tropical uniforms
John Smith - front row left
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It was interesting that the first time my father
was in Bermuda there was a huge United States Military presence, not unlike my
great grandfather’s first and only visit to the area 99 years earlier. In 1864
the Civil War would eventually define the United States; in 1943 the war was
global with most of North America strong in support of Britain’s battle with
the Third Reich. It would define our lives as we know it today. Both my father
and my great grandfather were astounded at the beauty of the land, the warmth
of the tropical air, the abundance of fresh fruit and the musical lilt of the
people. John Newell Evans, on his voyage in the 1860s had no concerns about
U-boat activity. U-boat wolf packs, however, in the 1940s were the greatest
fear of any sailor during WWII.
The HMCS Prince Robert participated in the Battle of Atlantic from the time it cleared the Panama Canal August 9, 1943 until it returned to Victoria, again via the Panama Canal in October 1944.
John wrote in his diary at Plymouth, England: “Sept, 15 - Captain cleared lower decks; told
us we were leaving for Victoria on Tuesday.” First, however, the ship was
received several high ranking visitors including Chaplain of Fleet. “Sept. 18 – Admiral in command of Plymouth
came aboard in morning; Admiral Nellies came and said good-bye complimenting us
on our good work.” Eddie commented on departure day; “Sept. 19 – flashed up at
00:30, left jetty to buoy; Hoot nearly missed the ship; left at 09:00 at 250
revs; hear for Bermuda.”
The HMCS Prince Robert had served valiantly in the
Battle of Atlantic for 14 months; it was headed home. The ship arrived in
Bermuda September 25th and remained in port for a day where the crew
enjoyed food not experienced in a very long time. “Sept. 26 – Went ashore with…(illegible); walked to Somerset; filled
up on ice cream, coconut and bananas and ham and eggs at USO; bought souvenirs
and went to show in Dockyard; really nice place.” They sailed westward
through Mona Pass to Colon where the journey through the canal began. On the
other side at the Panama Naval Base there was no black out and they saw neon
lights for the first time in many months.
His last war journal entry: “Oct.
3 – left Panama at 09:00 on my watch; head home; expect to arrive morning of 13th.” My father experienced the Panama Canal in both directions more then seventy years prior to my opportunity to experience the journey. I plan to toast his courage with a Singapore Sling the day we sail the canal.
Many years later John's wife, my mother Darline also had the pleasure of the sailing through the canal with her second husband. They too sailed both directions on several cruises in the 1980s. She is excited to know we will experience the pleasure of canal cruising in peaceful times. I hope I will be able to share some of the changes with her when we return now that there are two canals.
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| Darline and Fred on a Panama Cruise aboard the Holland America Line in 1988. |
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