06 December 2008
Strange Ch-Ch-Changes
A Russian warship passes through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II. Is it a mere annoyance or the beginning of a challenge in America's backyard?
Once, the Panama Canal was considered a triumph of American technology and a symbol of American power. Today it's a waterway managed by a Chinese company with links to the People's Liberation Army through which Russian warships pass.
Last Wednesday, Russian Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo announced that the 554-foot guided missile destroyer Admiral Chabanenko would transit the Panama Canal and arrive at Panama's Pacific port of Balboa for a six-day visit after carrying out naval exercises with the Venezuelan Navy in the Caribbean dubbed "Venrus 2008."
"The only time such an event took place was in 1944 during the Second World War, when four Russian submarines passed through" the canal to help in the battle against Nazi Germany, the Russian embassy in Panama said in a statement.
In his announcement, Capt. Dygalo made a point of referring to the naval base the ship will visit by its former American name — Rodman. Rodman naval base was the naval hub for all U.S. naval activities in the water around South America. It was turned over to Panama in 1999.
It is one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world. It is armed with 20 SS-N-19 "Shipwreck" long-range anti-ship missiles and 500 surface-to-air missiles. She and her sister ships were sailing in an area where nine out of every 14 barrels of imported oil, even some Alaskan oil, must transit. At last report, it showed very little rust.
The rest of the story ...
Once, the Panama Canal was considered a triumph of American technology and a symbol of American power. Today it's a waterway managed by a Chinese company with links to the People's Liberation Army through which Russian warships pass.
Last Wednesday, Russian Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo announced that the 554-foot guided missile destroyer Admiral Chabanenko would transit the Panama Canal and arrive at Panama's Pacific port of Balboa for a six-day visit after carrying out naval exercises with the Venezuelan Navy in the Caribbean dubbed "Venrus 2008."
"The only time such an event took place was in 1944 during the Second World War, when four Russian submarines passed through" the canal to help in the battle against Nazi Germany, the Russian embassy in Panama said in a statement.
In his announcement, Capt. Dygalo made a point of referring to the naval base the ship will visit by its former American name — Rodman. Rodman naval base was the naval hub for all U.S. naval activities in the water around South America. It was turned over to Panama in 1999.
It is one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world. It is armed with 20 SS-N-19 "Shipwreck" long-range anti-ship missiles and 500 surface-to-air missiles. She and her sister ships were sailing in an area where nine out of every 14 barrels of imported oil, even some Alaskan oil, must transit. At last report, it showed very little rust.
The rest of the story ...
Labels: Cold War, Panama Canal
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