Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:22:31-1:23:10

How a navy might disable the Panama Canal covertly

A merchant ship packed with explosives offered a covert route to damaging locks and delaying fleet movement between the Atlantic and Pacific.

Commerce RaidersNaval LogisticsNaval StrategyPanama CanalRoyal NavySpecial Operations
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Question

How could the Royal Navy have tried to cripple the Panama Canal in a war with the United States?

Short answer

It could use a disguised explosive-laden merchant ship to damage key locks and obstruct the canal.

Notes

The proposed attack uses a disguised merchant vessel instead of a conventional fleet. The ship would enter the canal under civilian appearance and detonate explosives where damage to locks would be hardest to repair. Striking more than one lock or mechanism could compound the delay and force the defender to divert troops to canal security. The strategic object was to interrupt inter-ocean movement without trying to hold the Canal Zone.