Russian navy ship to cross Panama Canal

[unhappycamper]

The Russian destroyer Admiral Chabanenko, seen in 2004, will sail through the Panama Canal this week, the Russian navy announced Dec. 3.


Russian navy ship to cross Panama Canal
By Vladimir Isachenkov - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 3, 2008 16:16:57 EST

MOSCOW — A Russian warship will sail through the Panama Canal this week for the first time since World War II, the navy announced Wednesday, pushing ahead with a symbolic projection of Moscow’s power in a traditional U.S. zone of influence.

The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko will arrive Friday at a former U.S. naval base in Panama’s Pacific port of Balboa for a six-day visit after carrying out joint maneuvers with the Venezuelan navy in the Caribbean Sea, navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said in a telephone interview.

The Panama Canal has long been a symbol of U.S. clout in Latin America, and Dygalo said no Soviet or Russian military ship has sailed through it since World War II. The wartime alliance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union swiftly gave way to the mistrust, military buildups and proxy conflicts of the Cold War.

In a throwback to those times, the Russian navy statement announcing the plans referred to the base the Admiral Chabanenko will visit as Rodman naval base — its name when it was a U.S. base many years ago.

Rodman was the hub for all U.S. naval activities in South America and supported fleet units transiting the 50-mile canal. But control of the facility shifted to Panama a decade ago, and it is now called the Balboa naval base.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_russianavypanama_120308/%2e

[Submariner]

1. The USNI would like to see the U.S. move back into the Canal Zone

A Panama Canal for a New Century:
Wider, Speedier, Busier
By Commander Robert W. Selle, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

The U.S. Navy’s laudable decision to stand up the Fourth Fleet (for the
second time) on 1 July 2008 is welcome news for all those who believe
in the progress and benefits of globalization and especially the
role our Navy will play in the coming
years in hemispheric and international
relations.

snip to pdf >

http://www.usni.org/userfiles/file/%20Sept/Selle%20Sept%2008.pdf