The picture below is from 1929 and shows a submarine traveling through the Panama Canal. The photographer of this picture is Ellen O’Connor who was a tourist on a trip from New York to Cuzco, Peru. She just happened to witness this submarine and take a picture which was later saved in an archive along with many other pictures from her trip. Based off of research I conducted given the “S16” on the sub, I believe that the ship is a French submarine of the Ariane class which would make sense because of their relationship to the United States. One of the biggest reasons for the Canal was to transport military vessels from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and vice versa. As the U.S. controlled the canal, they also controlled what navies could send their war ships through and use this shortcut. This provided a massive military and naval advantage to anyone granted access by the United States.
This picture is important because it captures one of the most important attractions for the Canal of the era. There was such a military advantage to move supplies and warships through this canal and so everybody wanted access. Whoever controls this commodity is automatically obtaining a ton of power. This illustrates one of the reasons why the United States was so keen in creating and operating this canal. It not only gave them access to both oceans, it also allowed them to control what other countries had this ability and which ones did not. One can only imagine the advantage this gave the U.S. in foreign affairs and on the global stage.
Primary Source:
Document Source:
Ellen O’Connor, “Panama Canal“, Massachusetts collection online (1929)