Coco Solo

Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station near the Panama Canal, active from 1918 to the 1960s.

Naval Base Coco Solo
Cativá, Panama
Aerial view of the U.S. Naval Station Coco Solo in 1941
Type	Naval base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Navy
Site history
In use	1918–1999

O-class submarines at Coco Solo in 1923.

History

The submarine base at Coco Solo was established May 6, 1918.^[1] The site corresponds with modern-day Cativá in Panama. It was on the Atlantic Ocean (northwest) side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama. Five C-class submarines were based there during 1914–1919.

United States Senator John McCain was born in 1936 at a small Navy hospital,^[2][3] at Coco Solo Naval Air Station.^[4][5]

The larger Coco Solo Hospital was constructed in the summer of 1941.^[3] The area containing it was transferred from the civil part of the Panama Canal Zone to the naval part when Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8981 on December 17, 1941.^[6]

On December 7, 1941, three V-class submarines (Barracuda, Bass and Bonita) were stationed at Coco Solo. During World War II, Coco Solo also served as a Naval Air Facility, housing a squadron of United States Army Air Forces P-38 Lightning aircraft.^[7]

By the 1960s, no U.S. Navy vessels remained, only some support staff and housing. At the far end of Randolph Road was Fort Randolph, unused except for military training exercises, and where the Fort Randolph Riding Club was located as used by the Canal Zone Horsemen's Association.

Until the mid-1990s, the town site of Coco Solo was used by the civilian employees of the Panama Canal as a residential area. The nearby Galeta Island U.S. Navy communications facility continued in operation as well. After the turnover of the Panama Canal to Panamanians in 1999, US military activity ceased at both Coco Solo and Galeta Island.

Coco Solo is now the site of two container terminals: Colón Container Terminal^[8] and Manzanillo International Terminal, which is the busiest container port in Latin America.^[9]

Climate

Climate data for Coco Solo, 4 m asl (1961–1990 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	31.7 (89.1)	30.6 (87.1)	33.3 (91.9)	36.1 (97.0)	35.0 (95.0)	33.9 (93.0)	34.4 (93.9)	33.9 (93.0)	34.4 (93.9)	34.4 (93.9)	33.3 (91.9)	31.7 (89.1)	36.1 (97.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.3 (84.7)	29.8 (85.6)	30.6 (87.1)	31.2 (88.2)	31.1 (88.0)	30.6 (87.1)	31.3 (88.3)	30.8 (87.4)	30.4 (86.7)	30.4 (86.7)	29.3 (84.7)	29.1 (84.4)	30.3 (86.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	27.0 (80.6)	27.5 (81.5)	27.9 (82.2)	28.2 (82.8)	27.9 (82.2)	27.8 (82.0)	27.8 (82.0)	27.5 (81.5)	27.3 (81.1)	27.4 (81.3)	26.7 (80.1)	27.1 (80.8)	27.5 (81.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	24.6 (76.3)	25.1 (77.2)	25.2 (77.4)	25.2 (77.4)	24.7 (76.5)	24.9 (76.8)	24.3 (75.7)	24.1 (75.4)	24.3 (75.7)	24.3 (75.7)	24.1 (75.4)	25.0 (77.0)	24.7 (76.4)
Record low °C (°F)	18.9 (66.0)	20.6 (69.1)	18.9 (66.0)	19.4 (66.9)	20.6 (69.1)	21.7 (71.1)	20.6 (69.1)	21.1 (70.0)	21.7 (71.1)	21.7 (71.1)	21.1 (70.0)	19.4 (66.9)	18.9 (66.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	139.6 (5.50)	35.8 (1.41)	87.0 (3.43)	149.2 (5.87)	382.2 (15.05)	318.2 (12.53)	404.7 (15.93)	478.4 (18.83)	332.5 (13.09)	397.7 (15.66)	714.6 (28.13)	395.2 (15.56)	3,835.1 (150.99)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	12.33	6.73	10.55	6.55	19.00	17.25	16.00	23.50	18.00	18.57	25.00	17.00	190.48
Source 1: Météo climat stats[10]
Source 2: Météo Climat [11]

See also

• List of former United States military installations in Panama
• Naval Base Panama Canal Zone

References

1. Van Wyen, Adrian O. (1969). Naval Aviation in World War I. Washington, D.C.: Chief of Naval Operations. p. 64.
2. Alexander, Paul (2002). Man of the People: The Life of John McCain. John Wiley & Sons. p. 12. ISBN 0-471-22829-X.
3. Dobbs, Michael (2008-05-20). "The Fact Checker: John McCain's Birthplace". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
4. Timberg, Robert (1999). John McCain: An American Odyssey. Touchstone Books. ISBN 0-684-86794-X. pp. 17–34.
5. Dobbs, Michael (2008-05-02). "The Fact Checker: Citizen McCain". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
6. "Executive Order 8981 – Navy Hospital Area, Coco Solo, Canal Zone". United States Government. 1941-12-17. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
7. "US-Fleet Dec 7 1941".
8. "Colón Container Terminal, S.A." Colón Container Terminal, S.A. Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
9. "Manzanillo International Terminal Case Study" (PDF). Tideworks Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
10. "Moyennes 1961-1990 Panama (Asie)" (in French). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
11. "Météo Climat stats for Coco Solo". Météo Climat. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

External links

• History and photo page on Coco Solo at the Wayback Machine (archived June 1, 2016)
• Photo of the US Naval Hospital Coco Solo
• "The Battle for Coco Solo Panama, 1989", Infantry Magazine
• "Tropical decay blights McCain's Panama birthplace", 2008 Reuters story

9.37262°N 79.8812°W / 9.37262; -79.8812