Suez Canal
- Thread starter CloneGuy8
- Start date
Destroying global commerce aside, I'd love to see it get breached again a mile up the canal just for the pure hilarity of it all.
Or sink because of inadvertent damage during the effort to dislodge it. Not funny, but terribly ironic.
Canal is open to traffic. I'd guess the ship will have to be inspected before continuing to it's Dutch destination
Before a ship enters the canal an employee of the Canal Authority has to board the ship and helps the captain navigate the ship for the entire passage. Will be interesting to see the fall out from this accident.
The amount of cargo on those ships will never not be amazing.
The Suez Canal has a fascinating history -- just one more chapter to add to that.
Ancient canals between the Nile and the Red Sea serving the same purpose.
Political intrigue between Britain, France, Russia, and the Ottomans over its construction.
The tl;dr version -- the French built the canal to further their imperial prestige and honor Napoleon III but the British eventually bought them out because a canal from the Mediterranean to India was useful to them.
The life and times of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went from pariah to national hero in France for his role in creating the canal but eventually went bankrupt failing to do the same in Panama.
Nationalization of the canal by the Egyptian government prompting the Suez Crisis.
The tl;dr version -- the British and the French were upset about the Egyptians nationalizing their canal, so they invaded, and Dwight Eisenhower told them to knock it off, creating tensions within NATO.
The canal being shut down for several years due to Egypt/Israel conflicts and the "Yellow Fleet."
Fun fact -- most U.S. foreign aid goes to Egypt and Israel. Why? A bribe to keep them from fighting each other, which is the main reason that relationship has been relatively peaceful since the Camp David Accords.
That bribe is very much a "here is a pile of money to not fight... and leave the canal open."
And now this.
Other fun fact -- the Statue of Liberty was originally conceived as a grand memorial for the Mediterranean entrance to the Suez Canal as a homage to wonders of antiquity like the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos of Alexandria. The plan proved unworkable, though, so France ended up giving it to the U.S. instead.
Ancient canals between the Nile and the Red Sea serving the same purpose.
Political intrigue between Britain, France, Russia, and the Ottomans over its construction.
The tl;dr version -- the French built the canal to further their imperial prestige and honor Napoleon III but the British eventually bought them out because a canal from the Mediterranean to India was useful to them.
The life and times of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went from pariah to national hero in France for his role in creating the canal but eventually went bankrupt failing to do the same in Panama.
Nationalization of the canal by the Egyptian government prompting the Suez Crisis.
The tl;dr version -- the British and the French were upset about the Egyptians nationalizing their canal, so they invaded, and Dwight Eisenhower told them to knock it off, creating tensions within NATO.
The canal being shut down for several years due to Egypt/Israel conflicts and the "Yellow Fleet."
Fun fact -- most U.S. foreign aid goes to Egypt and Israel. Why? A bribe to keep them from fighting each other, which is the main reason that relationship has been relatively peaceful since the Camp David Accords.
That bribe is very much a "here is a pile of money to not fight... and leave the canal open."
And now this.
Other fun fact -- the Statue of Liberty was originally conceived as a grand memorial for the Mediterranean entrance to the Suez Canal as a homage to wonders of antiquity like the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos of Alexandria. The plan proved unworkable, though, so France ended up giving it to the U.S. instead.
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