Hello Steem people 😀!!!
The ones of you that took the time to read my previous post about Corinth Canal; All the history! Part I and liked it thank you so much 😘 !!!!
I know you are waiting for Part II so without further do, I jump right into it!!!
As I said in that post, in 1869, the Zaimis Government voted the excavation of the Isthmus of Corinth!
11 years and 2,500 workers needed to complete the project
The vision of Charilaos Trikoupis was to modernize the country with major infrastructure projects. The first and largest was the opening of the Isthmus.
Work began on 23 April 1882 by a Hungarian company and stopped after 8 years due to the exhaustion of all funds.
Subsequently, the completion of the project was undertaken by the banker Andreas Syngrou.
Syngros commissioned the work to the construction company of A. Matsa! In total, 2,500 workers and engineers needed to complete this difficult task in 11 years.
Some AMAZING and RARE photos follow!!!
The whole project though was finished finally by theFRENCH Company that undertook and built the Suez Canal as well!!!!
They build a compound in Isthmia, in Colonial style for their Architects, Cartographers, Designers and Engineers!!! That gave an exotic air but also an aristocratic, classy and modern attitude to the local community of the tiny Greek village!!!
My Great-great-grandfather was one of those French Engineers along with his son, that was one of the Designers of the French team!
They were both part of the team that opened the Suez Canal along Alexandre Gustave Eiffel among others 😀!!!
Some of the info I give you in this post, is not available through the net!!! So that's extra kudos for you all!!!
The Corinth Canal was inaugurated on 25 July 1893 by Prime Minister Sotirios Sotiropoulos.
From the very first moment of its operation to the present day, it is an international hub of maritime transport. It is estimated that each year about 12,000 ships from every corner of the globe cross the Corinth Canal with their merchandise!!!
Curtailing further landslides required retaining walls along the water's edge for half of the canal's length. Between 1893 and 1940 the canal was closed for four years for maintenance.
In 1923 alone, 41,000m3 of material fell into the canal. It took two years to clear.
Sabotage
But the most serious damages came in WWII by the Germans!!!
In 1944, retreating German forces triggered two explosions that dumped 645,000m3 of earth and rock into the canal to render it useless to the Allies.
Just to make sure, the also dumped large objects into the canal – a road/railway bridge, 130 rail boxcars, six locomotives – all booby-trapped with mines.
They also sank the Vesta – a 3,400-ton steamship – in the canal.It fell to the US Army Corps of Engineers to clear the canal.
US President Harry Truman, fearful of a civil war in Greece and the possibility of a communist takeover, asked Congress for $400 million in aid.
In May 1947 he signed an Interim Aid Bill establishing the American Mission for Aid to Greece (AMAG). The Army Engineers managed to reopen the canal for shallow-draft traffic by July 1948, and for all traffic in September that year.
Thankfully after a few years, situation escalated and circumstances became much betterl!!
The photo bellow is from my family photo album!
My late uncle and at the back the ship of the newly wed King of Greece Constantinos II and his Queen bride Anne-Marie of Denmark, crossing the canal in 1964!!
ATTRACTION FOR VARIOUS REASONS!!!
Here I've met for the very first time in my life, people from Japan and Peru, Iceland and New Zealand, South Africa and Korea, Alaska and Argentina!!! And mind you, that was before I even started elementary school!!!!!
There is a special kind of beauty this place breathes out! I am sure you agree with me 💗 !!!
I remember ever since I was a little girl, I used to follow my uncle in his daily work routine and I loved it soooo much ❣!!!!
My uncle was one of the 3 Captains of the Canal that were driving the Pilots. So let me describe you one typical day 🤗!
We were entering our beautiful Pilots, do you see in the pictures bellow this little blue and white boat? That's what a pilot is!!! Then we were heading towards the boat or boats we would lead across the Canal!! That's what the Pilots do, lead and guide ALL boats through the Canal 😊 !!!
The three photos above I took while on my typical "special excursions" to the canal 😉!!!!So that means if they were waiting for us in the Corinthian Gulf we would cross the canal to go pick them up!
That is because the headquarters of the Canal are on the White tower I showed you on my previous post about Isthmia and that is situated in the entrance of the Canal in the Saronic Gulf!
Then we would cross it one more time until we get them to the Saronic Gulf and the reverse!
We were doing that in the summer months at least 6 to 9 times per day, during my uncle's shift.
In the winter months, it could be none or maybe once, depending on the weather conditions and traffic of the boats.This way I had entered beautiful and sought-after world known big yachts -more than once sometimes- like:
- Christina, Aristoteles Onassis boat that was named after his beloved daughter!
- Nabila, Adnan Khashoggi’s boat that was also named after his daughter!
- And of course Kalypso, Jacques Yves Cousteau’s boat!!! I even had the opportunity to see him from close and talk to him, on his way to Milos island once 💗 😚!!!!
Planet Solar also crossed the Canal !!!!
Stars, Celebrities, Politicians and of course Royalties among others, have been crossing the Canal and make sure they let us know about it 😜!!!
Like Kate Moss, Sarah Ferguson and Count Nikolai von Bismarck!!
EXTREME SPORTS MAGNET
The last couple of decades, Corinth Canal is literally a magnet for sports in general!!!
Swimming from the one side to the other
to SUP Crossing
Bungee jumping of course, is "in the house" 😉!!!!
Fly through it if you wish, like stunt pilot Peter Besenyei!!!!!!
Others choose to cross it in a different, more….cool way like Robbie Maddison 😉!!!
And some more photos bellow from my personal album 😉 !!!
Just before dawn, watching the Corinth Canal from the East...
Bellow, in the early morning hours from the West!!!
A Spectacular black and white view of the Corinth Canal!!!
The new trend in Corinth Canal: Bring a lock and place it on the bridge for eternal luck 💗!!!
And with this detailed personal touch of the lucky lock, I think I just presented to you, my lovely Steem people, THE MOST detailed post contributed to Corinth Canal EVER!!! 😍
I hope you enjoy reading this, as much as I did writing it 💗 💗 💗 !!!
Until next time and with a view of the Corinth canal right behind me; stay tuned and keep smiling my beautiful people😘 😘 😘 ❤ ❤ ❤ !!!
Photo Credits:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinth_Canal