Editing Coco Solo

{{short description|United States Navy submarine base}}
{{Infobox military structure
| name= Naval Base Coco Solo
| partof=
| location= [[Cativá]], [[Panama]]
| image=NS Coco Solo Panama 1941 NAN7-64.jpg
| image_size=300px
| caption=Aerial view of the U.S. Naval Station Coco Solo in 1941
| coordinates= 
| type=[[Naval base]]
| code=
| height=
| ownership=
| controlledby= {{flag|United States Navy}}
| condition=
| built=
| builder=
| used= 1918–1999
| materials=
| demolished=
| battles=
| events=
| past_commanders= 
| garrison=
| occupants=
|ensign=
|current_commander=
}}
[[File:Naval Station Coco Solo with submarines 1923.jpg|right|thumb|[[United States O-class submarine|O-class submarines]] at Coco Solo in 1923.]]

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

==History==
The submarine base at Coco Solo was established May 6, 1918.<ref name=nan>{{cite book |last=Van Wyen |first=Adrian O. |title =Naval Aviation in World War I |url=https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash |publisher =Chief of Naval Operations |date =1969 |location =Washington, D.C. |page =[https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash/page/64 64] }}</ref> 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 [[United States C-class submarine|C-class submarines]] were based there during 1914–1919.

[[United States Senator]] [[John McCain]] was born in 1936 at a small Navy hospital,<ref name="alexander">{{cite book |title = Man of the People: The Life of John McCain |first = Paul |last = Alexander |author-link = Paul Alexander (American writer) |url = https://archive.org/details/manofpeoplelifeo00alex/page/12 |isbn = 0-471-22829-X |year = 2002 |publisher = [[John Wiley & Sons]] |page = [https://archive.org/details/manofpeoplelifeo00alex/page/12 12] }}</ref><ref name="wapo-fc-hosp">{{cite news | url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/john_mccains_birthplace.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111221044/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/john_mccains_birthplace.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 11, 2012 | title=The Fact Checker: John McCain's Birthplace | author=Dobbs, Michael | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=2008-05-20 | access-date=2009-07-25 | author-link=Michael Dobbs (US author)}}</ref> at Coco Solo Naval Air Station.<ref name="timberg-bio-ch1">{{cite book | last=Timberg | first=Robert | title=John McCain: An American Odyssey | publisher=[[Touchstone Books]] | year=1999 | isbn=0-684-86794-X | url=https://archive.org/details/johnmccainameric00timb }} [https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/timberg-mccain.html pp. 17–34.]</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/citizen_mccain.html |title=The Fact Checker: Citizen McCain |author=Dobbs, Michael |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2008-05-02 |access-date=2008-12-26 |author-link=Michael Dobbs (US author) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706003725/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/citizen_mccain.html |archive-date=2008-07-06 }}</ref><!-- the alleged birth certificate floating around the web stating that McCain was born outside the PCZ is likely a forgery; see http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/02/the-birth-certificate-is-a-forgery/ -->

The larger Coco Solo Hospital was constructed in the summer of 1941.<ref name="wapo-fc-hosp"/>  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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=60931 | title=Executive Order 8981 – Navy Hospital Area, Coco Solo, Canal Zone | publisher=[[United States Government]] | date=1941-12-17 | access-date=2008-05-16}}</ref>  

On December 7, 1941, three [[V-boat|V-class submarine]]s (''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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navsource.org/Naval/usf06.htm|title = US-Fleet Dec 7 1941}}</ref>

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 (Panama)|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, Panama|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 terminal]]s: Colón Container Terminal<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cct-pa.com/location.htm | title=Colón Container Terminal, S.A. | publisher=[[Colón Container Terminal, S.A.]] | access-date=2010-08-14 | archive-date=2010-06-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626152840/http://www.cct-pa.com/location.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Manzanillo International Terminal]], which is the busiest container port in Latin America.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tideworks.com/company/casestudies/pdf/MIT.pdf | title=Manzanillo International Terminal Case Study | publisher=[[Tideworks Technology]] | access-date=2010-08-14 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717054650/http://www.tideworks.com/company/casestudies/pdf/MIT.pdf | archive-date=2011-07-17 }}</ref>

==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Coco Solo, 4 m asl (1961–1990 normals) 
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 31.7
|Feb record high C = 30.6
|Mar record high C = 33.3
|Apr record high C = 36.1
|May record high C = 35.0
|Jun record high C = 33.9
|Jul record high C = 34.4
|Aug record high C = 33.9
|Sep record high C = 34.4
|Oct record high C = 34.4
|Nov record high C = 33.3
|Dec record high C = 31.7
|Jan high C = 29.3
|Feb high C = 29.8
|Mar high C = 30.6
|Apr high C = 31.2
|May high C = 31.1
|Jun high C = 30.6
|Jul high C = 31.3
|Aug high C = 30.8
|Sep high C = 30.4
|Oct high C = 30.4
|Nov high C = 29.3
|Dec high C = 29.1
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 27.0
|Feb mean C = 27.5
|Mar mean C = 27.9
|Apr mean C = 28.2
|May mean C = 27.9
|Jun mean C = 27.8
|Jul mean C = 27.8
|Aug mean C = 27.5
|Sep mean C = 27.3
|Oct mean C = 27.4
|Nov mean C = 26.7
|Dec mean C = 27.1
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 24.6
|Feb low C = 25.1
|Mar low C = 25.2
|Apr low C = 25.2
|May low C = 24.7
|Jun low C = 24.9
|Jul low C = 24.3
|Aug low C = 24.1
|Sep low C = 24.3
|Oct low C = 24.3
|Nov low C = 24.1
|Dec low C = 25.0
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = 18.9
|Feb record low C = 20.6
|Mar record low C = 18.9
|Apr record low C = 19.4
|May record low C = 20.6
|Jun record low C = 21.7
|Jul record low C = 20.6
|Aug record low C = 21.1
|Sep record low C = 21.7
|Oct record low C = 21.7
|Nov record low C = 21.1
|Dec record low C = 19.4
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 139.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 35.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 87.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 149.2
|May precipitation mm = 382.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 318.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 404.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 478.4
|Sep precipitation mm = 332.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 397.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 714.6
|Dec precipitation mm = 395.2
|year precipitation mm = 
|unit precipitation days = 1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 12.33
|Feb precipitation days = 6.73
|Mar precipitation days = 10.55
|Apr precipitation days = 6.55
|May precipitation days = 19.00
|Jun precipitation days = 17.25
|Jul precipitation days = 16.00
|Aug precipitation days = 23.50
|Sep precipitation days = 18.00
|Oct precipitation days = 18.57
|Nov precipitation days = 25.00
|Dec precipitation days = 17.00
|year precipitation days = 
|source 1=  Météo climat stats<ref>{{cite web |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1961-1990-1-p167.php|title=Moyennes 1961-1990 Panama (Asie)|language=fr|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>
|source 2= Météo Climat <ref>{{cite web|url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-1743-1949-1967.php|title=Météo Climat stats for Coco Solo |publisher=Météo Climat|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>
}}

==See also==
* [[List of former United States military installations in Panama]]
* [[Naval Base Panama Canal Zone]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601070357/http://panamaliving.com:80/NavalStationCocoSoloPhotoAlbum.html |date=June 1, 2016 |title=History and photo page on Coco Solo }}
* [http://www.czbrats.com/Photos/PO/POcocosolo2.jpg Photo of the US Naval Hospital Coco Solo]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_90/ai_70777165 "The Battle for Coco Solo Panama, 1989", Infantry Magazine]
* [https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080408/ts_nm/usa_politics_panama_dc "Tropical decay blights McCain's Panama birthplace", 2008 Reuters story]

{{Panama Canal}}
{{authority control}}
{{coord|9.37262|N|79.8812|W|source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Panama Canal Zone Townships]]
[[Category:Military installations of the United States in Panama]]
[[Category:Colón, Panama]]
[[Category:United States Navy submarine bases]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Colón Province]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1918]]
[[Category:Closed installations of the United States Navy]]