Fort Amador and Fort Grant were former US Army bases protecting the Pacific (southern) end of the Panama Canal at the Panama Bay. Amador was the primary on-land site, lying below the Bridge of the Americas. Grant consisted of a series islands lying just offshore, some connected to Amador via a causway. Fort Sherman was the corrsponding base on the Atlantic (northern) side. All of the Forts were turned over to the Republic of Panama in 1999, and the area is now a major tourist attraction. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... A canal tug, making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal, waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. ...

The offshore islands had always been considered excellent defensive grounds, and were long visited by English pirates. In particular Sir Francis Drake, Captain Cook and Henry Morgan all used Tobaga and Perico as refuges after raiding Spanish galleons. It was here that then-Captain Ulysses S. Grant ended his cross-Panama march in 1852. Sir Francis Drake, c. ... British explorer James Cook is most noted for having discovered Australia and Hawaii. ... Sir Henry Morgan, in a popular woodcut, 18th century Sir Henry Morgan (c. ... A Spanish galleon A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. ... Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...

During the construction of the Canal, notably the Culebra Cut, waste material was dumped in a mangrove bush then known as the "Balboa dump". As the work progressed the dump was backfilled to create a large breakwater, which was later extended to the nearest of the offshore islands, Naos. This work was completed in 1912, and the Military Reservations were given their official names that year. Fort Amador is named for Manuel Amador Guerrero, the first president of Panama, while Fort Grant was named to commemorate Grant's earlier crossing to that point. Manuel Amador Guerrero (b. ...

The two Forts initially claimed only about 70 acres of land, but this expanded over the years to over 344. Amador was the primary infantry and support area, and grew to include a rather prominent "tank farm" for fuel storage. Grant was primarily for naval defence, and included a number of large batteries on the various islands. To supply them, the causeway was extended to connect from Naos to the other nearby islands, Culebra, Perico and Flamenco, all of which had batteries of various sizes. Grant also included the nearby unconnected islands of San Jose, Panamarca, Changarmi, Tortolita, Torola, Taboga, Cocovieceta, Cocovi, and Venado.

External links

• A History of Fort Amador and Fort Grant