Lets have a look at this map Notice how Colon is on an island in the middle of the bay and Coco Solo is separated from Colon by Manzanillo bay On the following linked map Larger Map of Colon Panama we can see that Colon has a hospital at the north end of the island This hospital existed in 1936 the Coco Solo Hospital was built after 1941 by executive order of FDR after Pearl Harbor