Route selection and cable laying for the transatlantic cable system

The repeatered submarine cables which form the backbone of the transatlantic telephone cable project were installed during the good-weather periods of 1955 and 1956. This paper considers the factors entering into the selection of the routes, describes the planning and execution of the laying task and presents a few observations on the human side of the venture. It also covers briefly the routing of some 55 nautical miles of repeatered submarine-type cable which were trenched in across the neck of the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland to connect the Terrenceville submarine terminus with the cable station at Clarenville.