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. The 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 terminal with the cable station at Clarenville.