Submarine Cable Map

SamSpade

SamSpade

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
Given how complex it must be to maintain these things, I have to imagine that a lot of space is "shared" - as in, there's a big pipe and lots of cable fits in with room to spare.

That's a guess, but that's how I'd do it. Easier to fix.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
SamSpade said:
Given how complex it must be to maintain these things, I have to imagine that a lot of space is "shared" - as in, there's a big pipe and lots of cable fits in with room to spare.

That's a guess, but that's how I'd do it. Easier to fix.
Click to expand...

I don't know but I don't think so. I think they are all individual cables. Pulling them together inside a pipe sounds impossible at first glance to me. I think they may lay near one another simply because of the topography or bottom-ography as the case may be. :lol:
 
b23hqb

b23hqb

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
We have been spoiled and DO like our almost instantaneous forms of communications, don't we? I was hoping to find a chart designating what kinds of cable each color represents as far as capacity and speed go.
 
Monello

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
I read a book about how we use to tap 1 of the Soviet's cable that dealt with military communications. A sub would attach a recorder to the line, then retrieve it a few months later. IIRC it was the USS Halibut that was modified for this mission.
 
littlelady

littlelady

God bless the USA
I thought for a long time that is what it would look like. But, Larry's comment about trash at the bottom of the sea made me sad. I am sure he is right.
 
GURPS

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Monello said:
I read a book about how we use to tap 1 of the Soviet's cable that dealt with military communications. A sub would attach a recorder to the line, then retrieve it a few months later. IIRC it was the USS Halibut that was modified for this mission.
Click to expand...



:yay:


and the Russians found it at one point ...
... and we got busted, because it had an NSN in the case and 'Property of the US NAVY'
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Monello said:
I read a book about how we use to tap 1 of the Soviet's cable that dealt with military communications. A sub would attach a recorder to the line, then retrieve it a few months later. IIRC it was the USS Halibut that was modified for this mission.
Click to expand...

Frog men did the work, as I recall. The sub was just Uber for them. :lol:
 
glhs837

glhs837

Power with Control
Monello said:
I read a book about how we use to tap 1 of the Soviet's cable that dealt with military communications. A sub would attach a recorder to the line, then retrieve it a few months later. IIRC it was the USS Halibut that was modified for this mission.
Click to expand...


I actually have a copy of that book on my desk. It's called "Blind Mans Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage". Great read. According to it, after placing the tap and listening to the Soviets chatter, the divers brought back a huge crab through the hatch that they cooked and ate.....
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
glhs837 said:
I actually have a copy of that book on my desk. It's called "Blind Mans Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage". Great read. According to it, after placing the tap and listening to the Soviets chatter, the divers brought back a huge crab through the hatch that they cooked and ate.....
Click to expand...

Great read. Gives a heck of a feel for the times and the men, the pressures, no pun intended, the deadliness and suspense of the thing.
 
glhs837

glhs837

Power with Control
My favorite part? And I admit to bias, because it speaks to what I did when I served.... A Soviet Admiral, lamenting to a US diplomat or such at a cocktail party that his submarines simply could not find places to hide in the ocean, said that it was frustrating that if he wanted to know where his submarines were anywhere in the world at any time, he simply needed to ask his intel folks where USN P-3 Orions were flying. Because his subs were never left alone, ever. We tracked them from leaving port to going back home, and the whole time they were on station of our coasts.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
glhs837 said:
My favorite part? And I admit to bias, because it speaks to what I did when I served.... A Soviet Admiral, lamenting to a US diplomat or such at a cocktail party that his submarines simply could not find places to hide in the ocean, said that it was frustrating that if he wanted to know where his submarines were anywhere in the world at any time, he simply needed to ask his intel folks where USN P-3 Orions were flying. Because his subs were never left alone, ever. We tracked them from leaving port to going back home, and the whole time they were on station of our coasts.
Click to expand...

"...lamenting to a US spook..." :buddies:
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Working on a ship in drydock in Mobile, there was one of the largest "cable laying" ships built in the dock next to ours. Got invited aboard for a short tour and look around....there is some serious money involved in undersea cable laying.
 
Clem72

Clem72

Well-Known Member
SamSpade said:
Given how complex it must be to maintain these things, I have to imagine that a lot of space is "shared" - as in, there's a big pipe and lots of cable fits in with room to spare.

That's a guess, but that's how I'd do it. Easier to fix.
Click to expand...

You would think they might over provision or run extra fiber, but in fact they run only a few strands per cable. This is because they also have to run power in the same cable, and push DC power from one side to power the repeaters.

I forgot what the limits are, but I think its 5 or 6 strands before they reach the max that they can power. Ars Technica did a very in-depth writeup on it a couple of months ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top