CABLE LAYING

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22135, 3 July 1937, Page 16

CABLE LAYING

A RACE AGAINST WEATHER

THE RECORDER IN COOK

STRAIT

SPLICING UNDER DIFFICULTIES

The new coaxial cable, which will so greatly extend telephone facilities for cross-strait communication, has been laid after a somewhat eventful experience of the vagaries of Cook Strait weather. The task of the cable ship Recorder was to lay safely 5dU tons weight of cable along a carefully plotted course from Lyall Bay to Blind river, Marlborough, a distance of 46 miles, and 10 days were occupied before the work could be completed, the greater part of that time being spent in waiting for favourable conditions. Laying operations commenced on June 15 when the Recorder lifted the shore-end two and a half miles off Lyall Bay and made the joint with the northern section of the cable 18 long. Steaming south-east along a course checked by constant observations of fixed points and also marked by buoys previously laid along the route, the cable ship completed this section of the work in six and a half hours. This end of the cable was dropped in the middle of Cook Strait in a depth of about 700 feet. During the laying, the weather changed, land marks became obscured, and the importance of taking the precaution to lay buoys was demonstrated.

The Blind River End

The next step was to land the shoreend of the southern section at Blind river, off which the ship anchored overnight. The weather became increasingly rough and the Recorder had to take shelter in Port Underwood for several days. On Sunday, June 20. when conditions began to improve and there was a chance of completing the work, the Recorder anchored three-quarters of a mile off Blind river to commence landing the shore-end of the southern section at 7 a.m. The heavy cable was floated ashore on evenly-spaced 40-gallon drums, 80 being required for this purpose, and tractors were utilised for haulage up the beach to the cable hut. The cable had scarcely reached the shore when a fresh southerly sprang up and with the increasing wind and sea there was no alternative but to cut the heaving lines, haul back the cable into the ship's tanks, and steam away to the shelter of Port Underwood.

Then ensued another wait for better weather, the ship being supplied frequently with forecasts from the Meteorological Office and venturing out occasionally into the strait for observation of the sea. Several days were spent waiting and watching for the propitious slant of good weather, and finally on Wednesday. June 23, the work was resumed at Blind river, the ship being brought within half a mile of the shore in the calm sea. For a second time the cable was landed and at 10 a.m. the Recorder lifted anchor and commenced to steam towards Lyall Bay paying out the final section of 19£ miles which had to be jointed to the northern portion about midway in the strait. Only four or five miles had been laid when the weather began to get rough. Splicing the Cable

At 2 p.m. the northern section was lifted and then remained the important task of splicing the two cables. While the preparations were going on a real southerly began to blow, with considerable rain. It became a question whether the whole operation should not again be stopped and the cable ends dropped and buoyed to await more suitable conditions for the important task of jointing, which would take at least six hours.

During the jointing period the ship must be kept exactly in position without throwing a strain on the cable. It was decided to go ahead with the work, which had to be done in a tent well lashed down on the foredeck of the Recorder. Difficulty was experienced in keeping the interior of the jointers' tent dry owing to so much spray and driving rain. Fortunately the tide and wind were in the same direction, so that the ship . remained fairly steady, although to maintain her position the engines were set ahead at a speed equal to three knots an hour.

In the history of Cook Strait*s cables there iias never' been a previous example of making the final splice in mid-strait under such adverse conditions. The delicate task of jointing commenced at 6 p.m., with the prospect that between midnight and 1 a.m. a change in the tide would cause a considerable increase in the sea. Fortunately, jointing was successfully completed by 11.30 p.m., with no margin to spare because the weather was becoming worse all the time. Tests from Lyall Bay and Blind river cable huts showed that the joint had been completed satisfactorily and the cable was then dropped overboard. Recovering the Buoys

The Recorder was obliged to dodge about Cook Strait until daylight in order to enter Port Underwood again for shelter. Four days of bad weather followed before the cable ship could, recover the mark buoys along the cable route. This was done on June 28, so that the whole of the operations associated with the laying of the coaxial cable had taken a fortnight. To have achieved success in this time reflects great credit on the seaman-

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