FAMOUS CABLE SHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18747, 28 December 1922, Page 7

FAMOUS CABLE SHIP

Having well am] truly laid 50.000 miles of submarine cable in 48 years, the fatuous " ship Faraday has retired, full of honours, ' says', a London paper. *She may spend the remainder of her days' ns a peaceful oil tank —at least some such. fate is foreseen for her by Messrs Siemens, 'her owners. ■ p At the moment the Faraday, looking'quite lit for more voyages, lies off Southend, 1 with a crow of three or four watchmen aboard to keen her spin and span, and the : lights burning o’ nights that coast regulations require. The Faraday’s exploits inr -' elude the laying of eight Atlantic cables the first was tho direct United States cablat-v in 137 A She connected Paris with New ‘-cYork in 1879, laid the Western Union and ■ 1 Commercial cables in the ’eighties, tho Amazon River cable in 1895. and the Paciho cable (tluarn to Bojiin) in 1905. with other cord rads in between. In 1921 she was annihilating space between Cuba and Puerto! Rico. , . ■ Now, while very suitable as a fuel store because- of her tliree large tanks in which the cables were snugly coiled, she is re- , garcled as obsolete for sea telegraph repair and renewal work. Her captain and chief engineer are ashore awaiting the completion of a new and finer vessel in Palmers Yard; “ Hebbuin-on-Tvnc. The new cable layer will be longer—3Boft to 565 ft, narrower—48ft to 52ft."and heavier—67oo tons to 5023. She will be driven by oil fuel instead of coal, will have an additional cable tank,, and will need a crew of ISO men as compared with the Faraday's 165. The new ship is to be ready by next) spring in time for anticipated developments .■ on the cable line of communication. , Repairs have often to be earned out in thq .« Atlantic up to a depth of *SOOO fathoms.