Information Category | 08-03-08 05:14 GMT | Posted by Ian Chicken

Chapter 6: Development

Extract from Cable ships & submarine cables, by KR Haigh (1978)

It was mentioned in the Chapter dealing with Cable & Wireless, that one leg of the round the world, Commonwealth telephone cable when first introduced, contained a connection from the United Kingdom to South Africa.

With the secession of South Africa from the Commonwealth this was no longer possible and alternative had to be found if communication links were to be maintained, other than by radio methods. 

A solution was found in the formation in South Africa of the South Atlantic Cable Company by the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa and the American Cable and Radio Corporation. 
The new company planned to lay a cable from Cape town to Lisbon, where there was a connection into the G.P.O. cable to Goonhilly (BT Earth Station). 
An order for the entire system was placed with Standard Telephone & Cables who laid it from C.S. Mercury and C.S. John W Mackay. 

A 360 3KHz channel system was provided which came into service in 1969 and is known as SAT-1

Above: C.S. Mercury and C.S. John W Mackay in docks at Capetown on December 5th 1967 before they started to lay the Capetown to Ascension Island.



The entire system comprises the following sections
(a). Sesimbra, Portugal - Santa Cruz, Tenerife, 736n.m. of cable and 78 repeaters
(b). Santa Cruz - Baia da Mordeira, Cape Verde Islands, 856n.m. of cable and 91 repeaters.
(c). Baia da Mordeira - Georgetown, Ascension Island,1698n.m. of cable and 179 repeaters.
(d). Georgetown - Melkbosstrand, Republic of South Africa, 2594n.m. of cable and 277 repeaters