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Path: cwruecmp!sundar
From: sundar@cwruecmp.UUCP (Sundar Iyengar)
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: Re: First fiber-optic undersea cable laid across the English Channel
Message-ID: <1888@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Date: 21 Feb 87 18:18:38 GMT
References: <8702070322.AA00268@decwrl.dec.com>
Reply-To: sundar@cwruecmp.UUCP (Sundar Iyengar)
Organization: CWRU Dept. of Computer Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio
Lines: 34

In article <8702070322.AA00268@decwrl.dec.com> covert@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU@covert.DEC.com (John R. Covert) writes:
>On 20 November 1986 the first international fiber-optic undersea cable
>between Broadstairs and Ostende was officially dedicated.  "UK-Belgium
>No. 5" was laid the beginning of May and connects the British island
>and the European mainland via the classic stretch of the English Channel.
>
>    ....  For protection against mechanical damage the cable
>was buried in the ocean floor with a gigantic "Cable Plow" for most of
>the stretch.
>    ....  for the fiber-optic undersea cable installation TAT-8,
>planned for 1988, which will connect Europe and North America with
>each other.

I hope this is a right group to ask these questions.  They are about
installing trans-atlantic and trans-pacific underwater cable systems.

When the cable is run across the atlantic, how is the volcanically
active mid-atlantic ridge system is bypassed?  With the continents
moving away from each other at about 2cm per year, a lot of slack
must be allowed on the cable to account for possible stretching.
Is this really a problem?  How about the deep ocean trenches in
the pacific that might suck the cable in?  

Related question:  What is the average life time of underwater cable
system?

Thanks,

sundar r. iyengar		

arpa:  sundar%case.csnet           531, crawford hall
csnet: sundar@case		   case western reserve university
uucp:  decvax!cwruecmp!sundar	   cleveland, oh 44106