Plowing Cables Under the Sea

The principal cause of submarine telephone cable failures has been fishing activities on the continental shelf, particularly in the Western Atlantic area. The Bell System has conducted extensive investigation of methods of burying these cables in the affected area to eliminate this hazard. This has culminated in the development of a unique underwater plow which was used successfully in July 1967 to bury about 100 miles of cable on two transatlantic cables off the coast of New Jersey in water depths up to 100 fathoms and 40 miles of the 720-circuit Florida-St. Thomas cable. This paper covers the problems involved, the extensive exploration of the sea bottom, and the development of the sea plow. It also discusses the improvements that are expected in submarine cable reliability and the affect on selection of future submarine cable routes.