286 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1955 



Newfoundland and Scotland because proved reliability is an essential 

 requirement in a pioneering and costly venture such as the trans- 

 atlantic telephone cable. 



There had not been the opportunity to subject to comparable tests 

 the elements in the British development using tank-type repeaters, 

 particularly those which it was proposed to introduce as parts of a 

 deep-water (as distinct from a shallow- water) system. Nevertheless, 

 it was apparent that if a means for laying and recovering the large 

 repeater housings in deep water without damage to the cable were 

 later developed, the design would provide great flexibility in re- 

 peatered cable systems of the future. Kelly and Radley therefore 

 recommended that the British design should be used for the link 

 between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia where the water is of mod- 

 erate depth, and offered the opportunity for observation of a design 

 based on shallow- water techniques. The design permitted a lower cost 

 per telephone circuit on this short link. 



The Canadian Overseas Telecommunication Corporation was asked 

 to join in the enterprise because of its interest in overseas communica- 

 tion and the desire to improve United Kingdom-Canada communica- 

 tion. Administrative and technical discussions took place on both 

 sides of the Atlantic and agreements were arrived at and formalized 

 in a contract signed on November 27, 1953. Ownership of the system 

 will be vested in the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., the 

 British Post Office, the Canadian Overseas Telecommunication Cor- 

 poration, and the Eastern Telephone and Telegraph Co. The last is 

 a subsidiary of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. and will 

 be concerned with the facilities within Canadian territorial limits. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPLETE SYSTEM 



A map of the complete system has already been referred to in 

 figure 1, and the route in Newfoundland is shown in greater detail 

 in figure 4. This route between Clarenville in Newfoundland and 

 Oban in Scotland has been chosen in order to be well clear of existing 

 telegraph cables lying to the southward, and also to avoid known 

 "holes" in the sea bed. Selection of a landing site in Newfoundland 

 was determined by other practical considerations involving icebergs, 

 other cable crossings, and provisions for a staff to maintain these 

 cables. 



Both the cables between Clarenville and Oban will be approxi- 

 mately 1,950 nautical miles long; each will be equipped with 51 re- 

 peaters. The greatest depth at which a repeater will lie will be 

 approximately 2,300 fathoms (2.6 statute miles) ; most will be at 

 depths between 1,200 and 2,000 fathoms. 



Several alternative routes connecting Clarenville with Nova Scotia 

 were considered, none particularly attractive from an engineering 



