Page 11 - The TM Submarine Cable Book

1: The History: How it started
1260 nm of cable and 51 repeaters.
CS Monarch then commenced the
Madang - Cairns section, laying 776 nm
and 48 repeaters.

At a conference held in June 1961, in CS Mercury completed it laying 840 nm
Kuala Lumpur, between the operators of of cable and 49 repeaters and then laid
Commonwealth Pacific Cables the first section of the Madang - Guam
(COMPAC-1963) and representatives of cable with CS Monarch finishing off,
Malaysia, a decision was taken to lay a 1391 nm of cable and 83 repeaters were
cable to be known as SEACOM linking laid by the two ships. From Cairns a
Singapore, Sabah, Hong Kong and microwave link to Sydney completed the
Australia. network. At Sydney SEACOM linked up
with COMPAC and at Guam with Trans
Laying of the cable was split into two Pacific Cable 1 (TPC 1-1964).
parts, SEACOM 1, Singapore - Sabah -
Hong Kong. SEACOM 2, Hong Kong - The cable was manufactured by
Guam - Madang, Papua New Guinea - Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd.,
Australia. CS Mercury began laying the who produced 2410 nm, 68 repeaters
first part on 2 July 1964 from Jesselton, and 198 internal repeater units, and
Sabah to Singapore. Submarine Cables Ltd., who produced
4700 nm of cable and 88 repeaters plus
CS Recorder (3) had already laid the 198 repeater housings.
shore ends. CS Mercury laid 622 nm and
30 repeaters and CS Monarch (4), Capacity between Kuala Lumpur and
completed the link laying 243 nm of cable Guam was 80 telephone circuits and
and 14 repeaters. CS Cable between Guam and Sydney 160 circuits.
Enterprise laid the Singapore shore ends Each telephone circuit could carry up to
and then remained at Singapore on 22 telegraph or telex circuits. SEACOM
repair duties. The link from Singapore to was taken out of service in 1986.
Kuala Lumpur was by microwave.
CS Monarch sailed to Jesselton, Sabah
and laid 400 nm of cable and 18
repeaters of the Hong Kong cable.

CS Mercury followed on and laid 700 nm
of cable and 28 repeaters. This section
opened for service on 31 March 1965.

Before laying commenced on SEACOM
2, CS Mercury and CS Recorder
(3) spent a number of weeks surveying
the route to Australia because of the 30 Mar 1967
Malaysian Post: First day Cover SEACOM.
exceptional ocean depths. Parts of the
cable were laid at depths of 4000
fathoms.

CS Monarch then laid 800 nm and 33
repeaters of the Hong Kong - Guam
cable with CS Mercury laying a further

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