Cable Buoys used to mark the location of cables. The largest of the buoys used on the Atlantic telegraph cable of 1865-66 could carry a cable weight of 20 tons.

DESCRIBED BY THE writer Arthur C Clarke as the Victorian equivalent of the Apollo project, the laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable was successfully completed in 1866. Between 13th and 27th July, the world’s largest steamship, the Great Eastern, with James Anderson as Captain, laid the cable. The cable was manufactured by John Pender’s cable- making company Telcon and was both lighter and stronger than previous cables which had failed.

Diagram showing the method used to pick up the 1865 cable. A. Point where cable was buoyed, B. Point where cable was broken, C. Point where cable was brought to the surface.	The Great Eastern at Newfoundland. The cost of sending the first telegrams was £20.

See Also
Great Eastern Sir John Pender – Founder of Cable & Wireless