The Telephone Goes Underwater

After the birth of the telephone in 1875, efforts were begun to achieve with this new instrument what had been done with the telegraph. Almost immediately, the problems that had plagued the underwater telegraph cables began reappearing for telephone engineers, but in a far more severe form. Again, the foremost difficulty was the old problem of signal retardation and distortion. Due to the great complexity of human speech, many years of intense study and intricate engineering were required before good-quality speech of today’s standards would be achieved through submerged wires.

Meanwhile, in 1896, the radio came into being. On its heels, shortwave radio was introduced. This entirely new and unexpected method of long-distance communication provided the underseas cable with what has been called “its greatest challenge.” By way of shortwave radio, the human voice spanned the Atlantic 40 years before the first successful transatlantic telephone cable was laid. From 1927 until 1956, this was the only means of sending human speech across the oceans. Its success, however, was limited, as it depended almost entirely on good weather. Messages sometimes required days to get through. But great advancement was made in radio communication, and, in turn, much of this technical knowledge contributed to the success of the submarine telephone cable.

Transatlantic Telephone Cables

The first transatlantic telephone-cable system linked Newfoundland with Britain by way of Scotland and was laid in three installments. Every splicing joint was X-rayed to be sure that there was not the slightest defect. Some problems arose, primarily due to Hurricane Ione; but they were quickly overcome. The two-cable system was a tremendous success when completed in 1956. Fifty-one repeaters, approximately 40 miles (65 kilometers) apart, magnify human voice currents going eastward. About 25 miles (40 kilometers) away lay the other cable with an equal number of repeaters sending the currents westward. The laying of this cable started an explosion of cable-laying activity across the seas.

Later, due to the very ingenious electronic invention known as TASI (Time-Assignment Speech Interpolation) and solid-state transistors, it became possible to double the number of channels on the cables. This swift-acting device takes advantage of silences in common conversation and switches in other conversations. The 1956 cable had 36 circuits. But think of the potential with cables such as the one completed in 1976 that links the United States and France and that carries 4,000 channels! And with TASI it can be doubled!

The Pacific Voiceway

A telegraph cable had been laid between the United States and Hawaii as early as 1903. Its ends were pulled ashore at Waikiki Beach with the help of a small donkey engine. Hawaii’s first telephone company was established only seven years after the invention of the telephone. But it was not until 1931 that Hawaii was tied in with long-distance telephone through shortwave radio. With the completion of the 2,400-mile (3,800-kilometer) cable from California to Hawaii in 1957, what became known as the Pacific Voiceway came into existence. This $36,000,000 project augmented the 14 radio-telephone circuits existing at that time. It took just eight seconds to put through a three-way telephone call between Hawaii, Alaska and London, and it was as clear as a bell. The cable also carried 36 circuits. Interestingly, at the time, an official stated: “It is seldom that that many people will want to call the mainland at any one time. So some of them will not always be in use.” How wrong he was!

Seven years later, the $80,000,000 (U.S.), 5,300-mile (8,500-kilometer) Voiceway to the Orient came into being. For the first time, the United States was linked directly with the Orient by way of Hawaii. By this time a single cable capable of carrying speech both ways could be used. It has 128 circuits and, with TASI, can be boosted to carry 256 conversations simultaneously. This almost unbelievable project enlisted the efforts of experts in physics, engineering, chemistry, oceanography, fishing, skin diving and volcanology. Yes, the Pacific carries threats that the Atlantic had not presented​—volcanoes, coral reefs, tidal waves and the world’s deepest trenches. The Mariana Trench, the world’s deepest known hole, plunges to over seven miles (11 kilometers) between Guam and Midway and could not be avoided when laying the cable. Starting in San Luis Obispo, California, the cable connects with Japan by way of Hawaii, Midway, Wake and Guam. At present, it is possible to dial directly from Honolulu to most cities on the United States mainland and to many European countries. And, using a 14-digit number, it is possible to dial from New York to any private phone in Japan for a clear-as-a-bell instantaneous connection.

Costs have been reduced drastically. In 1957, the lowest-priced night call from Hawaii to California was $5.25 (U.S.) for three minutes. Now it has been lowered to 80 cents. Instead of taking 16-1/2 hours to get through, messages take less than a tenth of a second to travel the same distance.