Undersea Fiber Communication Systems

Once the fault position has been located, power is removed from the system.

The cable ship then deploys a suitable type of grapnel and undertakes a grapnel

run on the cable at some distance before the fault position. If possible, a cut-and-

hold grapnel is deployed so that the cable can be cut and recovered as one

exercise. If this is not possible, a cutting grapnel is used first and a second grapnel

run, separated from the first by a distance equivalent to the water depth, is used to

recover the cable.

Once the holding g rapnel is engaged with the cable, which will be indicated

by a rise of observed tension on the grapnel holding rope, the cable is