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s many of you know, Sub Tel Forum is published by WFN Strategies, one of a handful of engineering consultancies in the submarine cable world. This past May, I – your humble magazine purveyor – was given the rare opportunity to do a sort of “ride along” during the installation of the new BLAST system linking the islands of American Samoa, during which, I was able to get a first-hand experience that sitting at a desk pouring over datasheets could never hope to match. As a member of the younger, rising generation of submarine cable enthusiasts, when I was asked if I could clear my May schedule to take part in the two week installation process, I was thrilled. Something like this – especially in such a beautiful part of the world – is normally out of reach for someone in my position. As a media outlet, we routinely report on conferences, gather data and produce analysis, but rarely do we get the opportunity to get our hands actually dirty in the real nuts and bolts of this industry. Getting There Transit to the island nation from our east coast bastion is relatively simple: a hop from
Dulles over to Honolulu, a flight path I’m well acquainted with after a decade attending PTC, followed by an afternoon with my toes in the sand and a night in the bustling tourist spot. I can confidently say to you that I was nervous. I had never really done field-work like this before, nor traveled as far into the pacific. Having the night to work off my jetlag at my favorite Mai Tai Bar in my favorite hotel did wonders for my mindset! The next morning, I hooked up with the team that I would be supporting during the trip: Richard Hoffman, whose name and expertise I’ve heard about since my childhood; his son and fellow young-gun Matt Hoffman; and marine biologist extraordinaire Russ Burdge. Richard and I would ride with the crew on IT’s CS Intrepid -the former CS Sir Eric Sharpe – acting as representative of the owners of the system, while Matt and Russ would bounce around on the dive boat performing the environmental monitoring. With time to kill before our afternoon flight to Pago Pago, we cruised the town, enjoyed the beach and then finally made our way over the airport. As flights go, I had expected this
one to be crowded – with only two flights between Honolulu and Pago Pago every week it was to be expected. We took off, we flew and we landed. As an old friend once said, “the only thing a flight needs to be successful is a soft landing.” Sage words, as the landing was the softest thing on the flight. The four of us reconnected on the other side of customs – a stamp and a smile from the very appreciative customs agent that seemed enthralled with the influx of cable ship crew on the flight, all there to make their own internet speeds better. It
seemed that we were anxiously expected. That was the first, and certainly not the last time that a stranger thanked the crew and us for being there to perform this much-needed work. A Sadie’s by the Sea shuttle took us to our home for the night and, a welcome night’s sleep later, Richard and I boarded the CS Intrepid. Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Day One We were able to board at noon, giving us three hours to get settled in and take the necessary tours of the ship