aft tank was 58ft (17.68m) in diameter and 20½ft (6.25m) deep, capable of holding 898 miles (1,436.8km). Production of the final length of cable was completed on 29 May 1865 and the final transfer of cable to the SS Great Eastern was accomplished by the Amethyst on 14 June. Ten days later, the Great Eastern sailed from the Medway, under the command of Captain James Anderson (1824-93) and first officer Robert Halpin (1836-94), carrying 7,000 tons of cable,
2,000 tons of cable tanks and 7,000 tons of coal. At the Nore, in the mouth of the Thames estuary, she took on a further 1,500 tons of coal, which brought her total dead weight up to 21,000 tons. By the 19 July she had anchored at Berehaven in Bantry Bay and commenced preparations for the great undertaking. During 20-22 July the SS Caroline carried out the installation of the shore-end in Foilhummerum Bay at Valentia. The cable end was finally buoyed at 10:30pm on 22 July, 26 miles west-
Transfer to the Great Eastern @ Sheerness
north-west of Valentia in 75 fathoms (137m) of water. On the morning of 23 July the Caroline recovered the buoy and the end of the shore end cable. Then the cable end from the SS Great Eastern was also brought aboard her deck. By 17:15, the initial splice was complete and all testing was deemed satisfactory. At 19:15 the Caroline slipped the initial splice and the Great Eastern commenced pay-out. She was accompanied by HMS Terrible & HMS Sphinx.
Cable laying operations continued, with some minor problems, until 2 August, when the cable parted and was lost in 2,000 fathoms (3,658m) of water, just 600 miles (960km) from Newfoundland, which would have been the end of the lay. Several days were spent trying to recover the cable end but by 11 August 1865, the officers and crew had to concede defeat. The Great Eastern deployed a buoy at the location of the lost cable end and returned to England.
Caroline landing the shore end in Foilhummerum Bay, 22 July 1865