Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible Highlight

Repeaters weigh about 400 kilograms. It takes three people to pull one out of the water, cut it free from the cable, and slide it down a special ramp onto the deck. The rubber casings are stamped with the dates when each one rolled off the line—July 27, 1987, December 23, 1987, February 19, 1988, and so on—and there are identification numbers and instructions painted on them. Human hands painted the casings before they went into the water 38 years ago, and it’s humans who pull them out, also with their hands.