CS RETRIEVER (5)
Built 1961, Cammell Laird & Co., Birkenhead
Length 366.0 ft Breadth 47.6 ft Depth 19.1ft Gross
tonnage 4000
Built for and owned by Cable & Wireless Ltd. The
first in the fleet to be fitted with diesel-electric propulsion. Fitted
with three cable tanks with a total storage capacity of 21000 cubic feet.
The two forward cable machines were supplied by Johnson & Phillips and were electrically driven.

CS Retriever (5) during acceptance trials, April 1961
Image courtesy of David Griffiths
David Howard, who served on Retriever later in the 1960s,
notes that the funnel in this photograph has a different appearance than in other pictures of the ship. During trials the company wasn’t happy with the placement of the foghorn and ordered it raised, so later photos show it as a ‘bump’ on the top of the funnel. |
Three 6.0 ft diameter bow sheaves were fitted along
with a gantry for laying rigid repeaters. For paying out aft one of the
forward paying out machines was used and the cable and/or repeater passed
along a chute, which itself passed through an alleyway on the centre line
of the upper deck superstructure to the stern.

CS Retriever (5) alongside the Henderson quay
at the Humber Graving Dock in the 1960s.
Image courtesy of Ray Banks |
Based at Fiji for maintenance of Canada - Australia
cables. Later moved to Singapore to replace CS Recorder (3). Scrapped
in 1995.
-Fiji-1965-Peter-Greis_s.jpg)
CS Retriever (5) at Suva, Fiji, Nov - Dec 1965
Image courtesy of Peter Greis |
-1968-LAP_s.jpg)
CS Retriever (5) at Suva main wharf, Fiji, February 1968
Photo taken by a crew member of
MV Niuvakai while coming into berth |
-Fiji-1981-Rick-Vince_s.jpg)
CS Retriever (5) at anchor off Suva, Fiji, 26 September 1981
Photo taken from the departing Shell tanker Ebalina
Image courtesy of Rick Vince |

CS Retriever (5) ship’s badge
Image courtesy of David Howard |
CABLE WORK
1961 |
USA |
Bermuda shore ends |
1962 |
COMPAC |
Auckland - Sydney shore ends |
1962 |
COMPAC |
Auckland - Suva shore ends |
1982 |
ANZCAN |
Route clearance and repositioned the sea
earth cable and main cable of Fiji - Auckland section of COMPAC prior
to the laying of the ANZCAN cable. |
1982 |
ANZCAN |
Laid shore ends at Fiji, carried out route
marking between Fiji and Hawaii and laid shore ends at Hawaii |
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno shows the history of Retriever in these two videos:
The second video shows the important part that Retriever played in the rescue of passengers when the cargo liner SS Lakemba struck a reef of Fiji and began taking on water. Site contributor David Howard was a marine engineer on board Retriever during the rescue, and tells this detailed story of the events.
More photos of Retriever from the Atlantic Cable site archive:

Launch of CS Retriever (5) at the Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead on the 20th December 1960 |

CS Retriever (5) undergoing sea trials |

Ship's Officers' Smoke Room |

Ship’s propulsion system; two 1650 shp motors |

Chief Engineer's Bedroom |

Ship’s Hospital |

Ship’s Control Console |

THE RETRIEVER AT ANCHOR, SUVA |

Christmas Card for 1961 |

Photo of Retriever laying New York shore ends of
USA - Bermuda cable, inserted in 1961 Christmas Card |
|