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History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network

Cable Stamps - ANZCAN, SCOTICECAN, Bermuda-Tortola,
Denmark-Russia, Isle of Man-UK

Thanks to Bill Glover for providing the stamp images and text for this page.

All material on this page is copyright © 2005 Bill Glover

ANZCAN Norfolk Is 30c 1983.JPG (33447 bytes) ANZCAN Norfolk Is 45c 1983.JPG (34852 bytes) ANZCAN NZ MS.JPG (270407 bytes)
ANZCAN Norfolk Is 75c 1983.JPG (31998 bytes) ANZCAN Norfolk Is 85c 1983.JPG (29164 bytes)

ANZCAN

Norfolk Island    1983     30-85c
New Zealand    1985    Souvenir sheet

Laid as a replacement for COMPAC, ANZCAN followed the same route with the addition of a landing at Norfolk Island. The cable 8250 nm long, with 1213 repeaters, has a capacity of 1380 telephone circuits. CS Cable Venture laid 6300 nm of cable from Vancouver to Sydney. CS Mercury laid the Norfolk Island - Auckland section of 730 nm as well as 1220 nm of the Vancouver - Sydney cable. HMNZS Monowai surveyed the route and CS Retriever undertook the rerouting of part of the Fiji - Auckland COMPAC cable. CS Cable Enterprise laid the shore ends at Hawaii, CS Retriever (5) the Fiji shore ends, MV Chantik those at Norfolk Island and CS Mercury at Sydney and Auckland. Standard Telephone and Cables Ltd. manufactured all of the Vancouver - Sydney cable. Fujitsu manufactured the Norfolk Island - Auckland cable.

SCOTICECAN Iceland 5kr.JPG (21739 bytes) SCOTICECAN Iceland 7kr.JPG (22091 bytes)

SCOTICECAN

Iceland    1962         5-7k

The manufacture of this co-axial cable was split between two companies Standard Telephone & Cables Ltd., who manufactured the SCOTICE section. The section from Scotland to the Faroes (284 nm and 10 repeaters) was owned as follows:- 50% British Post Office, 25% Danish PTT, and 25% Great Northern Telegraph Company. The section from Faroes to Iceland (401 nm and 15 repeaters) was owned as follows 12½% Danish PTT and the remainder by the Great Northern Telegraph Company. These cables were laid by JOHN W. MACKAY and ALERT (4).

The ICECAN cable was manufactured by Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke and was laid by NEPTUN (3) with EDOUARD SUENSON laying the shore ends in Greenland. The Iceland Greenland section (829 nm and 38 repeaters) was owned by Great Northern and that from Greenland to Canada (887 nm and 40 repeaters) was owned jointly by Great Northern and the Canadian Overseas Telecommunications Corporation.

BERMUDA TORTOLA Bermuda 1s 1967 .JPG (37475 bytes) BERMUDA TORTOLA Bermuda 1s6d 1967.JPG (40606 bytes) BERMUDA TORTOLA Br Virgin Is 10c 1967.JPG (33910 bytes) BERMUDA TORTOLA Br Virgin Is 4c 1967.JPG (42893 bytes)
BERMUDA TORTOLA Bermuda 2s6d 1967.JPG (39112 bytes) BERMUDA TORTOLA Bermuda 3d 1967.JPG (37651 bytes) BERMUDA TORTOLA Br Virgin Is 50c 1967.JPG (35070 bytes)  CS Stanley Angwin Barbados 10c 1972.JPG (31678 bytes)

BERMUDA - TORTOLA

Bermuda         1967    3d-2/6
British Virgin Islands    1967    4-50c
Barbados         1972   10c 

Laid for and operated by Cable & Wireless. The co-axial cable 902 nm in length with 35 repeaters was laid by CS Mercury. Submarine Cables Ltd. manufactured the cable and repeater housings, with repeater electronics being supplied by Standard Telephone and Cables Ltd. CS Stanley Angwin surveyed the route. Opened for service in June 1966 it had a capacity of 80 telephone circuits.

 DENMARK RUSSIA Denmark 5kr 1993.JPG (26526 bytes)  DENMARK RUSSIA PC.JPG (60310 bytes) DENMARK RUSSIA Russia 90k 1993.JPG (16657 bytes)

DENMARK - RUSSIA

The 1200 km long cable, laid by MV DOCK EXPRESS 20, runs from Copenhagen to Kingiseppe where it transfers to a microwave link to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

MV DOCK EXPRESS 20

Built 1983 by Verolme Heusden, Netherlands

Length 169.52 m Breadth 24.2 m Depth 8.79 m

Owned by Dock-Express Shipping BV. Built originally for offshore oil work. Converted for cable work by TSS (Tyco Submarine Systems) and operated by them on long term charter.

MV Dock Express 20 is illustrated on the Russian postcard commemorating the opening of the cable.

 Flexservice 3 IOM 13p 1988.JPG (43366 bytes)  IOM Europa 1988 FDC.JPG (54602 bytes)
 

ISLE OF MAN - ENGLAND FIBRE OPTIC CABLE

Laying of the 8000 circuit cable, which runs from Port Grenaugh, Isle of Man, to Silecroft, Cumbria, took place in September1987, CS Flexservice 3 undertaking the work including burial throughout its length. STC
Submarine Systems manufactured the cable.

Many additional stamps are shown on the pages linked from the Stamps Index page

Last revised: 18 May, 2010

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—Bill Burns, publisher and webmaster: Atlantic-Cable.com