History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy

	History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network
HMS Sancroft by Bill Glover

SS EMPIRE BAFFIN / HMS SANCROFT

Built in 1941 by Lithgows Ltd., Port Glasgow

Length 425.0 ft Breadth 56.0 ft Depth 36.75 ft Gross tonnage 6874

Used in the PLUTO operations during WWII.

Originally named Empire Baffin. Requisitioned in 1943, converted and fitted out with cable gear identical to that fitted to HMS Latimer. On completion was renamed HMS Sancroft.

Sancroft’s first operational cable laying expedition took place on 14 August 1944 and was from Cotentin, France to Sandown Bay, Isle of Wight. Though the Cross Channel laying was successful problems occurred at Sandown, including HMS Algerian getting the pipe wrapped around its propeller, and this pipe was abandoned.

Cableships Index Page

Last revised: 15 February, 2012

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