Military Sealift Command operates the USNS Zeus (T-ARC 7), the only active naval vessel capable of laying and repairing undersea fiberoptic cables, and one of the few vessels in the MSC GOGO fleet painted white. The Zeus is an old ship and an assignment like no other in MSC. The USNS Zeus can lay 1,000 miles of undersea cable at depths of up to 9,000 feet before needing to resupply. Due to the sensitive nature of its missions, operational security (OPSEC) is taken very seriously.
To protect the location of undersea cables, the ship “goes dark” during missions, eliminating all outgoing transmissions. This means no internet connectivity, emails, or phone calls are allowed. Additionally, there is a strict rule prohibiting cell phone use on deck while working; all cell phone usage must occur inside the skin ship.
CIVMARs have mixed opinions about assignments to the Zeus. Some find the increased security measures interesting, while others find them inconvenient. Few CIVMARs have been assigned to the Zeus due to it being the only vessel of its kind. While the Zeus offers high pay and plenty of overtime opportunities, it comes with significant tradeoffs.
What are Undersea Cables and Why are they Important?
Undersea fiber optic cables are critical pieces of infrastructure that enable global communication by transmitting data across continents under the oceans. These undersea cables carry most of the international internet traffic, including phone calls, emails, and financial transactions. These cables are essential for the functioning of the global economy and modern communications. Their importance lies in their high capacity, speed, and reliability, which support everything from everyday internet usage to critical business operations and international connectivity. It is estimated that $10 trillion of financial transactions occur daily via these undersea cables. Governments and Militaries rely on these cables for secure and effective communication. If an adversarial country can disrupt or tap these cables, it would be a severe breach of national security: resulting in the Zeus’ strict security policies. While tapping or disrupting these cables is technically very difficult, the potential damage that could be done warrants the increased security posture.
Map of Undersea Cables
Vessel Characteristics
Propulsion: Diesel Electric, twin shaft.
Length: 513 Feet
Beam: 73 Feet
Displacement: 15,174 Tons
Top Speed: 14 Knots
Operational Characteristics
The USNS Zeus is equipped with several large drums used to store cable. Cable is paid out of these drums to the ocean floor. In conjunction with cable operations, the Zeus conducts ROV, remotely operated vehicle, operations. The ROV operations are done by onboard contractors. To facilitate cable repair, CIVMARs will navigate the vessel to the last known position of the cable that needs to be repaired and enter Dynamic Positioning. Dynamic Positioning (DP) is a system that helps ships and other offshore platforms stay in one spot without using anchors. Then, the contractors will drop the ROV over the side, let it sink to the bottom and search for the cable. It could take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days to find the cable. Live video footage of the ROV can be seen from screen on the bridge.
Crew Size
MSC Crew: 50-60 CIVMARs
Security Detachment: 15-20
Cable Contractors: 15-20
What to Read Next
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