But Hirai also began to think about the work he knew lay ahead. The Ocean Link was one of a small number of ships that maintain the subsea cables that carry 99 percent of the world’s data. Positioned in strategic locations around the planet, these ships stand ready to sail out and fix faults the moment they are detected, and most of the time, they are more than equal to the task. But earthquakes, Hirai knew from experience, were different. They didn’t just break one cable — they broke many, and badly. If what he feared had happened, Japan risked being cut off from the world in its moment of need.
This is such an amazing article, The Verge’s staff is still capable of some excellent journalism.
Long but worth it.
I knew about the cables, I didn’t know how extensive they are.
For me it was mostly interesting to hear about their techniques and how they dealt with the earthquakes. Never really thought landslides would be such an issue.
