4 ms·

is there a constructive use to this technology?

• PaulHoule 2y ago
  The US is said to have a submarine that can cut into undersea cables and install a tap which is no small feet because there is a dangerous high voltage cable to power undersea signal repeaters in them.
  • jprd 2y ago
    This has been a reality since at least 1971
    • PaulHoule 2y ago
      If you're talking about this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy_Bells https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy_Bells they didn't cut the cable but wrapped something around it that got a signal by induction. Works in an electrical cable because the different wires are deliberately wound at varying pitches to minimize crosstalk, but you gotta cut to get into an optic fiber cable. It was a brilliant piece of signals intelligence that was countered by human intelligence, the device is in a museum, one of many in Russia that I'd like to go to but never will.
• ttyprintk 2y ago
  “it was created as a tool for civilian salvage and seabed mining” was likely a pretense for anyone developing it. Getting more imaginative, in international waters, we can talk about privateer and counter-privateer crews, maybe flying a Somali flag.
  • PaulHoule 2y ago
    There was this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_Explorer Which was part of a plan to raise a sunken Russia nuclear submarine. I remember a short TV documentary which promoted the cover story that they were planning to mine manganese nodules. Interestingly, there are many stories of the period to the effect that there were spies in every port in the 1970s and anyone who was doing anything suspicious (like L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology) was likely to have trouble.