Process for bringing ashore the ends of underwater cables at arrival landing points

In a process for laying a continuous underwater cable from a water-bourne ship, said cable being carried on said ship and having an end to be brought ashore and to a termination point on the shore, in which the cable is laid from said ship as the ship moves along a first course following a predetermined laying line until the ship reaches a boundary point where the water is shallow and which is at a distance from the shore line, at which boundary point an end portion of the cable sufficient in length to extend from said boundary point to said termination point and including said end thereof remains on said ship, the improvement in bringing said end ashore which comprises the steps of:

• moving said ship from said boundary point along a second course extending at an angle to said predetermined laying line and generally parallel to said shore line while laying said end portion of the cable in the water along said second course until at least substantially all of said length of said end portion has been laid in the water along said second course;
• applying buoyancy devices to said end portion of the cable;
• while pulling said end of the cable toward the shore, moving the portion of the cable which is intermediate said end and said boundary point and which remains in the water through the water toward said predetermined laying line until said end is on the shore and said end portion is positioned along said predetermined laying line;
• and
• removing said buoyancy devices from said portion of said cable.