Armored seabed laid seismic cable and method and apparatus for manufacturing same

An armored cable comprising:

• a first section having a shape generally characterized by a cylinder of a nominal cylinder diameter with at least the first cylinder end being axially connected to a conical frustum that defines a first section first end of a diameter less than said nominal cylinder diameter;
• an elongate second section connected to said first section at said first section first end;
• a first plurality of guides spaced about the circumference of said first section along a first axial length of said first section near said first section first end, said first plurality of guides defining a first plurality of channels interposed between said first plurality of guides;
• and
• a first armor layer formed by a first plurality of metal wires laid parallel and helically in a first direction around said first section and said second section, each of said first plurality of channels receiving at least one of said first plurality of metal wires.

A seismic cable comprising:

• a plurality of conductor sections interconnected with a plurality of sensor sections, each of said conductor sections including at least one conductor, each of said sensor sections including a sensor housing having a sensor mounted therein;
• a plurality of lug ring pairs each coaxially disposed about one of said plurality of sensor sections, each lug ring defining a plurality of guide spaces;
• and
• a plurality of steel wire armoring strands wound continuously in a non-interlaced fashion over the entire length of the cable over all of said plurality of sensor sections and all of said plurality of conductor sections to form an armor layer, each of said plurality of armoring strands placed in one of said plurality of guide spaces of each lug ring.

A seismic cable comprising:

• a plurality of conductor sections interconnected with a plurality of sensor sections, each of said conductor sections including at least one conductor, each of said sensor sections including a sensor housing having a sensor mounted therein;
• a first plurality of steel wire armoring strands wound continuously in a non-interlaced fashion over the entire length of the cable over all of said plurality of sensor sections and all of said plurality of conductor sections to form an inner armor layer, each of said first plurality of armoring strands including a bend therein at each of said plurality of sensor sections;
• and
• a second plurality of steel wire armoring strands wound continuously in a non-interlaced fashion over the entire length of the cable over said inner armor layer to form an outer armor layer, each of said second plurality of armoring strands including a bend therein at each of said plurality of sensor sections.