October 30, 1982
USNS Zeus (T-ARC-7), the first cable ship specifically built for the U.S. Navy, was launched at the shipyard of the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego. (USNS stands for “United States Navy Ship”; this prefix is used for non-commissioned vessels that are owned by the Navy but operated by a primarily civilian crew.)
A cable ship is a deep-sea vessel routinely used for laying underwater cables for purposes such as telecommunications and electric power transmission. This type of ship is also used for repairing those cables as needed.
Approximately 3,000 people were on hand for the launch of Zeus. The christening duties for this ship were performed by Ursula Meese. She is the wife of Edwin Meese, who was counselor to President Ronald Reagan at the time and would eventually serve as U.S. attorney general.
In its story about launching of Zeus, the Associated Press (AP) stated that Ursula Meese “whacked an $8 bottle of champagne against the bow of the new $150 million dollar ship and christened the craft the U.S.N.S. Zeus.”
This AP article further reported, “A military band struck up ‘Anchors Aweigh’ and with a symbolic shove against the bow from Mrs. Meese, the 15-thousand-ton [13,607.8-metric ton], 512-foot [156.1-meter] craft was allowed to slide down a ramp and into the water for the first time.”
Zeus is equipped to lay 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of cable at depths of up to 9,000 feet (2,700 meters). She is part of the fleet of Navy vessels in the Military Sealift Command’s Special Mission Ships Program. The key activities carried out by the crew of Zeus have included transporting and repairing submarine cables and testing underwater sound devices. This ship has also been used for acoustic, bathymetric, and hydrographic surveys.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on USNS Zeus (T-ARC-7), please check out https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/27/2707.htm
Transportation History 
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