How a network of repair ships helps maintain the estimated 800,000 miles of undersea internet cables; of the 77 cable ships, only 22 are designed for repairs (Josh Dzieza/The Verge)

Josh Dzieza / The Verge:
How a network of repair ships helps maintain the estimated 800,000 miles of undersea internet cables; of the 77 cable ships, only 22 are designed for repairs  —  Field's crew caught the cable on the first try and nearly had it aboard when the rope snapped and slipped back into the sea.