The British Empire and its effect on Plymouth


Agamemnon and Niagara at Keyham Steam Yard


HMS Agamemnon was donated by the British government for the project whilst USS Niagara was provided by the American government. The Agamemnon and Niagara were loaded up with over 3,000 miles of cable in the newly built Keyham Steam Yard in 1858 to lay the first functioning underwater telegraph cable linking Europe to North America. The two ships had actually visited Plymouth the year before at the end of their unsuccessful attempt at laying the cable in 1857. However, the following year they loaded up with fresh new cables at Keyham but this time were successful in laying it across the Atlantic linking Ireland to Newfoundland.


Empire in Your Backyard: Plymouth Article


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by Stephen Luscombe