1940s United States, WWII era
Laying Ocean Submarine Power Cables
Printed advertisement

World War II–era printed advertisement documenting the laying of high-voltage submarine power cables beneath the ocean. The image foregrounds a diver handling armored cable rated at 35,000 volts, emphasizing the physical labor, technical risk, and material scale involved in extending electrical infrastructure into marine environments. Produced during a period of rapid industrial and military expansion, the advertisement reframes the ocean floor as an operational site for energy transmission, revealing how modern power systems rely on invisible, submerged structures sustained through human bodies operating at the edge of technical and environmental limits.