Before the Asian Century – Connecting the Modern World in 1871: Australia to Asia

Creating the Modern Connected World

Captain Robert Halpin, commander of The Great Eastern laid a marine cable to connect all the continents for the first time .This created a foundation for our future modern world.

This cable was subsequently joined to the Australian overland telegraph cable, which reached Darwin a year later in 1872 . The exercise was a major project in coordination between the Eastern Colonies. Federation of Australia as a unified country was still twenty nine years away.

The sailing ship in the background “The Hibernia” was a support ship for a wonder of the industrial revolution the largest ship built in Victorian times,  “The Great Eastern”.

Captain Halpin was considered one of the finest mariners of the 19^th century; his nickname was” The Cable Man”. The Great Eastern connected America to Europe and Europe to Asia.   Australia was then connected to the world through Asia and an international communication backbone became a reality.

Captain Halpin (centre of photo with hat and umbrella) on the beach at Darwin about to connect Australia to Asia in1871. Refer also to photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANKS TO THE CONTRIBUTOR, Mr. Kim Mettam, Perth, Australia

Courtesy of Mr. Kim Mettam, Perth, Western Australia:   Captain Robert Charles Halpin, he commanded ‘The Great Eastern” and solved the navigation and engineering problems of undersea cables. He was known as the “cable man ” and created the first connected world of the continents including Australia and the USA to Europe and Europe to Asia.  I have several photos of him on the beach at Darwin in 1872 with the cable about to connect Australia to the rest of the world.

Related Story: Another Irish Halpin cousin several generations removed was Major Charles Halpine is part of my Irish Family.  A second cousin several generations removed. He was quite a character! When he migrated to America he added the “e” to his name, he was also a famous journalist  and met a sad accidental death several years after the civil war. He died from the effects of  an undiluted dose of chloroform. Incessant work brought on insomnia led him to use chloroform.