Diamond State Tel. Co. v. Atlantic Refining Co.

STALEY, Circuit Judge.

These appeals from a final decree in admiralty require us to untangle a near-collision case in which respondent’s tanker, although it managed to miss the three other vessels on the scene, struck and damaged libellant’s submarine cable.1

Libellant runs two of its telephone cables .over the floor of the Delaware River between Deepwater Point, New Jersey, and Pigeon Point, Delaware. The south cable having failed, libellant began repair operations on April 19, 1949. In order to carry out the repairs, the services of three vessels were engaged: the tug Adriatic, the barge Acco…