The CS Ocean Layer was originally built as a cargo ship in 1945 by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in Flensburg, Germany, with yard number 508. She measured 109.55 meters (359 feet 5 inches) in overall length and had a beam of 50 feet 8 inches (15.44 meters), with a depth of 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 meters). As constructed, the vessel had a gross register tonnage (GRT) of approximately 2,774 and a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 5,450. Her propulsion system comprised a 1,800 indicated horsepower Lenz engine driving an exhaust turbine, built by Werkspoor in Amsterdam, complemented by three Capus-type boilers. This machinery enabled her to reach speeds of up to 11 knots. Initially launched as the Empire Frome and allocated to the Ministry of War Transport, she was completed in 1948 after being seized in May 1945 before her launch during World War II, and she was registered under the UK Official Number 181837. She served primarily as a cargo vessel until her sale in 1953, when she was converted into a cable-laying ship. This extensive conversion, carried out over fifteen months at Pembroke Dock at a cost of about £1 million, increased her length to 115.21 meters (378 feet) and her gross tonnage to 4,534 GRT. Her new design allowed her to carry 3,700 tons of submarine cable, enough for 1,000 to 2,000 nautical miles, and she was equipped with four cable tanks. Renamed Ocean Layer on 29 September 1955, she became one of the largest cable ships in the world at that time. Her notable service included laying submarine cables across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, and South America, including a record-setting 2,400-nautical-mile trans-Pacific cable for AT&T in 1956. Her operational history was marked by her critical role in international telecommunications infrastructure. Her service ended in 1959 after a fire at sea, caused likely by an electric stove left hot under a crewman's bunk, which led to the vessel being abandoned. Despite rescue efforts, the fire rendered her a constructive total loss. She was subsequently scrapped in December 1959 at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, South Holland. The Ocean Layer's conversion from cargo ship to a major submarine cable-laying vessel exemplifies her maritime significance in the development of global communications infrastructure during the mid-20th century.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.