A cable length or length of cable is a
nautical unit
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
of measure equal to one tenth of a
nautical mile or approximately 100
fathoms. Owing to anachronisms and varying techniques of measurement, a cable length can be anywhere from 169 to 220
metres, depending on the standard used. The unit is named after the length of a ship's
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ...
cable in the
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail is a periodization, period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th century, 16th (or mid-15th century, 15th) to the mid-19th century, 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in globalization, global trade and ...
.
The definition varies:
* International: 185.2
m, equivalent to
nautical mile
*
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas
...
(
Admiralty): 185.32 m, or
nautical mile, about 101
fathoms
** The traditional British fathom varied from in the
Merchant Navy, making the "historical" cable 169 m to 215.5 m.
*
US customary (
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
): 219.5 metres, 120 fathoms (720 feet)
See also
*
Conversion of units
References
* . Als
"fathom" from the same work (pp. 88–89, retrieved 12 January 2017).
* .
{{sailing-stub
Nautical terminology
Units of length
Customary units of measurement in the United States