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A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to 6 feet (1.8288 m), used especially for measuring the depth of water. [1] The fathom is neither an international standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally accepted non-SI unit. Historically it was the maritime measure of depth in the English-speaking world but ...
Fathom: Length: Knot: Speed: League: Length: Nautical mile: Length: Rhumb: Angle: The angle between two successive points of the thirty-two point compass (11 degrees 15 minutes) (rare) [1] Shackle: Length: Before 1949, 12.5 fathoms; later 15 fathoms. [2] Toise: Length: Toise was also used for measures of area and volume Twenty-foot equivalent ...
Depths which have been measured are indicated by the numbers shown on the chart. Depths on charts published in most parts of the world use metres. Older charts, as well as those published by the United States government, may use feet or fathoms. Depth contour lines show the shape of underwater relief. Coloured areas of the sea emphasise shallow ...
A sailor and a man on shore, both sounding the depth with a line. Depth sounding, often simply called sounding, is measuring the depth of a body of water.Data taken from soundings are used in bathymetry to make maps of the floor of a body of water, such as the seabed topography.
A cable's length (often "cable length" or just "cable") is simply the standard length in which cables came, which by 1555 had settled to around 100 fathoms (600 ft; 180 m) or 1 ⁄ 10 nautical mile (0.19 km; 0.12 mi). [1] Traditionally rope is made on long ropewalks, the length of which determines the maximum length of rope it is possible to make.
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. [2] [3] [4] Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( 1 / 60 of a degree) of latitude at the equator, so that Earth's polar circumference is very near to 21,600 nautical miles (that is 60 minutes × 360 degrees).
Length; Name of unit Symbol Definition Relation to SI units ångström: Å ≡ 1 × 10 −10 m: ≡ 0.1 nm astronomical unit: au ≡ 149 597 870 700 m ≈ Distance from Earth to Sun
Many ships used knots spaced 8 fathoms (48 feet or 14.6 meters) apart, while other ships used the 7-fathom prescription. [8] The time interval needs to be adjusted according to the distance between knots. Substituting 6,000 feet for 1 mile, the above formula yields 28.8 seconds for a distance of 8 fathoms.