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Fathom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the unit of length. For other uses, see Fathom (disambiguation).

1 fathom =SI units
1.82880 m 182.880 cm
US customary / Imperial units
6.00000 ft 72.0000 in

A fathom (abbreviation: ftm) is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.

There are 2 yards (6 feet) in an imperial or U.S. fathom.[1] Originally based on the distance between the fingertips of a man's outstretched arms, the size of a fathom has varied slightly depending on whether it was defined as a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. Formerly, the term was used for any of several units of length varying around 5–5+1⁄2 feet (1.5–1.7 m).

The name derives from the Old English word fæðm meaning embracing arms or a pair of outstretched arms.[2][3][4] In Middle English it was fathme. A cable length, based on the length of a ship's cable, has been variously reckoned as equal to 100 or 120 fathoms. At one time, a quarter meant a fourth of a fathom.

Abbreviations: f, fath, fm, fth, fthm.

Contents

[hide]

1 International fathom2 British fathom3 Use of the fathom3.1 Water depth3.2 Line length3.3 Burial3.4 On land

4 See also5 Notes6 References7 External links

[edit] International fathom

One fathom is equal to:

1.8288 metres exactly (1 metre is about 0.5468 fathoms)2 yards (1 yard is exactly 0.5 fathoms)6 feet (1 foot is about 0.1667 fathoms)18 hands72 inches

In 1959 the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom defined the length of the international yard to be exactly 0.9144 metre. With the adoption of the metric SI system the use of fathoms declined.

[edit] British fathom

The British Admiralty defined a fathom to be a thousandth of an imperial nautical mile (which was 6080 ft) or 6.08 feet (1.85 m). In practice the "warship fathom" of exactly 6 feet (1.8 m) was used in Britain and the United States.[5] No conflict in the real world existed as depths on Imperial nautical charts were indicated in feet if less than 30 feet (9.1 m) and in fathoms for depths above that. Until the 19th century in England, the length of the fathom was more variable: from 5½ feet on merchant vessels to either 5 feet (1.5 m) or 7 feet (2.1 m) on fishing vessels (from 1.7 to 1.5 or 2.1 m).[5]