What is Fathom?
The '''fathom''' is a [[unit of measurement|unit]] of length. It is used especially when talking about operating ships, to measure the depth of water. It is equal to two [[yard]]s. The distance between a man's outstreched arms is about a fathom. By this definition, a [[statute mile]] is 880 fathoms long. According to the directive 80/181/EWG, one fathom is 1,829 meters long. One fathom is equal to: * 1.8288 [[metre]]s exactly (1 metre is about 0.5468 fathoms)<ref>{{cite book|title=Admiralty Manual of Seamanship|year=1995|publisher=[[HMSO]]|isbn=0-11-772696-6|page=1·19|chapter=Sea measures}}</ref> * 2 [[yard]]s (1 yard is exactly 0.5 fathoms) * 6 [[Foot (length)|feet]] (1 foot is about 0.1667 fathoms) * 18 [[Hand (unit)|hands]] * 72 [[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. ==References== {{reflist}} {{stub}} [[Category:Imperial units]] [[Category:Units of length]]