Template:Short description Template:Infobox unit A cable length or length of cable is a nautical unit 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 Template:Convert, depending on the standard used.
Etymology and originEdit
The modern word cable is directly descended from the Middle English cable, cabel or kabel and also occurs in Middle Dutch and Middle German. Ultimately the word comes from Romanic, probably from a cattle halter.Template:Sfn A cable in this usage cable is a thick rope or by transference a chain cable.Template:Sfn The OED gives quotations from Template:Circa onwards. 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 Template:Convert or Template:Convert.Template:Sfn
Traditionally rope is made on long ropewalks, the length of which determines the maximum length of rope it is possible to make. As rope is "closed" (the final stage in manufacture) the length reduces, thus the ropewalk at Chatham Dockyard is Template:Convert long in order to produce standard Template:Convert coils.Template:Sfn
DefinitionEdit
The definition varies:
- International: 185.2 m, equivalent to Template:Frac nautical mile
- UK traditional: Template:Convert, though (The Admiralty) used Template:Frac of a sea mile, 1 minute of latitude locally.
- US customary (US Navy): Template:ConvertTemplate:Sfn
In 2008 the Royal Navy in a handbook defined it as Template:Quote
ReferencesEdit
CitationsEdit
- Template:Citation. Also "fathom", from the same work (pp. 88–89, retrieved 12 January 2017).
- Template:Citation Various subpages within the ropery section.
- Template:Cite OED
- Template:Citation.