fathom | |
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![]() Standard units in Regensburg: the metal rods are (from left to right) a fathom (klafter), foot (schuch, Modern German Schuh "shoe") and ell (öln, Modern German Elle). | |
General information | |
Unit system | imperial/US units |
Unit of | length |
Conversions | |
1 fathom in ... | ... is equal to ... |
imperial/US units | 6 ft |
SI unit equivalent | 1.8288 m |
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, apart from within the US, charts now use metres.
There are two yards (6 feet) in an imperial fathom.[1] Originally the span 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).
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