Cable

Unit of measure (distance)

A cable is a unit of distance traditionally used to measure short distances at sea. It is generally considered one-tenth of a nautical mile, which equals approximately 185.2 meters or 100 fathoms.

The length of a cable can vary depending on the standard used. In the British Navy, a cable is traditionally defined as 1/10th of a nautical mile (185.2 meters). In other contexts, mainly historical or regional, a cable’s length could range from 169 to 220 meters, though this variation is less common in modern usage.