Cable (Distance)

A traditional short-distance unit at sea, now commonly treated as one-tenth of a nautical mile.

Using the international nautical mile, one cable is therefore 185.2 metres. Historical definitions varied by country and practice, and the frequently quoted 100 fathoms equals 182.88 metres rather than exactly one-tenth of the modern nautical mile.

The context and standard should be stated where precision matters. “Cable” also has unrelated nautical meanings, including anchor chain or cable and electrical cable, which should be covered by distinct entries or clearly qualified titles.