Fathom facts for kids

The fathom is a special unit of length. It is mostly used to measure how deep the water is, especially when people are sailing or working with ships. One fathom is equal to about the distance between a person's outstretched arms.

What is a Fathom?

A fathom is a way to measure distance, especially in the ocean. It helps sailors know if the water is deep enough for their ship. Historically, one fathom was thought to be the length of a person's arms stretched out wide.

How Big is a Fathom?

A fathom is equal to:

• 1.8288 metres (which is almost 2 meters)
• 2 yards
• 6 feet
• 18 hands
• 72 inches

For example, if the water is 10 fathoms deep, it means it is 60 feet deep!

Fathoms Today

For a long time, the fathom was a very important unit for countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In 1959, these countries agreed that one international yard would be exactly 0.9144 metre.

However, over time, many countries started using the metric system (like meters and kilometers) more often. Because of this, the use of fathoms has become less common. Even so, you might still hear it used in some older nautical terms or in certain parts of the world.

Images for kids

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  Standard units in Regensburg: the metal rods are (from left to right) a fathom (Klafter), foot (Schuch) and ell (Öln).