cable's length

American  

Or cable length

noun

1. a nautical unit of length equivalent to 720 feet (219 meters) in the U.S. Navy and 608 feet (185 meters) in the British Navy.

---

Etymology

Origin of cable's length

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

No imitator so far has come within a cable’s length of triumph.

From New York Times

To measure temperatures along the cable’s length, the team sends pulses of light down the fiber and observes how the fiber backscatters the light, returning it in the direction from which it came.

From Science Magazine

The power generated depends on the cable's length and tension, but it theoretically could be enough to power a sonar array.

From Scientific American

A cable's length on the port beam the Carse o' Gowrie was backing gently astern in order to close with her consort.

From Project Gutenberg

Closing to within a cable's length of the Warrior he signalled: "Request permission to take off my sub-lieutenant."

From Project Gutenberg