USCG Navigation Problems: Master's License

This is an interactive test. Read each question and select the proper answer by clicking on the appropriate answer. If a "Y" appears, your choice is correct. If a "N" appears, more study may be in order.

273: If you correct for the current in the previous question (215°T at 0.5 knot) and maintain an engine speed of 7.5 knots, what is your ETA 0.5 mile south of buoy "W"?
323: At 2205, you are in Thimble Shoal North Auxiliary Channel abeam of lighted gong buoy "4". At this time the visibility decreases to 5 miles. You continue to turn RPMs for 6 knots and experience no set and drift. What time would you expect Old Point Comfort Light (white sector) to become visible?
379: A vessel at LAT 32°05.0'N, LONG 81°06.0'W, heads for a destination at LAT 35°57.0'N, LONG 5°45.0'W. Determine the distance by Mercator sailing.
403: You receive a distress call from a vessel reporting her position as LAT 30°21'N, LONG 88°34'W. Your position is LAT 24°30'N, LONG 83°00'W. Determine the true course and distance to the distress scene by Mercator sailing. 

    N a. 317°T, 470 miles
    Y b. 320°T, 460 miles
    N c. 322°T, 455 miles
    N d. 324°T, 460 miles
405: You depart LAT 33°45.0'N, LONG 118°30.0'W, and steam 2216 miles on course 250°T. What is the longitude of your arrival by Mercator sailing? 

    N a. LONG 156°08.0'W
    N b. LONG 156°36.0'W
    N c. LONG 157°21.0'W
    Y d. LONG 157°31.0'W
410: A vessel steams 666 miles on course 135°T from LAT 40°24.0'N, LONG 74°30.0'W. What is the latitude and longitude of the point of arrival by Mercator sailing? 

    N a. LAT 32°30.0'N, LONG 64°41.0'W
    Y b. LAT 32°33.0'N, LONG 64°46.0'W
    N c. LAT 32°36.0'N, LONG 64°49.0'W
    N d. LAT 32°39.0'N, LONG 64°53.0'W
420: At 0930, your position is LAT 41°16.5'N, LONG 71°41.4'W, and you are turning for 7 knots. Allowing 3° leeway for southerly winds and estimating the current as 035° at 0.3 knot, what is the course to steer (pgc) to point "B"? 

    Y a. 096°pgc
    N b. 094°pgc
    N c. 091°pgc
    N d. 089°pgc
463: Determine the great circle distance and initial course from LAT 37°47.5'N, LONG 122°27.8'W to LAT 33°51.7'S, LONG 151°12.7'E. 

    N a. 6324.2 miles, 310.3°T
    N b. 6345.3 miles, 301.7°T
    N c. 6398.0 miles, 298.3°T
    Y d. 6445.2 miles, 240.3°T
506: At 0112, what is the approximate depth under the keel? 

    N a. 57 feet (17.3 meters)
    N b. 51 feet (15.5 meters)
    N c. 47 feet (14.2 meters)
    Y d. 38 feet (11.5 meters)
525: At 0600 you take the following bearings:

Point Judith Light bearing 063° pgc
Block Island North Reef Light bearing 144° pgc

What is your 0600 position? 

    Y a. LAT 41°18.3'N, LONG 71°38.7'W
    N b. LAT 41°18.4'N, LONG 71°38.0'W
    N c. LAT 41°18.5'N, LONG 72°38.1'W
    N d. LAT 41°18.7'N, LONG 71°38.9'W
574: If you are making 10 knots, what is your ETA at York Spit Channel Buoys "19" and "20"? 

    N a. 0959
    N b. 1002
    N c. 1004
    Y d. 1006
636: As you approach Dean Island Light (mile 754.8 AHP), which type of daymark will be observed at the light? 

    N a. Green triangle
    N b. Red and green banded square
    N c. Green square daymark
    Y d. Diamond-shaped green daymark
746: On 16 January , at 1804 zone time, you take a sextant observation of Polaris. Your vessel's DR position is LAT 36°12'N, LONG 124°36'W, and your sextant reads (hs) 37°16.4'. Your chronometer reads 02h 02m 12s, and is 01m 36s slow. Your height of eye is 60 feet, and the index error is 1.5' on the arc. From your observation of Polaris, what is the latitude of your vessel? 

    N a. 36°12.6'N
    N b. 36°14.4'N
    Y c. 36°17.9'N
    N d. 36°20.2'N
813: On 7 November , your 0830 zone time fix gives you a position of LAT 27°36.0'N, LONG 162°19.0'W. Your vessel is on course 289°T and your speed is 19.0 knots. Local apparent noon (LAN) occurs at 1138 zone time, at which time a meridian altitude of the Sun's lower limb is observed. The observed altitude (Ho) for this sight is 45°35.0'. What is the latitude at 1200 ZT? 

    N a. 27°55.1'N
    N b. 27°57.2'N
    Y c. 27°59.5'N
    N d. 28°01.9'N
996: On 30 August your 0554 zone time (ZT) position was LAT 25°39.0'S, LONG 31°51.0'E. Your vessel was steaming on course 325°T at a speed of 15.0 knots. An observation of the Sun's lower limb was made at 0836 ZT. The chronometer read 06h 38m 36s and was fast 02m 24s. The observed altitude (Ho) was 30°49.2'. LAN occurred at 1157 ZT. The observed altitude (Ho) was 56°40.0'. What was the longitude of your 1157 ZT running fix? 

    N a. 30°59.8'E
    N b. 30°57.6'E
    N c. 30°55.9'E
    Y d. 30°52.5'E
1105: On 28 May , your 0200 DR position is LAT 19°16.5'S , LONG 119°24.0'W. You are on course 107°T at a speed of 18 knots. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 0600 running fix. NP-0034

    Y a. LAT 19°43.0'S, LONG 117°54.0'W
    N b. LAT 19°48.2'S, LONG 118°04.5'W
    N c. LAT 20°07.5'S, LONG 117°32.0'W
    N d. LAT 20°17.1'S, LONG 118°06.0'W
1207: On 10 July , your 0930 zone time DR position is LAT 26°31.0'S, LONG 4°41.0'E. Your vessel is on course 308°T at a speed of 22.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1144
    Y b. 1149
    N c. 1153
    N d. 1159
1700: As you approach French Point Light (mile 915.4 AHP), you see 2 daymarks on the structure. What significance do the daymarks have? 

    N a. They indicate the starboard side of the channel from seaward and mid-channel fairway.
    Y b. They indicate the starboard side of the channel from seaward and a channel crossing.
    N c. They indicate the port side of the channel from seaward and a range marking.
    N d. They indicate the port side of the channel and a channel crossing.
1707: You are passing the Memphis Gage at 0405, 18 March. If you are turning for 8 mph and estimate the current at 2.3 mph,
what is your ETA at Cairo Point, IL (mile 954.5 AHP)? 

    N a. 0447, 19 Mar
    N b. 1052, 19 Mar
    N c. 1518, 19 Mar
    Y d. 1839, 19 Mar
1833: What are the dimensions of the Port Allen Lock at Baton Rouge, LA? 

    N a. 75 feet x 1188 feet
    N b. 84 feet x 1180feet
    Y c. 84 feet x 1188 feet
    N d. 75 feet x 1180 feet
1884: On 26 November , your 0535 DR position is LAT 27°18.9'S, LONG 30°18.4'E. You observe an unidentified planet bearing 085°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 32°15.2'. The chronometer reads 03h 33m 16s, and is 01m 48s slow. What planet did you observe? 

    N a. Saturn
    Y b. Jupiter
    N c. Mars
    N d. Venus
1923: On 17 March , your 1845 DR position is LAT 25°10.0'N, LONG 66°48.0'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 077°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 67°04.4'. The chronometer reads 10h 47m 49s, and is 1m 54s fast. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Capella
    N b. Mirfak
    Y c. Pollux
    N d. Rigel
2011: On 3 February , your 0547 zone time DR position is LAT 24°18.5'N, LONG 167°25.0'E. Considering their magnitude,
azimuth, and altitude, which group includes the three bodies best suited for a fix at star time? 

    Y a. Regulus, Deneb, Antares
    N b. Altair, Saturn, Regulus
    N c. Arcturus, Kochab, Venus
    N d. Jupiter, Denebola, Regulus
2052: The highest point on your towboat is 48 feet above the water, and the Memphis Gage reads +7.5 feet. What is the vertical clearance when you pass under the Hernando Desoto Bridge in Memphis? 

    Y a. 53.2 feet
    N b. 58.1 feet
    N c. 68.2 feet
    N d. 96.3 feet
2054: The Natchez Gage reads 16.3 feet. The high point on your towboat is 38 feet above water. What is the vertical clearance when you pass under the Natchez Highway Bridge? 

    N a. 79.0 feet
    Y b. 71.7 feet
    N c. 65.2 feet
    N d. 59.1 feet
2110: From your 0100 position, you change course to 258° per standard magnetic compass. Your engine speed is 10.0 knots. A short time later, your fathometer reads 51 feet (15.5 meters) under the keel. What is the water depth? 

    N a. 38.5 feet (11.7 meters)
    N b. 43.5 feet (13.2 meters)
    N c. 51.0 feet (15.5 meters)
    Y d. 59.5 feet (18.0 meters)
2245: You are entering the channel at buoy 29 and turning for 9 knots. An easterly wind is causing 3°
of leeway and the current is 320°T at 1.2 knots. What true course should you steer to remain in the middle leg of York Spit Channel? 

    N a. 162°T
    Y b. 165°T
    N c. 168°T
    N d. 171°T
2291: You are taking a time tick using the 2100 signal from Callao, Peru. You hear a series of 1 second dashes followed by a 9 second silent period, then a long 1.3 second dash. At the beginning of the long dash, your comparing watch reads 09h 00m 10s. When compared to the chronometer, the comparing watch reads 09h 01m 20s, and the chronometer reads 08h 59m 22s. What is the chronometer error? 

    Y a. 1m 48s slow
    N b. 0m 38s slow
    N c. 1m 10s fast
    N d. 0m 10s fast
2458: You have steamed 560 miles at 23 knots and burning 524 barrels of fuel per day. You must decrease your consumption to 260 barrels per day with 316 miles left in your voyage. What must you reduce your speed (kts) to in order to burn this amount of fuel? 

    N a. 16.3
    N b. 18.6
    N c. 19.9
    Y d. 21.6
2464: You have steamed 449 miles at 19 knots and burning 476 barrels of fuel per day. You must decrease your consumption to 185 barrels per day with 362 miles left in your voyage. What must you reduce your speed (kts) to in order to burn this amount of fuel? 

    Y a. 13.2
    N b. 14.3
    N c. 17.1
    N d. 18.2
2786: At 1030, 13 January, you are passing Columbus Point Lt. (mile 936.1 AHP). What has been your average speed since leaving St. Louis (mile 181 UMR) on the 12th of January at 1400 hours? 

    N a. 10.4 mph
    Y b. 9.7 mph
    N c. 9.4 mph
    N d. 9.1 mph
3262: You have steamed 632 miles at 18.5 knots, and consumed 197 tons of fuel. If you have 278 tons of usable fuel remaining, how far can you steam at 15.0 knots? 

    N a. 681 miles
    N b. 892 miles
    N c. 1100 miles
    Y d. 1357 miles
3611: The track line on the chart is 274°T. Variation is 4°E, and deviation is 2°E. The gyro error is 1.5°E. What course would be steered by gyrocompass to make good the desired course? 

    N a. 280.5°pgc
    N b. 278.0°pgc
    N c. 275.5°pgc
    Y d. 272.5°pgc
3761: Your vessel is proceeding up a channel, and you see a pair of range lights that are in line dead ahead. The chart indicates that the direction of this pair of lights is 283°
T, and the variation is 13°E. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 278° per standard compass, what is the deviation? 

    N a. 5°E
    N b. 5°W
    N c. 8°E
    Y d. 8°W
10105: What is the course psc from Chesapeake Light to North Chesapeake Entrance Buoy NCA? 

    N a. 313°psc
    N b. 317°psc
    Y c. 321°psc
    N d. 325°psc
10205: Your present position is LAT 41°05.5'N, LONG 72°38.0'W. Assuming that there is no set and drift, what course must you steer per standard magnetic compass (psc) to arrive at a position 2 miles due west of Twenty-Eight Foot Shoal Lighted Buoy (LAT 41°09.3'N, LONG 72°30.5'W)? 

    Y a. 055°psc
    N b. 059°psc
    N c. 064°psc
    N d. 069°psc
11001: What time will high water occur at Saybrook Jetty on the morning of 29 October 1983? 

    N a. 0145
    N b. 0255
    Y c. 0405
    N d. 0920
11806: What course should you steer by standard magnetic compass between Mattituck Inlet and Branford Reef Light, if the set and drift of the current are 027° at 2.5 knots, and a northeasterly wind will cause 1° of leeway? Your engines are turning for 12 knots. 

    N a. 295°psc
    N b. 305°psc
    N c. 317°psc
    Y d. 320°psc
11811: What is the true course to steer between Horton Pt. Light and a position 2 miles due south of Branford Reef Light, if the set and drift of the current are 40°T at 1.5 knots, and an easterly wind will cause 3° of leeway? Your engines are making turns for 12 knots. 

    N a. 277°T
    N b. 283°T
    Y c. 287°T
    N d. 291°T
12107: You sight Tue Marshes Light (LAT 37°14.1'N, LONG 76°23.2'W) in line with Goodwin Thorofare Light "16" (LAT 37°13.7'N, LONG 76°25.0'W) bearing 267° per standard magnetic compass. What is TRUE if your vessel's heading is 056°psc? 

    N a. The compass error is 13°E.
    Y b. The deviation table is in error and should be corrected.
    N c. The deviation is 4°E.
    N d. The deviation table is correct for a heading of 056°psc.
12205: Your vessel is steady on a heading of 160° per standard magnetic compass when you sight Southwest Ledge Light and New Haven Outer Channel Range Rear Light in line dead astern. What is the deviation of the compass based on this observation? 

    Y a. 2°E
    N b. 2°W
    N c. 5°E
    N d. 5°W
14502: You are proceeding in an easterly direction on the Columbia River. The pool level of the Bonneville reservoir stands at 84 feet above MSL. If the highest point on your vessel is 49 feet above the water, what will be the vertical clearance as you pass under the center of the Bridge of the Gods? 

    Y a. 74.0 feet
    N b. 86.0 feet
    N c. 97.5 feet
    N d. 123 feet
15164: From your 1920 position, you change course to enter Chesapeake Channel between buoys 9 and 10. What is the course per gyrocompass? 

    N a. 271°pgc
    N b. 274°pgc
    Y c. 277°pgc
    N d. 280°pgc
15220: If the Old Point Comfort main light was inoperative what emergency light would be shown? 

    N a. Flashing yellow
    N b. Alternating red and white
    Y c. Light of reduced intensity
    N d. Strobe light
15346: At 1942 Point Judith bears 030°T and has a range of 3.6 miles and Sandy Point has a range of 5.3 miles. What was your speed made good from your 1850 position? 

    N a. 12.5 knots
    Y b. 13.0 knots
    N c. 13.5 knots
    N d. 14.0 knots
15519: As an option to heading into Long Island Sound, you consider anchoring in the vicinity of the Gardiners Point Ruins approximately one mile off the north end of Gardiners Island. What is the minimum recommended distance from the ruins for fishing,
trawling, or anchoring? 

    Y a. 300 yards (91 meters)
    N b. 1.0 mile
    N c. 0.5 mile
    N d. No distance is prescribed since any such activities in the area are prohibited.
15662: At 0748, you take the following bearings:

Watch Hill Point Light bearing 026.5°pgc
Race Point Light bearing 275.5°pgc


What is the approximate depth of water under the keel at this position? 

    N a. 325 feet (98.5 meters)
    N b. 175 feet (53.0 meters)
    N c. 130 feet (39.4 meters)
    Y d. 112 feet (33.9 meters)
16010: The characteristic of Branford Reef Light is __________. 

    N a. flashing red every 4 seconds
    N b. flashing red every 3 seconds
    Y c. flashing white every 6 seconds
    N d. flashing yellow every 4 seconds
16015: By 0430, the wind has increased, and the visibility cleared due to passage of a front. You estimate 3° leeway due to NW'ly winds. What is the course per gyrocompass to pass 1.2 miles due south of Twenty-eight Foot Shoal Lighted Buoy "TE"? 

    Y a. 080°
    N b. 083°
    N c. 086°
    N d. 090°
16345: Where will you cross the demarcation line between the International and Inland Rules of the Road? 

    N a. Between Montauk Point and Block Island
    Y b. In the Race
    N c. At the mouth of Bridgeport Harbor
    N d. Between Plum Gut and Niantic Bay
16442: The area bounded by the buoys "C51" to "C47A" to "M6" to "M14", west of your anchorage, is __________. 

    N a. a training area for naval small craft
    N b. restricted to oil and mineral exploration
    N c. an anchorage for ammunition barges
    Y d. a fish trap area
16710: In clear weather, how far away will you sight Point Judith Light? (use charted range of 20 miles as nominal range) 

    N a. 9.2 nm
    N b. 10.6 nm
    N c. 12.3 nm
    Y d. 14.0 nm
16715: From your 0600 position, what is the course per gyrocompass to leave Watch Hill Light abeam to starboard at 2.0 miles if a southerly wind is producing 3° of leeway? 

    Y a. 252°pgc
    N b. 256°pgc
    N c. 258°pgc
    N d. 262°pgc