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.

80: The Helena Gage reads 9.4 feet. The high point on your towboat is 46 feet above water. What is the vertical clearance when you pass under the Helena Highway Bridge?
82: If the Rosedale Gage reads -0.5 feet, what is the water level in relation to the low water reference plane? The low water reference plane (LWRP) for Rosedale, MS. is 3.0 feet.
116: At which of the following times would you be able to listen to lower Mississippi River conditions on VHF Channel 22?
217: Your 1600 position is LAT 37°22.5'N, LONG 75°32.3'W. The depth of water under the keel is about __________. 

    N a. 59 feet (17.3 meters)
    N b. 52 feet (15.8 meters)
    N c. 45 feet (13.6 meters)
    Y d. 38 feet (11.5 meters)
229: If you want a more detailed chart of the area at your 2115 DR position, which chart should you use? 

    N a. 12222
    N b. 12225
    Y c. 12224
    N d. 12222
238: At 0910, your DR position is LAT 41°11.9'N, LONG 72°47.8'W. Your vessel is on course 097°T at 9.5 knots, and the weather is foggy. At 0915, Branford Reef Light is sighted through a break in the fog bearing 318°T. At 0945, Falkner Island Light is sighted bearing 042°T. What is your 0945 running fix position? 

    N a. LAT 41°11.1'N, LONG 72°41.2'W
    N b. LAT 41°11.3'N, LONG 72°41.3'W
    Y c. LAT 41°11.5'N, LONG 72°40.7'W
    N d. LAT 41°11.8'N, LONG 72°40.2'W
282: From your 1752 position, you steer 307°pgc at 9 knots. At 1805, you obtain the visual bearings. What are the latitude and longitude of your 1805 position? Old Pt. Comfort Light 232°pgc. Chesapeake Bay Tunnel North Light 130°pgc. 

    Y a. LAT 37°05.9'N,  LONG 76°08.0'W
    N b. LAT 37°06.0'N,  LONG 76°08.4'W
    N c. LAT 37°05.9'N,  LONG 76°07.7'W
    N d. LAT 37°06.1'N,  LONG 76°07.5'W
374: You calculate that the current will be ebbing at the Race at 0700. You should expect to be set in which general direction at the Race? 

    N a. West
    Y b. East
    N c. Northeast
    N d. North
446: At 1345, you depart from a position 1 mile due east of Montauk Point Light and set course for Block Island Southeast Light at 9 knots. At 1430, your position is:

Latitude 41° 06.3' North
Longitude 071° 41.9' West

What was the current encountered since 1345? 

    N a. Set 015°, drift 0.5 knot
    N b. Set 195°, drift 0.7 knot
    N c. Set 015°, drift 0.7 knot
    Y d. Set 195°, drift 0.5 knot
466: Determine the great circle distance and initial course from LAT 25°50.0'N, LONG 77°00.0'W to LAT 35°56.0'N, LONG 06°15.0'W. 

    N a. 3470 miles, 298°T
    N b. 3518 miles, 028°T
    Y c. 3616 miles, 062°T
    N d. 3718 miles, 118°T
1086: On 15 July , your vessel is enroute from Portland, OR, to Singapore, Malaysia. You are steering course 243°T and making a speed of 16 knots. Your 1845 zone time DR is LAT 27°42.0'N, LONG 167°02.0'E. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 1945 running fix. NP-0016

    Y a. LAT 27°31.1'N, LONG 166°43.0'E
    N b. LAT 27°38.5'N, LONG 166°45.1'E
    N c. LAT 27°45.3'N, LONG 166°32.2'E
    N d. LAT 28°18.1'N, LONG 166°39.8'E
1087: On 15 August , your vessel is enroute from Bombay, India, to San Francisco, CA. You are steering course 020°T and making a speed of 20.0 knots. Your 1830 zone time DR is LAT 26°13.0'N, LONG 135°18.0'W. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 1935 running fix. NP-0017

    N a. LAT 26°15.9'N, LONG 135°03.6'W
    N b. LAT 26°35.3'N, LONG 135°24.8'W
    N c. LAT 26°40.5'N, LONG 135°21.6'W
    Y d. LAT 26°48.1'N, LONG 135°20.7'W
1099: On 6 April , your 0300 DR position is LAT 27°42'S, LONG 128°58'W. You are on course 097°T at a speed of 18 knots. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 0600 running fix. NP-0029

    N a. LAT 27°15.5'S, LONG 128°12.4'W
    Y b. LAT 27°44.7'S, LONG 127°47.5'W
    N c. LAT 27°52.4'S, LONG 127°49.4'W
    N d. LAT 28°15.2'S, LONG 128°11.6'W
1110: On 19 November , your 0300 zone time DR position is LAT 19°23'N, LONG 151°37'E. You are on course 293°T at a speed of 17 knots. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 0600 running fix. NP-0039

    N a. LAT 19°38.5'N, LONG 150°41.6'E
    Y b. LAT 19°34.8'N, LONG 150°48.0'E
    N c. LAT 19°32.9'N, LONG 150°52.3'E
    N d. LAT 19°30.5'N, LONG 150°48.5'E
1164: At 2350 on 23 June, you are at mile 610.5 AHP when you see about a mile ahead lights on the water near the left bank. What might you see when you come abreast of these lights? 

    N a. Privately maintained buoys at a yacht club
    N b. Government buoys marking the Hurricane Point dikes
    Y c. Barges moored at the Dennis Landing Terminal
    N d. A pipeline discharging dredge spoil
1295: After passing Wilkinson Lt. you see a flashing amber light on the right descending bank ahead. The flashing light indicates that you should __________. 

    N a. stay in the deepest water
    N b. slow down due to dredging operations
    Y c. keep as close to the left descending bank as safety permits
    N d. keep as close to the right descending bank as safety permits
1393: It is 15 July and you are keeping +7 zone time. You are on course 095°, speed 16 knots. Your 0800 DR position is LAT 25°39.4'N, LONG 129°46.2'W. What is the time of the second estimate of LAN by ship's clocks? 

    N a. 13h 40m 17s
    Y b. 13h 38m 19s
    N c. 12h 42m 20s
    N d. 12h 38m 20s
1472: On 9 February , your 0739 zone time DR position is LAT 23°31.0'N, LONG 143°41.0'E. At that time, you observe the Sun bearing 104.5°psc. The chronometer reads 09h 37m 12s, and the chronometer error is 01m 52s slow. The variation is 3.5°W. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass? 

    N a. 1.6°E
    N b. 2.3°W
    N c. 5.1°W
    Y d. 8.6°E
1481: On 24 May , your vessel's 1000 ZT position is LAT 25°36.0'N, LONG 118°39.5'W, when you take an azimuth of the Sun. Determine the gyro error using the azimuth information.
Chronometer time: 06h 21m 48s Chronometer error: fast 01m 36s Gyro bearing: 099.4°
Variation: 11.1°E 

    N a. 0.3°W
    Y b. 1.3°W
    N c. 1.8°E
    N d. 2.4°E
1488: At 2326 ZT, on 22 June , your vessel's position is LAT 28°30'N, LONG 150°04'W. An azimuth of the planet Jupiter is observed, and the standard compass bearing is 250.4°. The chronometer reads 09h 24m 36s and is 01m 12s slow. The variation of this area is 13.5°E. What is the deviation of the standard compass? 

    N a. 3.0°W
    N b. 3.5°W
    N c. 1.5°E
    Y d. 2.3°E
1537: What is your clearance as you pass under the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge (mile 437.8 AHP). if the Vicksburg Gage reads 14.8 feet and the highest point on your tow boat is 44.5 feet? 

    N a. 36 feet
    N b. 42 feet
    N c. 48 feet
    Y d. 57 feet
1682: On 11 May , in DR position LAT 37°06.0'N, LONG 45°45.0'W you observe an amplitude of the Sun. The Sun's center is on the visible horizon and bears 089.0°psc. The chronometer reads 07h 57m 06s and is 01m 48s slow. Variation in the area is 20.0°W. What is the deviation? 

    N a. 3.6°W
    Y b. 2.2°W
    N c. 1.4°W
    N d. 3.6°E
1722: You estimate the current as 2.0 mph. What is the speed over the ground? 

    N a. 4.5 mph
    Y b. 5.5 mph
    N c. 7.5 mph
    N d. 9.5 mph
1852: On 26 November , at 0535 ZT, while taking sights for a morning fix, you observe an unidentified planet bearing 074°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 38°29.8'. Your DR position is LAT 27°18.9'S, LONG 30°18.4'E. The chronometer time of the sight is 03h 33m 16s, and the chronometer is 01m 48s slow. What planet did you observe? 

    Y a. Saturn
    N b. Jupiter
    N c. Mars
    N d. Venus
1857: On 22 May , your 0437 ZT DR position is LAT 25°18.5'N, LONG 51°18.0'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 097°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 48°20.0'. The chronometer reads 07h 40m 40s and is 03m 24s fast. What star did you observe? 

    Y a. Markab
    N b. Diphda
    N c. Sabik
    N d. Hamal
1863: On 14 January , your 1922 ZT DR position is LAT 27°18.5'S, LONG 67°18.0'E. You observe an unidentified star bearing 029°T, at an observed altitude (Ho) of 29°35.0'. The chronometer reads 03h 25m 43s and is 03m 15s fast. What star did you observe? 

    Y a. Elnath
    N b. Fomalhaut
    N c. Pollux
    N d. Markab
1874: On 2 October , your 1845 DR position is LAT 28°09.2'S, LONG 167°48.1'E. You observe a faint star through a hole in the clouds at a sextant altitude (hs) of 25°19.4' bearing 273°T. The index error is 1.3' off the arc, and the height of eye is 42 feet. The chronometer reads 07h 46m 19s and is 0m 51s fast. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Alpha Serpentis
    Y b. Beta Librae
    N c. Beta Lupi
    N d. Epsilon Bootis
2085: At your current speed of 20 knots you only have enough fuel remaining to travel 360 miles. You must travel 440 miles to reach your destination. What should you reduce your speed (knots) to in order to reach your destination? 

    Y a. 18.1
    N b. 17.5
    N c. 16.9
    N d. 16.3
2092: At your current speed of 23 knots you only have enough fuel remaining to travel 386 miles. You must travel 785 miles to reach your destination. What should you reduce your speed (knots) to in order to reach your destination? 

    N a. 19.3
    N b. 17.7
    Y c. 16.1
    N d. 14.5
2154: On 30 June , at 0630 zone time, morning stars were observed, and the vessel's position was determined to be LAT 25°15.0'S, LONG 175°36.0'E. Your vessel is steaming at 16.0 knots on a course of 302°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 1015 zone time. The chronometer reads 10h 14m 38s, and the sextant altitude is 32°07.9'. The index error is 4.5' on the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 25s slow. Your height of eye on the bridge is 58.0 feet. What is the azimuth (Zn) of this sight using the assumed position? 

    Y a. 035.3°T
    N b. 144.7°T
    N c. 186.5°T
    N d. 248.5°T
2424: As you approach mile 225 AHP, you notice on the map a brown broken-lined rectangular shaped area along the bank. This indicates __________. 

    N a. weirs
    N b. a revetment
    Y c. a fleeting area
    N d. utility crossing
2591: Which statement best describes the shoreline at Mount Misery? 

    N a. Wooded, barren hills with a rocky beach
    N b. Low, rocky cliffs with heavily wooded hills inland
    N c. Sand dunes and beaches with a mud and sand bottom
    Y d. Sand bluffs 60 feet high and banks dug out by sand and gravel companies
2705: While on a course of 192°T, a light bears 11° on the starboard bow at a distance of 12.7 miles. What course should you steer to pass 3 miles abeam of the light leaving it to starboard? 

    N a. 167°T
    N b. 173°T
    N c. 185°T
    Y d. 189°T
3100: The pitch of the propeller on your vessel is 19'09". You estimate the slip at -3%. If you averaged 82 RPM for the day's run, how many miles did you steam? 

    N a. 370.8
    N b. 373.6
    N c. 393.7
    Y d. 395.3
3467: You are underway on course 160°T at 10 knots. The current is 210°T at 0.9 knots. What is the speed being made good? 

    Y a. 10.7 knots
    N b. 11.0 knots
    N c. 11.6 knots
    N d. 12.3 knots
3472: You are taking a time tick using the 2000 signal from Kekaha-Kauai, Hawaii (WWVH). 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 08h 00m 49s. When compared to the chronometer, the comparing watch reads 08h 01m 33s, and the chronometer reads 08h 00m 56s. What is the chronometer error? 

    Y a. 0m 12s fast
    N b. 0m 56s fast
    N c. 0m 44s slow
    N d. 1m 26s slow
3608: You are steering 125°pgc. The wind is southwest by south causing a 3° leeway. The variation is 6°E, the deviation is 2°W, and the gyro error is 1°W. What is the true course made good? 

    Y a. 121°T
    N b. 123°T
    N c. 127°T
    N d. 129°T
10100: Your GPS position is LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 75°48.6'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position one mile south of Cape Charles Buoy "14" (which is positioned at LAT 37°07.4'N, LONG 75°41.0'W)? 

    Y a. 045°psc
    N b. 049°psc
    N c. 053°psc
    N d. 057°psc
10100: Your GPS position is LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 75°48.6'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position one mile south of Cape Charles Buoy "14" (which is positioned at LAT 37°07.4'N, LONG 75°41.0'W)? 

    Y a. 045°psc
    N b. 049°psc
    N c. 053°psc
    N d. 057°psc
10102: Your GPS position is LAT 37°07.5'N, LONG 75°39.1'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass (psc) to a position 0.3 mile due north of North Chesapeake Entrance Buoy NCA (LL #375)? 

    N a. 222°psc
    N b. 228°psc
    N c. 231°psc
    Y d. 234°psc
12101: You sight Thimble Shoal Light in line with Old Point Comfort Light bearing 267° per standard magnetic compass. You are on course 182°psc. Based on this, you know __________. 

    Y a. the existing deviation is correct for that heading
    N b. you should adjust your compass
    N c. the compass error is 2°W
    N d. the variation is 11°W
12210: You sight New Haven Outer Channel Range Rear Light in line with the Outer Channel Range Front Light bearing 343° per standard magnetic compass. What is your compass error? 

    N a. 5°E
    N b. 5°W
    N c. 9°E
    Y d. 9°W
14004: At 1745 Lady Island Upper Range is in line dead astern and Washougal Lower Range is in line on the starboard bow. You are steaming in an easterly direction. What speed must you average to arrive abeam of Cape Horn Light No. 67 at 1839? 

    N a. 9.3 mph
    N b. 9.8 mph
    Y c. 10.2 mph
    N d. 10.8 mph
15006: You are on course 192°pgc at 12 knots.
At 1900 your position is:
Latitude 37° 22.6' North
Longitude 075° 35.7' West

Which of the following is true? 

    N a. if you maintain course and speed you will pass Hog Island Bell Buoy "2" to stbd
    N b. you are inside the 3 nm territorial sea
    Y c. your fathometer reads 30'
    N d. None of the above
15026: The highest point on your towboat is 53 feet above the water, and the Helena Gage (mile 663 AHP) reads 6.7 feet. What is the vertical clearance when you pass under the Helena Highway Bridge in Helena? 

    Y a. 59.9 feet
    N b. 62.5 feet
    N c. 64.1 feet
    N d. 65.5 feet
15118: What was the speed made good from 1845 to 1930? 

    N a. 6.2 knots
    N b. 7.5 knots
    Y c. 8.3 knots
    N d. 9.4 knots
15246: From your 1845 position, you desire to leave Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light 1.0 mile off your starboard beam at 1900. Which course and speed would you order if you allow for a 2.0 knot current with a set of 180°T? 

    N a. 205°T at  9.2 knots
    N b. 208°T at 11.4 knots
    Y c. 215°T at  9.2 knots
    N d. 225°T at 11.5 knots
15607: If there is no current, what is the course per gyro compass from your 1600 position to point A located 0.5 mile due east of Hog Island Lighted Bell Buoy "12"? 

    N a. 190°pgc
    Y b. 193°pgc
    N c. 196°pgc
    N d. 199°pgc
15707: At 0725, you are heading 054°T, and Stratford Point Light is abeam to port at 3.1 miles. The current is 135°T at 1.8 knots. If you make turns for an engine speed of 8 knots, which course must you steer to make good 048°T? 

    Y a. 035°T
    N b. 042°T
    N c. 047°T
    N d. 055°T
15816: At 0209, your position is LAT 41°01.8'N, LONG 72°40.8'W.
What course should you steer per standard magnetic compass to make good 278° magnetic? (assume no set and drift) 

    N a. 262.0°psc
    N b. 265.0°psc
    Y c. 275.5°psc
    N d. 280.5°psc
16359: If your engines are turning for 6.5 knots and the estimated current is north at 0.5 knot. What is the ETA at point "A"? 

    Y a. 0511
    N b. 0501
    N c. 0450
    N d. 0440
16559: At 1800, your position is LAT 41°06.5'N, LONG 71°43.5'W. How should the buoy which bears 030°T from your position at a range of approximately 0.5 mile be painted? 

    N a. Horizontally banded, red over green, with a red buoyancy chamber
    Y b. Horizontally banded, green over red, with a green buoyancy chamber
    N c. Vertically striped, red and green
    N d. Solid red with green letters "BIS"