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.

63: In addition to the Army Corps. of Engineers maps, data on bridge clearances may be found in the __________.
150: Which dayboard would you see on Puntney Light (mile 943.6 AHP)?
183: At 1920, the buoy off your starboard bow is __________.
292: If you have 17.3 miles to reach your destination from your 2000 position and want to be there at 2230, what speed should you make good? 

    Y a. 6.9 knots
    N b. 6.5 knots
    N c. 6.1 knots
    N d. 5.7 knots
333: From your noon position, if there is no set and drift, what is your course per standard magnetic compass to the "NCA" (LL #375) buoy? 

    N a. 221°psc
    N b. 219°psc
    Y c. 217°psc
    N d. 215°psc
341: You are on course 082°T, and the engines are turning for 8 knots. At 0352, you take the following bearings:
Stratford Point Light 016°pgc Stratford Shoal (Middle Ground) Light 137°pgc

What is your 0352 position? 

    Y a. LAT 41°05.2'N, LONG 73°07.8'W
    N b. LAT 41°05.4'N, LONG 73°07.3'W
    N c. LAT 41°05.3'N, LONG 73°07.5'W
    N d. LAT 41°05.4'N, LONG 73°07.7'W
387: The wind is southerly, and you estimate 3° leeway. Allowing for leeway, what is the course to steer from your 0745 position to pass 1 mile south of Watch Hill Buoy "WH"? 

    Y a. 087°pgc
    N b. 085°pgc
    N c. 081°pgc
    N d. 079°pgc
417: A vessel at LAT 21°32'N, LONG 160°30'W, heads for a destination at LAT 30°00'N, LONG 150°00'E. Determine the true course and distance by Mercator sailing. 

    N a. 273°T, 2645 miles
    N b. 273°T, 2692 miles
    Y c. 281°T, 2733 miles
    N d. 284°T, 2762 miles
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
468: Determine the great circle initial course from LAT 07°05.0'N, LONG 81°45.0'W to LAT 21°15.0'N, LONG 157°40.0'W. 

    N a. 128°T
    N b. 217°T
    Y c. 290°T
    N d. 326°T
495: At 0815, visibility is excellent and you can see Montauk Point. Montauk Point is __________. 

    N a. low and rocky with scattered small pine trees
    N b. a low lying wetland
    Y c. a high sandy bluff
    N d. a flat wooded plain
498: As you head toward Great Salt Pond, visibility is unlimited. At what time will you lose sight of Montauk Pt. Light? 

    N a. 0905
    N b. 0928
    N c. 0950
    Y d. It will remain visible to Great Salt Pond.
511: At 0130, your position is LAT 41°09.3'N, LONG 72°46.9'W when you change course to 086°T. If you make good 086°T, what is the closest point of approach to Twenty-Eight Foot Shoal Lighted Buoy? 

    N a. 1.2 mile
    N b. 1.1 mile
    Y c. 0.9 miles
    N d. 0.7 miles
539: Determine the distance from LAT 59°12'N, LONG 14°00'W to LAT 59°12'N, LONG 03°20'W by parallel sailing. 

    N a. 324.2 miles
    N b. 325.4 miles
    Y c. 327.7 miles
    N d. 328.9 miles
540: Determine the distance from LAT 34°18'S, LONG 172°40'E to LAT 34°18'S, LONG 152°38'E, by parallel sailing. 

    Y a. 993.0 miles
    N b. 995.2 miles
    N c. 996.4 miles
    N d. 998.6 miles
731: On 2 January , your 1759 zone time DR position is LONG 45°17.6'W. At that time you observe Polaris with a sextant altitude (hs) of 24°16.5'. The chronometer time of the sight is 08h 57m 10s, and the chronometer error is 02m 16s slow. The index error is 3.5' on the arc, and the height of eye is 42.5 feet. What is your latitude by Polaris? 

    N a. 22°50.2'N
    Y b. 23°18.8'N
    N c. 23°30.8'N
    N d. 23°48.8'N
738: On 24 September , your 1841 zone time DR position is LAT 25°15.0'N, LONG 129°34.5'E. At that time you observe Polaris with a sextant altitude (hs) of 25°20.8'. The chronometer time of the sight is 09h 38m 12s, and the chronometer error is 03m 12s slow. The index error is 4.3' off the arc, and the height of eye is 52.0 feet. What is your latitude by Polaris? 

    N a. 24°28.4'N
    N b. 25°16.0'N
    Y c. 25°37.6'N
    N d. 25°42.3'N
1093: On 22 Nov. , your vessel is enroute from Accra, Ghana to Montevideo, Uruguay. You are on course 240°T and making a speed of 15.0 knots. Your 1129 DR position is LAT 28°25.0'S, LONG 42°40.0'W. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 1137 running fix. NP-0023

    Y a. LAT 28°27.0'S, LONG 42°38.0'W
    N b. LAT 28°25.2'S, LONG 42°40.0'W
    N c. LAT 28°25.0'S, LONG 42°36.0'W
    N d. LAT 28°23.4'S, LONG 42°42.0'W
1132: Which light will you be passing at 0059, on 22 September, if you make good 9.2 knots? 

    Y a. Obion Bar Lt.
    N b. Kate Aubrey Lt.
    N c. Trotter Lt.
    N d. Quaker Oats Lt.
1175: On 12 February , your 0900 zone time DR position is LAT 16°43.0'N, LONG 51°42.0'W. Your vessel is on course 093°T at a speed of 18.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    Y a. 1237
    N b. 1233
    N c. 1230
    N d. 1226
1230: At 1814, on 11 September, you pass under the Greenville Highway Bridge (mile 531.3 AHP). What speed must you average to arrive at Jimmy Hawken Light (mile 663.5 AHP) at 0930 the following day? 

    Y a. 8.7 mph
    N b. 7.7 mph
    N c. 6.3 mph
    N d. 5.6 mph
1261: On 16 February , your 0300 ZT DR position is LAT 28°32.0'S, LONG 176°49.0'E. You are on course 082°T at a speed of 21 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel? 

    N a. 0534
    Y b. 0552
    N c. 0631
    N d. 0645
1929: You are taking a time tick using the 1930 signal from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You hear the preparatory signal "CQ DE PPE" repeated several times followed by a short dash (0.4 sec), 60 dots (0.1 sec each) and another short dash. At the beginning of the last dash, the comparing watch reads 07h 30m 13s. When compared to the chronometer, the comparing watch reads 07h 31m 56s, and the chronometer reads 07h 30m 21s. What is the chronometer error? 

    N a. 0m 13s fast
    N b. 1m 43s fast
    Y c. 1m 22s slow
    N d. 1m 48s slow
2088: At your current speed of 19 knots you only have enough fuel remaining to travel 265 miles. You must travel 731 miles to reach your destination. What should you reduce your speed (knots) to in order to reach your destination? 

    N a. 13.8
    N b. 12.6
    Y c. 11.4
    N d. 10.2
2178: On 26 July , your 1901 ZT position is LAT 28°28'N, LONG 157°16'E when you take an observation of Jupiter. The chronometer at the time of the sight reads 08h 54m 34s and is 06m 24s slow. The sextant altitude (hs) is 33°51.5'. The index error is 2.8'off the arc, and the height of eye is 48 feet. What are the azimuth (Zn) and intercept (a) for this sight using the assumed position? 

    N a. Zn 110.8°,  a 32.0' T
    N b. Zn 249.2°,  a 32.0' A
    Y c. Zn 248.2°,  a 34.2' T
    N d. Zn 290.8°,  a 44.2' A
2289: You observe the lower limb of the Sun at a sextant altitude (hs) of 38°07.5' on 8 August . The index error is 5.2' off the arc. The height of eye is 72 feet (22 meters). What is the observed altitude (Ho)? 

    N a. 38°08.4'
    N b. 38°13.3'
    Y c. 38°19.2'
    N d. 38°23.4'
2289: You observe the lower limb of the Sun at a sextant altitude (hs) of 38°07.5' on 8 August . The index error is 5.2' off the arc. The height of eye is 72 feet (22 meters). What is the observed altitude (Ho)? 

    N a. 38°08.4'
    N b. 38°13.3'
    Y c. 38°19.2'
    N d. 38°23.4'
2677: You sight a light 9° on your starboard bow at a distance of 21 miles. Assuming you make good your course, what will be your distance off the light when abeam? 

    Y a. 3.3 miles
    N b. 3.7 miles
    N c. 4.0 miles
    N d. 4.3 miles
2717: 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
2875: Your vessel is on a course of 316°T at 12 knots. At 2326 a light bears 289.5°T, and at 2354 the light bears 271°T. At what time and at what distance off will your vessel be when abeam of the light? 

    N a. 0014, 4.8 miles
    N b. 0018, 5.2 miles
    Y c. 0022, 5.6 miles
    N d. 0026, 6.4 miles
3064: The propeller of a vessel has a pitch of 19.0 feet. If the vessel traveled 183.5 miles (observed distance) in 24 hours at an average of 44 RPM, what was the slip? 

    Y a. +7.4%
    N b. -7.4%
    N c. +11.6%
    N d. -11.6%
3263: You have steamed 1124 miles at 21 knots, and consumed 326 tons of fuel. If you have 210 tons of usable fuel remaining, how far can you steam at 17 knots? 

    N a. 1096 miles
    Y b. 1105 miles
    N c. 1218 miles
    N d. 1304 miles
3273: Your vessel arrives in port with sufficient fuel to steam 1175 miles at 19 knots. If you are unable to take on bunkers, at what speed must you proceed to reach your next port, 1341 miles distant? 

    N a. 16.7 knots
    N b. 17.3 knots
    Y c. 17.8 knots
    N d. 19.4 knots
3281: While steaming at 15.7 knots, your vessel consumes 329 barrels of fuel oil per day. In order to reduce consumption to 267 barrels of fuel oil per day, what is the maximum speed the vessel can turn for? 

    N a. 12.7 knots
    N b. 13.5 knots
    Y c. 14.6 knots
    N d. 15.5 knots
3613: You are steering a magnetic compass course of 075°. The variation for the area is 10°W, and the compass deviation is 5°E. What is the true course you are steering? 

    N a. 060°T
    Y b. 070°T
    N c. 080°T
    N d. 090°T
3621: Your vessel is steering course 216° per standard magnetic compass, variation for the area is 9°W, and deviation is 2°E. The wind is from the east, producing a 5° leeway. What true course are you making good? 

    N a. 204°T
    Y b. 214°T
    N c. 223°T
    N d. 227°T
3652: The true course between two points is 023°T. Your gyrocompass has an error of 1°W and you make an allowance of 4° leeway for an east wind. What gyro course should be steered to make the true course good? 

    N a. 020°pgc
    N b. 021°pgc
    N c. 026°pgc
    Y d. 028°pgc
3764: Your vessel is proceeding up a channel, and you see a pair of range lights that are in line ahead. The chart indicates that the direction of this pair of lights is 064°T, and the variation is 17°W. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 094° per standard magnetic compass, what is the correct deviation? 

    N a. 4°E
    N b. 4°W
    N c. 13°E
    Y d. 13°W
4006: You swung ship and compared the magnetic compass against the gyro compass to find deviation. Gyro error is 2°W. The variation is 8°W. Find the deviation on a true heading of 236°.
HEADING HEADING HEADING
PSC PGC PSC PGC PSC PGC
358.5° - 354° 122.5° - 114° 239.5° - 234°
030.5° - 024° 152.0° - 144° 269.0° - 264°
061.5° - 054° 181.0° - 174° 298.0° - 294°
092.0° - 084° 210.0° - 204° 327.5° - 324° 

    N a. 1.0°W
    Y b. 0.5°E
    N c. 1.5°E
    N d. 0.0°
11003: What best describes the condition of the tidal current at New London Harbor Entrance, at 0945 on 3 March 1983? 

    N a. It is slack water.
    Y b. The current has reached its maximum flood velocity.
    N c. It has reached its maximum ebb velocity.
    N d. The current is approaching slack water.
11902: What is the true course to steer between the entrance to Lake Montauk (LAT 41°04.8'N, LONG 71°56.3'W) and Winnapaug Pond entrance) LAT 41°19.6'N, LONG 71°45.8'W), if you are turning for 9.5 knots, allow for a current of 075°T at 1.2 knots, and a westerly wind is causing 3° of leeway? 

    Y a. 021°T
    N b. 024°T
    N c. 027°T
    N d. 029°T
12604: You are on course 082° per standard magnetic compass (psc) when you take the following bearings: New London Ledge Light - 036.5°psc Little Gull Island Light - 157.0°psc Saybrook Break Water Light - 294.5°psc What is your position? 

    N a. LAT 41°02.3'N, LONG 72°04.5'W
    N b. LAT 41°09.5'N, LONG 72°07.1'W
    Y c. LAT 41°13.6'N, LONG 72°07.5'W
    N d. LAT 41°14.1'N, LONG 72°12.8'W
13002: At 0829 your position is LAT 41°02.9'N, LONG 72°57.4'W. You are making turns for 8.5 knots. What is your ETA at a position midway between buoys "1" and "2" at the entrance of New Haven Outer Channel? 

    N a. 0925
    N b. 0931
    N c. 0938
    Y d. 0944
13100: Your position is LAT 41°15.2'N, LONG 71°50.1'W at 1347. You are turning for 6.9 knots. What is your ETA at Shagwong Reef Buoy "7SR"? 

    Y a. 1506
    N b. 1515
    N c. 1521
    N d. 1527
13900: The trapezoidal shaped areas enclosed by a thin broken magenta line and located along the south coast of Long Island are __________. 

    N a. designated training areas for Navy amphibious craft
    N b. disposal areas for unexploded munitions
    Y c. fish trap areas
    N d. anchorage areas for small craft
15166: At 2037, you change course and wish to make good a course of 016°T. There is no current, but an easterly wind is causing 3° leeway. What course per standard magnetic compass should you steer to make good the course 016°T? 

    N a. 022°psc
    N b. 025°psc
    Y c. 028°psc
    N d. 031°psc
15217: At 2118, you obtain the following bearings:

Cape Henry Light - 148°pgc
Cape Charles Light - 033°pgc
Thimble Shoal Light - 291°pgc

From this position, you proceed to Norfolk, VA, a distance of approximately 26.0 miles. To arrive at Norfolk at 0200 the next day, what is the speed to make good from your 2118 position to arrive at this time? 

    N a. 5.0 knots
    Y b. 5.5 knots
    N c. 6.0 knots
    N d. 6.5 knots
15311: You leave York Spit Channel at buoy "14" at 0600 with an engine speed of 12 knots. You receive orders to rendezvous with the tug "Quicksilver" and her tow at Hog Island Bell Buoy "12". What is your ETA at the rendezvous point, if you pass through Chesapeake Channel to buoy "CBJ", through the outbound traffic separation lane to buoy "NCA"
(LL#375), and then to the rendezvous point? 

    N a. 0830
    N b. 0850
    Y c. 0910
    N d. 0935
15715: Little Gull Island Light is __________. 

    N a. lighted only during daytime when the sound signal is in operation
    N b. maintained only from May 1 to Oct 1
    Y c. lighted throughout 24 hours
    N d. obscured by trees from 253° to 352°
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
16641: At 0455 you encounter fog and slow to 5 knots. At 0500, you obtain a radar fix from the following information:

Radar range to Montauk Point is 9.1 miles.
Tangent bearing to western edge of Block Is. Is 015°pgc.
Distance off the nearest part of Block Is. is 5.9 miles.

What is your 0500 position? 

    N a. LAT 41°02.8'N, LONG 71°39.5'W
    N b. LAT 41°02.9'N, LONG 71°39.8'W
    N c. LAT 41°03.1'N, LONG 71°39.6'W
    Y d. LAT 41°03.5'N, LONG 71°39.3'W