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.

91: At 0305 on 18 April, you pass under the Greenville Bridge (mile 531.3 AHP). What was your average speed since departing Amoco Pipeline Co. Docks (mile 253.6 AHP)?
117: At 0645, on the 17th of April, you pass Hole in the Wall Lt. (mile 373.4 AHP). What has been your average speed since departing the Exxon Refinery?
151: What is the distance from the Memphis Gage to the Redneb Services Dock in New Orleans, LA.
196: What course per standard magnetic compass is (psc) the same as 247°pgc? 

    Y a. 257°psc
    N b. 260°psc
    N c. 262°psc
    N d. 265°psc
270: At 0830, you wish to get the latest weather forecasts for the Falkner Island area. On what frequency would you set your FM radio for this information? 

    N a. 2181 kHz
    Y b. 162.40 Mhz
    N c. 156.80 Mhz
    N d. 156.65 Mhz
327: At 0315, you obtain the following bearings:

Wolf Trap Light bearing 091° true
Old Plantation Flats Light bearing 179° true

What is the true course from this position to the entrance of York Spit Channel? 

    N a. 217°
    N b. 211°
    Y c. 208°
    N d. 203°
346: At 0415, you take the following bearings:

Stratford Point Light 329.5°pgc
Middle Ground Light 223.5°pgc
Old Field Point Light 199.5°pgc

Which statement is TRUE? 

    N a. The current's drift is greater than predicted.
    Y b. You are to the right of your intended track line.
    N c. The course made good since 0352 is 081°T.
    N d. Your fathometer reads about 76 fathoms.
356: At 0410, you take the following bearings:

New Point Comfort Light "2" 242°T
Wolf Trap Light 313°T
Horn Harbor Entrance Light "HH" 262°T

What is your 0410 position? 

    N a. LAT 37°20.9'N, LONG 76°07.7'W
    Y b. LAT 37°21.0'N, LONG 76°08.1'W
    N c. LAT 37°21.1'N, LONG 76°07.9'W
    N d. LAT 37°21.2'N, LONG 76°08.2'W
401: Your vessel receives a distress call from a vessel reporting her position as LAT 35°01'S, LONG 18°51'W. Your position is LAT 30°18'S, LONG 21°42'W. Determine the true course from your vessel to the vessel in distress by Mercator sailing. 

    N a. 135°T
    N b. 149°T
    Y c. 153°T
    N d. 160°T
482: The great circle distance from LAT 25°50'N, LONG 77°00'W to LAT 35°56'N, LONG 06°15'W is 3616 miles, and the initial course is 061.7°T. Determine the longitude of the vertex, given the latitude of the vertex as 37°34.9'N. 

    N a. 25°49.8'W
    N b. 25°53.2'W
    Y c. 25°59.0'W
    N d. 26°03.4'W
509: At 0112, the radar range to Branford Reef Light is 2.9 miles. At 0125, the range is 3.6 miles. What is the position of your 0125 running fix if you are steering 124°T at 12 knots?` 

    N a. LAT 41°09.3'N, LONG 72°48.7'W
    Y b. LAT 41°09.7'N, LONG 72°48.1'W
    N c. LAT 41°09.8'N, LONG 72°47.2'W
    N d. LAT 41°10.2'N, LONG 72°47.7'W
549: In order to check your compasses, you sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light bearing 074°pgc. The helmsman was steering 303°pgc and 315° per standard magnetic compass at the time.

Which of the following is TRUE? 

    N a. The true line of the range is 072°.
    N b. The deviation based on the observation is 15°W.
    N c. The magnetic compass error is 12°W.
    Y d. The gyro error is exactly 1.5°E.
571: At 0845, you are approaching the entrances to Thimble Shoal Channel. What channel must you use? 

    N a. The South Auxiliary Channel or Thimble Shoal Channel, but you must remain on the right hand side of the channel.
    Y b. The South Auxiliary Channel since your draft is less than 25 feet (7.6 meters) and you are not a passenger vessel.
    N c. The North Auxiliary Channel since you are going to turn to a northerly heading near buoy "12".
    N d. You are not permitted to use any of the channels, but must remain outside the buoyed channel line.
606: At 0915 zone time, on 11 May , you depart Yokohama, LAT 35°27.0'N, LONG 139°39.0'E (ZD -9). You are bound for Seattle, LAT 47°36.0'N, LONG 122°22.0'W, and you estimate your speed of advance at 19.5 knots. The distance is 4,276 miles. What is your estimated zone time of arrival at Seattle? 

    Y a. 1932, 19 May
    N b. 0332, 20 May
    N c. 1032, 20 May
    N d. 1232, 20 May
807: On 12 February your 0542 zone time (ZT) fix gives you a position of LAT 26°42.0'N, LONG 60°18.0'W. Your vessel is on course 300°T, and your speed is 9.8 knots. Local apparent noon (LAN) occurs at 1220 ZT at which time a meridian altitude of the Sun's lower limb is observed. The observed altitude (Ho) for this sight is 49°10.0'. What is the calculated latitude at LAN? 

    N a. 27°13.5'N
    Y b. 27°16.3'N
    N c. 27°17.6'N
    N d. 27°19.2'N
988: On 29 June , your 0800 zone time fix gives you a position of LAT 26°16.0'S, LONG 61°04.0'E. Your vessel is steaming a course of 079°T at a speed of 15.5 knots. An observation of the Sun's upper limb is made at 0905 zone time, and the observed altitude (Ho) is 25°20.1. The chronometer reads 05h 08m 12s, and the chronometer error is 02m 27s fast. Local apparent noon occurs at 1154 zone time, and a meridian altitude of the Sun's lower limb is made. The observed altitude (Ho) for this sight is 40°44.2'. Determine the vessel's 1200 zone time position. 

    Y a. LAT 26°02.0'S, LONG 62°05.0'E
    N b. LAT 26°02.0'S, LONG 62°23.2'E
    N c. LAT 26°05.1'S, LONG 62°06.3'E
    N d. LAT 25°56.0'S, LONG 62°03.0'E
1178: On 27 August , your 0900 zone time DR position is LAT 24°25.0'N, LONG 94°20.0'W. Your vessel is on course 071°T at a speed of 20.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    Y a. 1214
    N b. 1208
    N c. 1206
    N d. 1158
1185: On 31 January , your 0920 zone time DR position is LAT 24°16.0'S, LONG 151°33.0'E. Your vessel is on course 258°T at a speed of 18.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1202
    N b. 1207
    Y c. 1211
    N d. 1215
1197: On 16 November , your 0800 ZT DR position is LAT 25°11.0'N, LONG 117°41.0'W. Your vessel is on a course of 252°T at a speed of 14.5 knots. What is the ZT of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1135
    Y b. 1139
    N c. 1143
    N d. 1146
1213: It is 23 November and you are keeping zone time +4. You are on course 262°T, speed 21 knots. Your 0800 DR position is LAT 24°30.0'N, LONG 48°40.0'W. What is the time of the second estimate of LAN by ship's clocks? 

    Y a. 11h 05m 54s
    N b. 11h 34m 22s
    N c. 12h 06m 02s
    N d. 12h 08m 36s
1266: On 1 December , your 1600 ZT DR position is LAT 22°48.0'S, LONG 91°26.0'E. You are on course 327°T at a speed of 16 knots. What will be the zone time of sunset at your vessel? 

    N a. 1823
    Y b. 1827
    N c. 1831
    N d. 1847
1275: At 1730 zone time, on 3 March , your DR position is LAT 16°00'S, LONG 80°00'W. You are steering 000°T at a speed of 7.5 knots. What is the zone time of sunset? 

    N a. 1829
    N b. 1834
    Y c. 1843
    N d. 1852
1303: On which map would you find Redman Point, Arkansas? 

    Y a. 20
    N b. 38
    N c. 45
    N d. 60
1342: What is the vertical clearance between the highest point of your towboat, if it is 45 feet above the water, and if the Natchez Gage reads 23.4 feet when passing under the Natchez-Vidalia Westbound Highway Bridge? 

    N a. 67.5 feet
    Y b. 57.1 feet
    N c. 52.2 feet
    N d. 45.2 feet
1420: What company does NOT have a marine facility along the river bank in Helena (mile 661 to 665 AHP)? 

    N a. Helena Port Terminal, Inc.
    Y b. Riceland Food Corps..
    N c. Quincy Soybean Co.
    N d. Texas Eastern Pipeline Co.
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
1479: On 6 November , your vessel's 0706 zone time DR position is LAT 25°30.0'N, LONG 85°35.0'W, when an azimuth of the Sun is observed. The chronometer time of the sight is 01h 03m 30s, and the Sun is bearing 114.0°pgc. The chronometer error is 02m 30s slow, and the variation in the area is 2°.
What is the gyro error? 

    N a. 0.8°E
    N b. 0.8°W
    N c. 2.0°W
    Y d. 2.0°E
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
1900: On 22 May , your 0437 DR position is LAT 25°18.5'N, LONG 51°18.0'W. You observed an unidentified star bearing 233°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 29°42.3'. The chronometer reads 07h 40m 40s, and is 03m 24s fast. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Markab
    N b. Diphda
    Y c. Sabik
    N d. Hamal
2023: On 1 October , you determine the zone time of evening twilight will be 1835. Your DR position at this time is LAT 27°18.0'N, LONG 48°52.0'W. Considering their magnitude and location, which group of three stars are best suited to be used in obtaining a fix at star time? 

    N a. Altair, Rasalhague, Vega
    Y b. Alphecca, Kochab, Deneb
    N c. Diphda, Hamal, Mirfak
    N d. Antares, Rigil Kentaurus, Peacock
2330: At 0731, what is the approximate depth of water? 

    N a. 31 feet (9.4 meters)
    Y b. 41 feet (12.5 meters)
    N c. 52 feet (15.7 meters)
    N d. 58 feet (17.6 meters)
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
3264: You have steamed 1134 miles at 10 knots, and consumed 121 tons of fuel. If you have to steam 1522 miles to complete the voyage, how many tons of fuel will be consumed while steaming at 12 knots? 

    N a. 146 tons
    N b. 189 tons
    N c. 200 tons
    Y d. 234 tons
13407: Your position is LAT 41°03.0'N, LONG 72°42.1'W. If your draft is 8 ft, what should your fathometer read at this position? 

    Y a. 80 ft
    N b. 88 ft
    N c. 96 ft
    N d. 99 ft
14104: You are approaching Bonneville Lock and Dam. Which FM-radio channel should be used to communicate with the lockmaster? 

    N a. 13
    Y b. 14
    N c. 15
    N d. 16
15258: Which structure should you look for while trying to locate Stratford Point Light? 

    Y a. White conical tower with a brown band midway of height
    N b. White octagonal house on a cylindrical pier
    N c. Conical tower, upper half white, lower half brown
    N d. Black skeleton tower on a granite dwelling
15544: At 2310 your position is LAT 41°05.5'N, LONG 72°33.7'W and you change course to make good 068°T. A radar speed check using Twenty Eight Foot Shoal Buoy indicates your speed over the ground is 13.6 knots. At 2325 Horton Point Light bears 129°T. At 2341 the same light bears 194°T. What is the position of your 2341 running fix? 

    N a. LAT 41°07.9'N, LONG 72°25.9'W
    N b. LAT 41°08.3'N, LONG 72°25.8'W
    Y c. LAT 41°08.5'N, LONG 72°25.6'W
    N d. LAT 41°08.8'N, LONG 72°25.2'W
15819: You must arrive at your final destination by 0800. The distance from your 0300 position to the final destination is 40.5 miles. What minimum speed must be made good to arrive on time? 

    Y a. 8.1 knots
    N b. 8.5 knots
    N c. 9.3 knots
    N d. 9.6 knots
15820: You are northwest of Port Jefferson Harbor steering 242° per standard magnetic compass. As you continue westward, you see that the Port Jefferson Range Front Light and Rear Light come into line. If the deviation table is correct, the bearing of the range should be __________. 

    N a. 140°psc
    N b. 146°psc
    Y c. 157°psc
    N d. 160°psc
15841: At 2030 you take the following bearings:

Sand Shoal Inlet South Light - 275°T
Cape Charles Light - 235°T



The set and drift from 2000 to 2030 are __________. 

    N a. 088° at 0.7 knot
    N b. 088° at 1.4 knots
    N c. 268° at 0.7 knot
    Y d. 268° at 1.4 knots
15943: At 2038 Block Island North Light bears 065°T and Montauk Point Light bears 216°T

Which statement is TRUE? 

    N a. Your speed made good between your 1959 fix and 2038 fix is 11.0 knots.
    N b. Your course made good between your 1959 fix and 2038 fix is 102°T.
    N c. At your 2038 fix, your vessel is governed by the Inland Rules of the Road.
    Y d. Block Island Sound South Entrance Obstruction Lighted "BIS"
    
Buoy is located 3.6 miles off your starboard bow.
15970: If you have 16.3 miles to reach your destination from your 2000 position and want to be there at 2230, what speed should you make good? 

    N a. 5.7 knots
    N b. 6.1 knots
    Y c. 6.5 knots
    N d. 6.9 knots
16040: At 0847 you take a round of bearings as follows:

Middle Ground Shoal Light - 237° pgc
Stratford Point Light - 289° pgc
New Haven Light - 019° pgc

What were the set and drift since your 0820 position? 

    N a. Set 180°T, drift 0.6 kt
    N b. Set 360°T, drift 0.3 kt
    N c. Set 180°T, drift 0.3 kt
    Y d. Set 360°T, drift 0.6 kt
16056: At 1730, your position is LAT 37°13.9'N, LONG 76°26.4'W. What is your distance off Tue Marshes Light? 

    N a. 2.2 miles
    Y b. 2.6 miles
    N c. 3.0 miles
    N d. 3.4 miles
16113: After you enter Thimble Shoal Channel, you will alter course to pass between Trestle "A" and "B". Which channel should you use? 

    N a. Thimble Shoal Main Channel or the South Auxiliary Channel
    N b. Any of the channels but keep to the right hand side
    Y c. The South Auxiliary Channel
    N d. Thimble Shoal Main Channel
16141: The speed you can expect to make good over your course while steering to make 150°T is __________. 

    N a. 11.0 knots
    Y b. 11.4 knots
    N c. 14.0 knots
    N d. 14.4 knots
16209: 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
    N b. North
    N c. Northeast
    Y d. East
16263: If you increase speed to 8 knots, and the current is 240°
at 0.7 knot. What course should you steer from your 0400 position to arrive at point A? 

    N a. 178°T
    N b. 180°T
    Y c. 183°T
    N d. 186°T
16316: At 0900, the current is flooding in a direction of 350°T at 1.2 knots. If your engines are turning RPMs for 9 knots, which course should you steer per standard magnetic compass to make good a course of 297° true? 

    Y a. 302°psc
    N b. 311°psc
    N c. 317°psc
    N d. 319°psc
16544: At 2347 you are advised that your assistance is no longer needed. At 2350 you change course to make good 268°T. At 0015 you take the following round of bearings:
Kelsey Point Breakwater light 024°pgc
Horton Point Light 100°pgc
Falkner Island Light 333°pgc

At 0030 Falkner Island Lt. bears 000°T at 5.9 miles.

What is the course and speed made good between 0015 and 0030? 

    N a. CMG 262°T,  SMG 10.4 knots
    N b. CMG 268°T,  SMG 10.8 knots
    N c. CMG 268°T,  SMG 10.4 knots
    Y d. CMG 272°T,  SMG 10.8 knots
16544: At 2347 you are advised that your assistance is no longer needed. At 2350 you change course to make good 268°T. At 0015 you take the following round of bearings:
Kelsey Point Breakwater light 024°pgc
Horton Point Light 100°pgc
Falkner Island Light 333°pgc

At 0030 Falkner Island Lt. bears 000°T at 5.9 miles.

What is the course and speed made good between 0015 and 0030? 

    N a. CMG 262°T,  SMG 10.4 knots
    N b. CMG 268°T,  SMG 10.8 knots
    N c. CMG 268°T,  SMG 10.4 knots
    Y d. CMG 272°T,  SMG 10.8 knots
16546: At 0100 you notice that the wind has become SSW'ly and has freshened. At 0200 you sight Stratford Point Lighted Bell Buoy "18" bearing 268°pgc. At 0215 the buoy bears 269°pgc. Which statement is TRUE? 

    N a. You should alter course to the right to increase the rate of the bearing change.
    N b. You are making more speed over the ground than you estimated.
    Y c. You should alter course to decrease the distance that you will pass off Middle Ground Shoal.
    N d. You can hold the present course and safely pass buoy "18".
16568: From your 1930 position, you plot a course to pass 0.5 mile due south of Race Rock Light. If your vessel's speed is 8.0 knots, the current's set and drift are 040°T at 1.4 knots,
and a south wind produces a 3° leeway, what true course should you steer to make good your desired course? 

    Y a. 275°T
    N b. 280°T
    N c. 290°T
    N d. 294°T
16706: At 0520, you take the following observations:

Point Judith Light 032°pgc
Point Judith Harbor of Refuge
Main Breakwater Center Light 308°pgc

What is the position of your 0520 fix? 

    N a. LAT 41°20.8'N, Long 71°30.3'W
    Y b. LAT 41°20.8'N, Long 71°29.7'W
    N c. LAT 41°20.6'N, Long 71°30.0'W
    N d. LAT 41°20.5'N, Long 71°29.8'W