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.

88: What is the vertical clearance between the highest point of your towboat, if it is 58 feet above the water, and if the Natchez Gage reads 28.13 feet when passing under the Natchez Upper Highway Bridge?
119: What is the length of the trip?
262: 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 __________.
299: At 1930, your vessel is between York River Entrance Channel Lighted Buoys "1YR" and "2". From this position, you change course to 142°pgc at an engine speed of 8.0 knots. At 2001, you obtain the following information:

Chesapeake Channel Tunnel North Light - 131°pgc; Thimble Shoal Light - 248°pgc

What were the set and drift between 1930 and 2001? 

    Y a. 127° at 0.5 knot
    N b. 127° at 1.1 knot
    N c. 307° at 1.1 knot
    N d. 307° at 0.5 knot
395: A vessel at LAT 45°36.0'N, LONG 11°36.0'W, heads for a destination at LAT 24°16.0'N, LONG 73°52.0'W. Determine the true course and distance by Mercator sailing. 

    Y a. 247°T, 3299.3 miles
    N b. 247°T, 3951.6 miles
    N c. 251°T, 3298.5 miles
    N d. 251°T, 3951.6 miles
489: At 0728, Race Rock Light is bearing 282°T at 3.8 miles, and the closest point on Fishers Island is at a radar range of 2.1 miles. What speed have you been making since you changed course at 0705? 

    N a. 11.4 knots
    N b. 10.6 knots
    Y c. 9.9 knots
    N d. 9.2 knots
553: At 0507, Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light bears 208°pgc. What is the position of your 0507 running fix? 

    N a. LAT 41°04.6'N, LONG 73°04.7'W
    N b. LAT 41°04.8'N, LONG 73°04.8'W
    N c. LAT 41°04.8'N, LONG 73°04.9'W
    Y d. LAT 41°05.1'N, LONG 73°05.1'W
560: Which loran line can you follow to remain clear of all danger until south of New London? 

    Y a. 9960-Y-43960
    N b. 9960-X-26450
    N c. 9960-W-14900
    N d. 9960-W-15000
605: At 0915 ZT, on 26 July , 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 14 knots. The distance is 4,245 miles. What is your estimated ZT of arrival at Seattle? 

    Y a. 0728, 7 August
    N b. 1528, 7 August
    N c. 0028, 8 August
    N d. 1528, 8 August
977: On 8 February , your 0800 zone time (ZT) position was LAT 28°55.0'S, LONG 52°27.0'W. Your vessel was steaming on course 036°T at a speed of 19.0 knots. An observation of the Sun's lower limb was made at 0938 ZT. The chronometer read 12h 37m 23s and was slow 01m 24s. The observed altitude (Ho) was 45°29.2'. Local Apparent Noon (LAN) occurred at 1240 ZT. The observed altitude (Ho) was 77°10.5'. What was the longitude of your 1200 ZT running fix? 

    N a. 51°29.6'W
    N b. 51°31.4'W
    N c. 51°33.1'W
    Y d. 51°35.4'W
1181: On 4 January , your 0800 zone time DR position is LAT 25°25.0 S, LONG 16°09.0'W. Your vessel is on course 290°T at a speed of 13.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1157
    N b. 1205
    N c. 1209
    Y d. 1213
1188: On 9 February , your 0830 zone time DR position is LAT 22°19.0'N, LONG 64°37.0'E. Your vessel is on course 128°
T at a speed of 19.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    Y a. 1152
    N b. 1156
    N c. 1201
    N d. 1205
1248: What is the distance in river miles, from the new mouth of the White River to the Petroleum Fuel & Terminal Co. (mile 144.6 AHP)? 

    Y a. 454 miles
    N b. 427 miles
    N c. 384 miles
    N d. 370 miles
1254: On 19 July , your 1500 ZT DR position is LAT 28°25.0'N, LONG 120°28.0'W. You are on course 233°T at a speed of 10 knots. What will be the zone time of sunset at your vessel? 

    N a. 1842
    N b. 1853
    Y c. 1901
    N d. 1909
1255: On 12 June , your 0400 ZT DR position is LAT 22°31.0'N, LONG 31°45.0'W. You are on course 240°T at a speed of 16.5 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel? 

    N a. 0507
    N b. 0515
    Y c. 0523
    N d. 0645
1453: On 15 October , your 0325 zone time DR position is LAT 26°51.0'N, LONG 138°17.0'W. At that time, you observe Canopus bearing 167°pgc. The chronometer reads 00h 25m 36s, and the chronometer error is 00m 20s slow. The variation is 2°E. What is the gyro error? 

    Y a. 1.3°W
    N b. 3.2°W
    N c. 3.2°E
    N d. 4.1°W
1483: On 31 May , your vessel's 1420 zone time DR position is LAT 29°06'N, LONG 120°06'W, when an azimuth of the Sun is observed. The bearing of the Sun per standard magnetic compass was 255.3°. The chronometer time of the observation is 10h 17m 24s. The chronometer error is 02m 32s slow. The variation for this area is 12.9°E. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass? 

    Y a. 2.5°W
    N b. 2.9°W
    N c. 2.9°E
    N d. 3.2°E
1756: You pass Hole in Wall Light at 1200, 24 May. What is your ETA off the Mhoon Landing Gage if you average 6.5 mph? 

    N a. 0152, 26 May
    N b. 0426, 26 May
    N c. 1128, 26 May
    Y d. 1221, 26 May
1889: On 22 July , your 1759 DR position is LAT 24°50.2'S, LONG 05°16.0'E. You observe an unidentified star bearing 293°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 17°52.8'. The chronometer reads 06h 01m 31s, and is 02m 15s fast. What star did you observe? 

    Y a. Regulus
    N b. Antares
    N c. Miaplacidus
    N d. Suhail
1899: On 22 May , your 0437 DR position is LAT 25°18.5'N, LONG 51°18.0'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 116°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 11°27.8'. The chronometer reads 07h 40m 40s, and is 03m 24s fast. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Markab
    Y b. Diphda
    N c. Sabik
    N d. Hamal
2006: On 8 November , your 1731 zone time DR position is LAT 27°16.0'N, LONG 137°25.0'W. Considering their magnitude, azimuth, and altitude, which group includes the three stars best suited for a fix at star time? 

    Y a. Alphecca, Fomalhaut, Schedar
    N b. Antares, Rasalhague, Altair
    N c. Sirius, Hamal, Dubhe
    N d. Peacock, Ankaa,  Al Na'ir
2013: On 28 October , morning twilight will occur around 0524 ZT in LAT 25°25.0'N, LONG 32°33.3'W. Considering their magnitude and location, which group will be the three stars best suited to observe for a star fix at star time? 

    N a. Sirius, Hamal, Denebola
    N b. Sirius, Denebola, Dubhe
    Y c. Sirius, Capella, Denebola
    N d. Sirius, Mirfak, Hamal
2027: 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? 

    N a. 5.8 mph
    Y b. 6.3 mph
    N c. 6.7 mph
    N d. 7.1 mph
2126: 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
2126: 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
2187: At which of the following times would you be able to listen to lower Mississippi River conditions on VHF Channel 22? 

    N a. 0900 hours
    N b. 1100 hours
    Y c. 1300 hours
    N d. 1600 hours
2293: As you pass under the Baton Rouge R.R. and Hwy 190 Bridge C233.9 AHP), you find that the Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals are indicated by which numbered box? 

    Y a. 10
    N b. 9
    N c. 8
    N d. 7
2460: You have steamed 499 miles at 21 knots and burning 462 barrels of fuel per day. You must decrease your consumption to 221 barrels per day with 311 miles left in your voyage. What must you reduce your speed (kts) to in order to burn this amount of fuel? 

    N a. 17.3
    Y b. 18.4
    N c. 19.1
    N d. 20.0
2577: On 23 July, you take a time tick using the 0900 GMT Cape Town broadcast. You hear a repeating series of 59 dots followed by a dash. At the beginning of the fifth dash you start your stopwatch. The chronometer reads 08h 39m 16s at the time the stopwatch reads 01m 42s. The chronometer error at 0900 GMT, 22 July, was 22m 24s slow. What is the chronometer rate? 

    Y a. 00m 02s losing
    N b. 01m 02s gaining
    N c. 22m 24s losing
    N d. 22m 26s slow
2581: At 1732, Bartlett Reef Lt bears 016°psc. Race Rock Lt bears 125.5°psc with a radar range of 4.4 miles. What is the set and drift? 

    N a. 116°,  0.4 knot
    N b. 116°,  1.0 knot
    N c. 296°,  0.4 knot
    Y d. 296°,  1.0 knot
3296: Your vessel consumes 199 barrels of fuel per day at a speed of 14.5 knots. What will be the fuel consumption of your vessel at 10.0 knots? 

    Y a. 65 bbls
    N b. 95 bbls
    N c. 137 bbls
    N d. 148 bbls
3314: You have steamed 150 miles and consumed 17 tons of fuel. If you maintain the same speed, how many tons of fuel will you consume while steaming 350 miles? 

    N a. 12.82 tons
    N b. 29.41 tons
    N c. 34.00 tons
    Y d. 39.66 tons
3609: Enroute from Rio to Montevideo, the true course is 215°; the gyro error is 2° west. A north wind causes 3° leeway. What course would you steer per gyrocompass to make good the true course? 

    Y a. 220°pgc
    N b. 214°pgc
    N c. 216°pgc
    N d. 210°pgc
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°
10305: You are 3 miles due east of Montauk Point Light. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position one mile due south of Block Island Southeast Point Light? 

    N a. 070.0°
    N b. 076.5°
    Y c. 082.5°
    N d. 087.5°
10309: You are 3 miles due east of Montauk Point Light. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to LAT 41°00.0'N, LONG 71°30.0'W? 

    N a. 108°psc
    Y b. 122°psc
    N c. 124°psc
    N d. 130°psc
10904: What is the distance from Chesapeake Bay entrance to Baltimore? 

    Y a. 150 nm
    N b. 162 nm
    N c. 173 nm
    N d. 247 nm
11400: At 1035 your GPS position of LAT 41°05.3'N, LONG 72°33.7'W. At 1103 your position is LAT 41°09.0'N, LONG 72°40.0'W. What was your speed made good? 

    N a. 6.1 knots
    N b. 9.5 knots
    Y c. 13.0 knots
    N d. 14.8 knots
11405: At 2125 your GPS position is LAT 41°05.7'N, LONG 72°46.5'W. At 2208 your position is LAT 41°03.3'N, LONG 72°37.9'W. What was your course made good by standard magnetic compass? 

    Y a. 123°psc
    N b. 287°psc
    N c. 303°psc
    N d. 326°psc
11508: At 1014 you depart the entrance to Lake Montauk with light "1" close aboard. Your course is 066° per standard magnetic compass, and the speed is 8.6 knots. At 1232 your position is LAT 41°20.0'N, LONG 71°40.0'W. What is the speed made good? 

    N a. 8.2 knots
    Y b. 8.5 knots
    N c. 8.9 knots
    N d. 9.2 knots
12500: You are on course 135° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings per standard magnetic compass: Cape Henry Light 266° Cape Charles Light 353°Chesapeake Light 124° What is your position? 

    Y a. LAT 36°57.3'N, LONG 75°50.9'W
    N b. LAT 36°57.5'N, LONG 75°50.1'W
    N c. LAT 36°57.6'N, LONG 75°51.6'W
    N d. LAT 35°57.9'N, LONG 75°50.8'W
12909: At 0914 you are in Chesapeake Bay southeast inbound lane with buoy "CBJ" close aboard to port. What is your ETA at Thimble Shoal Channel Buoy "19" if you are making 10.9 knots? 

    N a. 1034
    Y b. 1038
    N c. 1046
    N d. 1042
13405: At 0400 your vessel is dead in the water and in heavy fog. Your GPS position is LAT 41°12.1'N, LONG 72°43.5'W. Bottom samples are taken and indicate a composition of soft mud and shell. Your fathometer reads 40 feet. If the vessel draws 9 feet of water, which of the following is TRUE? 

    Y a. The bottom samples and fathometer reading prove the fix is reliable.
    N b. The bottom samples and fathometer readings indicate that the fix is unreliable.
    N c. The information collected indicates that the fathometer may be in error.
    N d. The information collected indicates that the chart is most  likely in error.
13703: NOAA weather broadcasts can be received on what frequency while navigating off Cape Henry? 

    N a. 162.45 MHz
    Y b. 162.55 MHz
    N c. 162.65 MHz
    N d. 162.70 MHz
13903: Your position is LAT 41°12.4'N, LONG 71°53.2'W. You are on course 163°T enroute to sea. You can ensure that you will clear Montauk Point if your loran reading is always __________. 

    N a. more than 9960-X-25990
    Y b. less than 9960-W-14665
    N c. more than 9960-Y-43870
    N d. All of the above
14401: You are underway and steaming in an easterly direction on the Columbia River. Your vessel is positioned in the middle half of Cape Horn Channel and is abeam of Cape Horn Light. What should your fathometer read at this position, if the staff gauge at Portland reads 0 feet? 

    N a. 16 feet
    N b. 18 feet
    Y c. 22 feet
    N d. 24 feet
15243: At 1245 the GPS shows your position to be LAT 41°10.3'N, LONG 72°44.2'W. You are steering a course of 284°T at an engine speed of 13.0 knots. At what time would you expect the New Haven Harbor Outer Range to be in line if you have a current setting 112°T at 1.2 knots? 

    N a. 1318
    Y b. 1323
    N c. 1328
    N d. 1343
15766: From your 0745 fix, you change course to pass 1.0 mile south of buoy "WH" and estimate your speed at 7 knots. If the visibility clears, what is the earliest time you can expect to see Block Island North Light tower? 

    N a. The tower is in sight at 0745.
    N b. 0750
    Y c. 0806
    N d. 0838
15811: At 0100, you obtain the following bearings:

Rocky Point Lookout Tower 062°T
Horton Point Lighthouse 189°T

What was the speed made good between 0045 and 0100? 

    Y a. 7.4 knots
    N b. 8.0 knots
    N c. 8.7 knots
    N d. 9.2 knots
15946: At 2132 you sight Block Island Southest Point Light in line with the Aerobeacon (rotating white and green) bearing 308.5°pgc. The helmsman reports he was heading 106°pgc and 119°psc. What is the deviation on that heading? 

    N a. 4°W
    N b. 2°W
    Y c. 2°E
    N d. 4°E
15946: At 2132 you sight Block Island Southest Point Light in line with the Aerobeacon (rotating white and green) bearing 308.5°pgc. The helmsman reports he was heading 106°pgc and 119°psc. What is the deviation on that heading? 

    N a. 4°W
    N b. 2°W
    Y c. 2°E
    N d. 4°E
15956: The National Weather Service provides 24-hour weather broadcasts to vessels transiting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The broadcasts may be found on __________. 

    N a. 202.35 MHz
    N b. 181.15 MHz
    Y c. 162.55 MHz
    N d. 147.45 MHz
16462: Which statement about your 0400 position is TRUE? 

    Y a. You are within the territorial sea and contiguous zone.
    N b. You are governed by the Inland Rules of the Road.
    N c. The ocean floor is composed of shale.
    N d. Anchoring, trawling and fishing are prohibited.
16509: At 0705, with your gyro again functioning properly, you change course to 096°T. At this time Race Rock Light is bearing 000°T at 0.35 mile. You are now governed by which Navigation Rules? 

    N a. Inland Rules
    N b. Local Pilot Rules
    Y c. International Rules
    N d. Coastal Fishery Rules
16538: At 2216 your position is LAT 41°16.0'N, LONG 72°08.0'W. Which statement is TRUE? 

    Y a. You are in the red sector of New London Harbor Light.
    N b. Your fathometer reads approximately 40 feet.
    N c. You will cross the Colregs Demarcation Line if you continue on your present course.
    N d. Little Gull Island Light bears 339°T at 4.3 miles.
16563: From your 1850 fix, you come left to a course of 280°T,
while maintaining a speed of 10 knots. Which combination of available Loran-C lines would be best for position determination? 

    Y a. 9960-Y and 9960-W
    N b. 9960-X and 9960-Y
    N c. 9960-W and 9960-X
    N d. All 3 combinations are equal.