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.


59: You pass Warnicott Bar Lt. at 1146, 24 May. What is your ETA off the Mhoon Landing Gage if you average 6.5 mph?


94: You have orders to drop off the empties at the fleeting area in Cairo and add five loaded barges to your tow. If you are turning for 8 mph and estimate the current at 0.5 mph, what is your ETA at Cairo?


201: What course should you steer by your standard magnetic compass to make good a course of 280°T?


227: At 2037, you change course to make good a course of 016°T. There is no current, but a westerly wind is causing 3° leeway. What course per standard magnetic compass (psc) should you steer to make good the course 016°T?

    Y a. 022°psc
    N b. 025°psc
    N c. 028°psc
    N d. 031°psc

268: What publication contains information on the navigational hazards in the vicinity of Falkner Island?

    N a. The navigational regulations in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations
    Y b. U.S. Coast Pilot
    N c. U.S. Coast Guard Light List
    N d. Inland Navigation Rules

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

408: You depart LAT 37°36'N, LONG 123°00'W, and steam 2022 miles on course 241°T. What is the longitude of your arrival by Mercator sailing?

    N a. LONG 163°28.2'W
    N b. LONG 163°18.2'W
    Y c. LONG 156°51.7'W
    N d. LONG 154°18.3'W

497: At 0845, Montauk Pt. Light is bearing 205°T at a radar distance of 6.6 miles. What is your speed made good from your 0815 position?

    N a. 10.5 knots
    N b. 10.0 knots
    N c. 9.2 knots
    Y d. 8.4 knots

522: In clear weather, how far away will you sight Point Judith Light? (use charted range of 20 miles as nominal range)

    Y a. 14.0 nm
    N b. 12.3 nm
    N c. 10.6 nm
    N d. 9.2 nm

621: You are on a voyage from New York, NY, to San Francisco, CA. The distance from pilot to pilot is 5132 miles. The speed of advance is 13.5 knots. You estimate 32 hours for bunkering at Colon, and 14 hours for the Panama Canal transit. If you take departure at 0600 hours (ZD +4), 16 May, what is your ETA (ZD +7) at San Francisco?

    N a. 0609, 1 June
    Y b. 2109, 2 June
    N c. 0009, 3 June
    N d. 0409, 3 June

981: On 20 September , your 0730 zone time position was LAT 28°58.0'N, LONG 152°26.0'W. Your vessel was steaming on course 225°T at a speed of 19.0 knots. An observation of the Sun's lower limb was made at 0931 ZT. The chronometer read 07h 29m 20s and was slow 02m 22s. The observed altitude (Ho) was 44°14.4'. LAN occurred at 1206 zone time. The observed altitude (Ho) was 62°49.5'. What was the longitude of your 1200 zone time running fix?

    N a. LONG 153°32.5'W
    N b. LONG 153°27.2'W
    Y c. LONG 153°23.5'W
    N d. LONG 153°20.0'W

1134: 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.

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

1203: You are keeping ZD +4 on your vessel. On 21 June ,
at 0906 DST, your position is LAT 30°48.0'N,
LONG 71°00.0'W. You are on a course of 167°T at 15.2 knots. At what time will local apparent noon (LAN) occur ZT at your vessel? You are keeping DST.

    N a. 1145
    N b. 1202
    N c. 1218
    Y d. 1245

1281: On 2 January , you are on a course of 094°T at a speed of 20 knots. At 0430 ZT, your DR position is LAT 24°12'N, LONG 71°24'W. Determine the zone time of sunrise.

    Y a. 0627
    N b. 0636
    N c. 0644
    N d. 0701

1407: At 2350 hours on 23 June, you are at mile 610.5 AHP when you see about a mile ahead white 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

1410: What is the distance from the Amoco Docks at Baton Rouge, LA, to Pittsburgh, PA?

    Y a. 1681 miles
    N b. 1575 miles
    N c. 981 miles
    N d. 727 miles

1473: On 26 January , your 1615 ZT DR position is LAT 27°14.0'S, LONG 57°22.0'W. At that time, you observe the Sun bearing 266°psc. The chronometer reads 08h 13m 19s, and the chronometer error is 01m 46s slow. The variation is 4°E. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass?

    N a. 4.8°E
    N b. 4.9°W
    Y c. 5.9°W
    N d. 7.8°E

1653: On 28 Sept. , in DR position LAT 24°12.0'S, LONG 85°25.0'E, you observe an amplitude of the Sun. The Sun's center is on the visible horizon and bears 094°psc. The chronometer reads 11h 29m 42s and is 03m 30s slow. Variation in the area is 4°W. What is the deviation of the magnetic compass?

    N a. 1.5°W
    N b. 2.1°W
    N c. 1.8°E
    Y d. 2.4°E

1660: On 23 June , in DR position LAT 21°39.0'S, LONG 106°28.0'W, you observe an amplitude of the Sun. The Sun's center is on the celestial horizon and bears 078°psc. The chronometer reads 02h 14m 39s and is 01m 43s slow. Variation in the area is 9°W. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass?

    N a. 2.8°E
    N b. 3.9°W
    Y c. 4.3°W
    N d. 4.6°E

1753: The Bayou Sara Gage reads 5.25 feet. The low water reference plane (LWRP) for Bayou Sara is 5.25 feet. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. This gage reading is at a higher elevation than the same reading on the Gage at Head of Passes.
    N b. The depth over revetment at Old River is 25.2 ft.
    N c. The depth over Old River Lock sill is greater than 11 ft.
    Y d. River level is at the Low Water Reference plane

1986: You are in charge of a vessel that damages an aid to navigation established and maintained by the United States. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. You must take the aid in tow and deliver it to the nearest Coast Guard, Marine Safety Office.
    N b. You must report the allision to the nearest Army Corps.. of
    Engineers Office.

    N c. You may wait until you reach your destination before reporting the allision to the U.S. Coast Guard.
    Y d. You must report the accident to the nearest Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection.

2122: At 1538 ZT, on 15 October , in DR LAT position LAT 18° 12.8' S, LONG 160° 48.4' E, you observe an amplitude of the Moon. The center of the Moon is on the visible horizon and bears 276.2°psc. Variation is 10° E. What is the deviation?

    N a. 2.6°E
    N b. 2.6°W
    N c. 3.6°E
    Y d. 3.6°W

2166: On 10 January , at 0550 ZT, morning stars were observed, and the vessel's position was determined to be LAT 25°16.0'N, LONG 123°18.0'W. Your vessel is steaming at 22.0 knots on a course of 295°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 0915 ZT. The chronometer reads 05h 14m 02s, and the sextant altitude is 24°00.7'. The index error is 2.6' off the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 34s slow. Your height of eye on the bridge is 55.0 feet. What is the azimuth (Zn) of this sight using the assumed position?

    N a. 127.8°T
    N b. 129.8°T
    Y c. 131.9°T
    N d. 133.6°T

2176: On 9 November , at 0426 ZT, your position was LAT 25°17.0'S, LONG 154°16.0'E. Your vessel is steaming at 14.0 knots on course 066°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 0837 ZT. The chronometer reads 10h 35m 21s, and the sextant altitude (hs) is 50°26.9'. The index error is 1.5' on the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 48s slow. Your height of eye on the bridge is 56.0 feet. What is the observed altitude (Ho) and azimuth (Zn) of this sight using the assumed position?

    N a. 50°18.1', 086.3°T
    N b. 50°18.1', 093.7°T
    Y c. 50°33.5', 085.9°T
    N d. 50°33.5', 093.7°T

2706: While on a course of 216°pgc, a light bears 12° on the port bow at a distance of 11.2 miles. Which course should you steer to pass 2 miles abeam of the light leaving it to port?

    N a. 208°pgc
    N b. 210°pgc
    N c. 212°pgc
    Y d. 214°pgc

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

3106: You are turning 85 RPM, with a propeller pitch of 19 feet, and an estimated slip of +3%. What is the speed of advance?

    N a. 14.7 knots
    Y b. 15.5 knots
    N c. 16.4 knots
    N d. 17.1 knots

3253: You have steamed 925 miles at 13.5 knots, and consumed 181 tons of fuel. If you have 259 tons of usable fuel remaining, how far can you steam at 16 knots?

    N a. 795 miles
    Y b. 942 miles
    N c. 1117 miles
    N d. 1409 miles

3298: Your vessel consumes 216 barrels of fuel per day at a speed of 15.0 knots. What will be the fuel consumption of your vessel at 17.5 knots?

    N a. 232 bbls
    N b. 252 bbls
    N c. 294 bbls
    Y d. 343 bbls

3610: While enroute from Sydney to the Panama Canal a vessel's true course is 071°. Variation is 14°E. Deviation is 4°W. A northerly breeze causes 2° leeway. What course would you steer psc in order to make good the true course?

    Y a. 059°psc
    N b. 061°psc
    N c. 063°psc
    N d. 079°psc

3757: 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 311°T, and the variation is 8°E. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 305° per standard magnetic compass, what is the correct deviation?

    N a. 2°E
    Y b. 2°W
    N c. 6°E
    N d. 6°W

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

10300: Determine the course per standard magnetic compass from the entrance to Quonochontaug Pond (LAT 41°19.8'N, LONG 71°43.2'W) to the entrance to Great Salt Pond on Block Island.

    N a. 129.5°psc
    N b. 134.0°psc
    N c. 156.0°psc
    Y d. 159.0°psc

11301: At 1256 your GPS position is LAT 36°57.0'N, LONG 75°41.0'W. At 1331 your position is LAT 37°07.5'N, LONG 75°39.1'W. What was the speed made good between the fixes?

    N a. 14.6 knots
    N b. 15.2 knots
    N c. 16.6 knots
    Y d. 18.3 knots

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

15008: At 1920, the buoy forward of your starboard beam is __________.

    N a. an interrupted quick flashing buoy
    N b. Hog Island Lighted Bell Buoy
    N c. South Light Buoy
    Y d. Sand Shoal Inlet Lighted Buoy "A"

15060: At 0802, the radar range and bearing to Branford Reef Light are 350°pgc at 0.8 mile, and the north point of Falkner Island are 090°pgc at 6.7 miles. What were the set and drift that you encountered since 0740?

    N a. Set 085°T, drift .2 knot
    Y b. Set 085°T, drift .6 knot
    N c. Set 265°T, drift .2 knot
    N d. Set 265°T, drift .6 knot

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

15263: What do the dotted lines around Goose Island and Kimberly Reef represent?

    N a. Danger soundings
    N b. Breakers
    N c. Tide rips
    Y d. Depth contours

15313: 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. 215°psc
    Y b. 217°psc
    N c. 219°psc
    N d. 221°psc

15541: You alter course to make good 076°T from your 2200 fix,
and estimate you will make 13.6 knots over the ground. If the visibility is 5.5 miles, what is the earliest time you will sight Falkner Island Light? (nominal range 13 miles)

    N a. The light is visible at 2200
    N b. 2221
    Y c. 2236
    N d. You will not sight the light

15610: At 1815, your position is LAT 37°01.0'N, LONG 75°42.7'W. If there is no current, what is the course per standard magnetic compass to arrive at a point 0.3 mile due north of North Chesapeake Entrance Lighted Whistle Buoy "NCA"
(LL#375)?

    N a. 249.0°
    N b. 251.5°
    N c. 255.0°
    Y d. 257.0°

16039: From your 0820 position you change course to your rendezvous position, one mile due south of buoy "NH", speed 14.5 knots. You estimate the current to be 260°T at 0.5 knot. The wind is northwesterly at 20 knots and you estimate 2° leeway. What is your course per gyrocompass (pgc) to the rendezvous position, if you correct your heading for current and leeway?

    N a. 039°
    N b. 041°
    N c. 043°
    Y d. 045°

16070: When exiting Thimble Shoal Channel bound for Norfolk, the track line based on the lights of the Norfolk Entrance Reach Range is __________.

    N a. 220°T
    N b. 222°T
    Y c. 224°T
    N d. 228°T

16210: As you near Little Gull Island, you use your loran to insure that you do not come within 0.5 mile of the island. Which of the following loran readings will act as a danger line and keep you off Little Gull Island by a minimum of 0.5 mile?

    Y a. Not less than 9960-Y-43953.5
    N b. Not more than 9960-W-14735.9
    N c. Not less than 9960-W-14735.8
    N d. Not more than 9960-X-26149.0

16261: At 0400 you take the following bearings:

Sand Shoal Inlet South Light bearing 299°pgc
Cape Charles Light bearing 242°pgc

What is your 0400 position?

    N a. LAT 37°14.2'N, LONG 75°39.2'W
    Y b. LAT 37°14.4'N, LONG 75°39.3'W
    N c. LAT 37°14.4'N, LONG 75°39.0'W
    N d. LAT 37°14.6'N, LONG 75°39.2'W

16307: Which statement regarding the wreck 0.2 mile south of buoys "1" and "2" at the entrance to New London Harbor is TRUE?

    N a. The wreck presents a danger to all vessels with drafts in excess of 30 feet (9.1 meters).
    N b. The wreck is visible above the sounding datum between the months of March and June.
    Y c. The wreck is shown on the chart, but its actual existence is doubtful.
    N d. The wreck was cleared by wire drag in 1982 and will not appear on future charts.

16439: While you are at anchor, what will serve as a positive warning that you are drifting towards the wrecks located to the NW and SW of your 2215 position?

    N a. A constant bearing on New Point Comfort Light.
    Y b. The bearing of Wolf Trap Light changing to the right
    N c. Increasing soundings
    N d. The bearing of Wolf Trap Light changing to the left