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.

35: What are the dimensions of the channel maintained at Baton Rouge, LA?
51: As you approach Anconia Pt. Light (mile 528.6 AHP), which type of dayboard would you see on the light structure?
153: What is the minimum maintained depth of the channel from Cairo to Baton Rouge during low water?
166: If the Bayou Sara Gage reads -0.5 feet, the Low Water Reference Plane is 5.25. What is the water level in relation to the low water reference plane? 

    N a. 0.5 foot below the plane
    N b. 0.5 foot above the plane
    N c. 5.25 feet above the plane
    Y d. 5.75 feet below the plane
202: Which statement concerning Montauk Point Light is TRUE? 

    N a. The light comes on at sunset.
    Y b. There is an emergency light if the main light is extinguished.
    N c. The height of the light is 24 feet.
    N d. The tower is painted with black and white stripes.
240: At 1100, your position is LAT 41°11.3'N, LONG 72°28.0'W. You are steering a course of 069°T to leave Black Point one mile off your port beam. It has been reported that the Long Sand Shoal Buoys and Hatchett Reef Buoys are off station. Which of the following will serve as a line marking the hazards and keep your vessel in safe water? 

    N a. A bearing to Little Gull Island Light of not less than 090°
    N b. Maintaining a 7nm range off Orient point
    Y c. Danger bearing to Black Point of not more than 064°T
    N d. A distance to Saybrook Breakwater Light of not less than 1.3 miles
362: At 0530, the Coast Guard announces that Chesapeake Channel is closed indefinitely due to a collision occurring in the channel between Trestle "B" and "C" of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. You exit York Spit Channel, leaving buoy "20" abeam to port at 0.1 mile, and alter course to leave Horseshoe Crossing Lighted Bell Buoy abeam to port at 0.2 mile. What is the course per gyrocompass? 

    Y a. 193°pgc
    N b. 190°pgc
    N c. 187°pgc
    N d. 185°pgc
381: At 1540, your position is LAT 37°18.4'N, LONG 76°10.5'W. Which course should you steer per gyrocompass to head for the entrance to Cape Charles City? 

    Y a. 129°pgc
    N b. 123°pgc
    N c. 117°pgc
    N d. 109°pgc
398: You depart LAT 32°16.6'N, LONG 68°28.0'W. What is the course and distance as calculated by Mercator sailing to a position at LAT 43°12.2'N, LONG 55°39.0'W? 

    Y a. 042.8°T, 896.2 miles
    N b. 049.1°T, 955.1 miles
    N c. 132.8°T, 896.2 miles
    N d. 136.6°T, 955.1 miles
556: Your 0530 position is LAT 41°04.9'N, LONG 73°01.1'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position 1.0 mile south of Twenty Eight Foot Shoal "TE" buoy? 

    Y a. 099.5°psc
    N b. 096.0°psc
    N c. 092.5°psc
    N d. 082.0°psc
568: You are delayed in sailing due to engineering problems. You get underway at 0630. A Coast Guard radio broadcast advises that an aircraft carrier will transit the Elizabeth River enroute Norfolk Naval Shipyard and a safety zone is in effect. Further information on how far you must remain from the carrier found is in __________. 

    N a. PUB 117
    Y b. Coast Pilot
    N c. Light List
    N d. Chart Number 1
613: On 21 November, at 2100 zone time, you depart LAT 32°12.0'N, LONG 69°26.0'W enroute to LAT 12°05.0'N, LONG 7°32.0'W. The distance is 3,519 miles, and the average speed will be 12.5 knots. What is the zone time of arrival? 

    N a. 1330, 3 December
    N b. 1530, 3 December
    Y c. 1830, 3 December
    N d. 1530, 4 December
623: You are on a voyage from Baltimore, MD, to Seattle, WA. The distance from pilot to pilot is 5960 miles. The speed of advance is 16.0 knots. You estimate 16 hours for bunkering at Colon, and 12.0 hours for the Panama Canal transit. If you take departure at 0824 hours (ZD +5), 18 November, what is your ETA (ZD +8) at Seattle? 

    N a. 1654, 5 December
    N b. 1354, 5 December
    Y c. 2154, 4 December
    N d. 1354, 4 December
813: On 7 November , your 0830 zone time fix gives you a position of LAT 27°36.0'N, LONG 162°19.0'W. Your vessel is on course 289°T and your speed is 19.0 knots. Local apparent noon (LAN) occurs at 1138 zone time, at which time a meridian altitude of the Sun's lower limb is observed. The observed altitude (Ho) for this sight is 45°35.0'. What is the latitude at 1200 ZT? 

    N a. 27°55.1'N
    N b. 27°57.2'N
    Y c. 27°59.5'N
    N d. 28°01.9'N
1000: On 18 May , your 1030 ZT DR position is LAT 18°30'N, LONG 62°31'W. You are on course 286°T, speed 24 knots. Determine your 1200 position using the following observations of the Sun.
ZONE TIME GHA DECLINATION Ho
1204 61°54.6' N 19°37.6' 88°39.7'
1210 63°24.6' N 19°37.7' 88°59.2' 

    N a. LAT 18°33.6'N, LONG 62°54.3'W
    N b. LAT 18°35.2'N, LONG 62°49.7'W
    N c. LAT 18°38.7'N, LONG 62°59.2'W
    Y d. LAT 18°41.1'N, LONG 62°53.9'W
1123: What is the vertical clearance of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge when the river level is the same as the Low Water Reference Plane? 

    N a. 128.3 ft
    N b. 125.6 ft
    N c. 119.5 ft
    Y d. 116.3 ft
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.
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
1267: On 10 December , your 1300 zone time (ZT) DR position is LAT 26°27.0'S, LONG 79°04.0'E. You are on course 068°T at a speed of 14 knots. What will be the zone time of sunset at your vessel? 

    Y a. 1824
    N b. 1846
    N c. 1854
    N d. 1908
1423: You pass Ratcliff Light (mile 289.8) at 1650. What was your average speed since leaving Baton Rouge? 

    N a. 7.3 mph
    Y b. 7.6 mph
    N c. 8.0 mph
    N d. 8.3 mph
1759: The Greenville Gage reads 1.6 feet. The high point of your towboat is 54 feet above water. What is the vertical clearance as you pass under the Greenville Highway Bridge? 

    Y a. 74.5 feet
    N b. 64.2 feet
    N c. 55.5 feet
    N d. 44.4 feet
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
1892: On 22 July , your 0442 DR position is LAT 26°35.6'N, LONG 22°16.7'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 091°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 64°35.2'. The chronometer reads 05h 39m 03s, and is 03m 14s slow. What star did you observe? 

    Y a. Hamal
    N b. Rigel
    N c. Menkar
    N d. Acamar
1903: On 22 April , your 1852 DR position is LAT 23°54.5'N, LONG 117°36.8'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 259°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 41°15.2'. The chronometer reads 02h 54m 53s, and is 02m 51s fast. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Diphda
    Y b. Betelgeuse
    N c. Gienah
    N d. Arcturus
2017: On 2 February , your 0400 zone time DR position is LAT 24°14.0'N, LONG 163°28.0'W. You are on course 322°T at a speed of 22 knots. Considering their magnitude, azimuth, and altitude, which group includes the three bodies best suited for a fix at star time? 

    Y a. Saturn, Antares, Rasalhague
    N b. Jupiter, Saturn, Polaris
    N c. Saturn, Polaris, Zubenelgenubi
    N d. Jupiter, Spica, Denebola
2076: What is the mile point of the Fulton Gage? 

    Y a. 778 AHP
    N b. 687 AHP
    N c. 632 AHP
    N d. 598 AHP
2177: On 21 November , at 0430 ZT, morning stars were observed, and the vessel's position was LAT 22°14.0'S, LONG 79°23.0'E. Your vessel is steaming at 14.5 knots on a course of 246°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 0816 ZT. The chronometer reads 03h 14m 16s, and the sextant altitude (hs) is 44°29.2'. The index error is 1.0' on the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 47s slow. Your height of eye is 61.0 feet (18.6 meters). What is the azimuth (Zn) and intercept (a) of this sight using the assumed position? 

    N a. Zn 084.2°,  a 6.6' A
    N b. Zn 084.2°,  a 6.6' T
    N c. Zn 095.6°,  a 6.6' A
    Y d. Zn 095.6°,  a 6.6' T
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'
2659: You are steering 115°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 16.7 miles at 0522. You change course to pass the light 3.5 miles off abeam to port. If you are making 12 knots, what is your ETA at the position 3.5 miles off the light? 

    Y a. 0644
    N b. 0647
    N c. 0650
    N d. 0653
2868: Your vessel is on a course of 358°T at 19 knots. At 0316 a light bears 024.5°T, and at 0334 the light bears 043°T.
At what time and at what distance off will your vessel be when abeam of the light? 

    Y a. 0352, 5.7 miles
    N b. 0355, 6.2 miles
    N c. 0359, 7.1 miles
    N d. 0403, 8.0 miles
2879: Your vessel is steering 354°T at 14 knots. At 0317 a light bears 049°T, and at 0342 the same light bears 071°T. What will be your distance off abeam? 

    Y a. 12.4 miles
    N b. 12.7 miles
    N c. 13.0 miles
    N d. 13.3 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
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
3311: You have steamed 162 miles and consumed 14.0 tons of fuel. If you maintain the same speed, how many tons of fuel will you consume while steaming 285 miles? 

    Y a. 24.6 tons
    N b. 34.7 tons
    N c. 43.3 tons
    N d. 54.8 tons
3617: Your vessel is steering course 299°psc, variation for the area is 7°W, and deviation is 4°W. The wind is from the southwest, producing a 3° leeway. What true course are you making good? 

    Y a. 291°T
    N b. 296°T
    N c. 299°T
    N d. 313°T
3759: 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 147°T, and the variation is 5°E. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 148° per standard magnetic compass,
what is the correct deviation? 

    N a. 1°E
    N b. 1°W
    N c. 6°E
    Y d. 6°W
4014: 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 157°.
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. 2.0°W
    Y b. 1.5°W
    N c. 1.0°W
    N d. 0.0°
10701: At 0947 your position is LAT 41°15.9'N, LONG 71°41.7'W. You are on course 182° per magnetic compass at 11.3 knots. At 1020 your position is LAT 41°09.2'N, LONG 71°40.6'W. What were the set and drift? 

    N a. 211°T at 1.0 knot
    Y b. 229°T at 2.0 knots
    N c. 058°T at 1.8 knots
    N d. 043°T at 1.1 knots
12700: You are on course 073° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings: Watch Hill Point Light 037°psc Montauk Point Light 179°psc Race Rock Light 289°psc What is your position? 

    N a. LAT 41°13.6'N, LONG 71°54.6'W
    N b. LAT 41°13.7'N, LONG 71°53.8'W
    N c. LAT 41°13.7'N, LONG 71°54.9'W
    Y d. LAT 41°13.8'N, LONG 71°54.3'W
12701: You are on course 298° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings: Block Island Southeast Point Light - 058°psc Block Island Aero Beacon - 005°psc Montauk Point Light - 268°psc What is your position? 

    N a. LAT 41°08.3'N, LONG 71°35.0'W
    Y b. LAT 41°08.2'N, LONG 71°34.4'W
    N c. LAT 41°08.1'N, LONG 71°33.8'W
    N d. LAT 41°08.0'N, LONG 71°34.1'W
12901: Your 1152 position is LAT 37°23.9'N, LONG 76°05.5'W. You are turning for 10.3 knots. What is your ETA at Trestle C of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel if you follow York Spit Channel? 

    Y a. 1404
    N b. 1349
    N c. 1342
    N d. 1339
13303: You are considering anchoring approximately three miles northeast of Chesapeake Light. After examining the chart you decide not to because of the __________. 

    N a. large number of wrecks
    N b. coral being designated as a special protected area
    Y c. danger of unexploded mines
    N d. area being designated as a National Marine Sanctuary
13809: Which chart, of the same scale, continues eastward from this chart? 

    Y a. 13205
    N b. 13212
    N c. 13214
    N d. 13216
14603: Clearances of bridges and overhead cables below Bonneville Dam refer to heights in feet above mean __________. 

    Y a. lower low water
    N b. high water
    N c. low water
    N d. sea level
15044: At 0841 Chesapeake Light bears 164° true, Cape Charles Light bears 312° true, and Cape Henry Light bears 247°
true. What was your course made good since 0811? 

    Y a. 226°true
    N b. 230°true
    N c. 233° true
    N d. 237°true
15214: If you steer 143°pgc from your 2015 position at an engine speed of 8.0 knots, at what time would you reach a point midway between buoys "11" and "12" (ignore set and drift)? 

    N a. 2023
    Y b. 2029
    N c. 2032
    N d. 2037
15669: The area between Block Island and Montauk Point that is bounded by dashed magenta lines is a __________. 

    N a. naval exercise area
    N b. fish trap area
    Y c. submerged cable area
    N d. restricted navigation area
15768: At 0830, Watch Hill Point bears 343°T at 3.5 miles by radar. What was the speed made good since 0745? 

    Y a. 7.1 knots
    N b. 6.7 knots
    N c. 5.8 knots
    N d. 5.4 knots
15939: From your 1910 position, you set a course of 162°T at a speed of 14 knots. What will serve as a definite warning that you are being set towards Race Rock Light? 

    N a. Decreasing bearings to Race Rock Light
    Y b. Decreasing loran readings on loran rate 9960-W
    N c. Increasing soundings
    N d. Decreasing radar ranges to Race Point
16440: What course per gyrocompass would you need to steer from the anchorage to York Spit Channel buoy "29"? 

    Y a. 172°  pgc
    N b. 175°  pgc
    N c. 178°  pgc
    N d. 181°  pgc
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.