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.

68: The river will be temporarily closed to navigation at mile 531.3 AHP due to repairs to the bridge. This will occur at 1300, 5 January, and last for six hours. What minimum speed over the ground must you make from Red River Landing Gage in order not to be delayed?
70: What is the vertical clearance of the Natchez-Vidalia Highway Bridge (westbound) when the river level is the same as the Low Water Reference Plane (6.5 feet)?
142: As you approach West Memphis Lt. (mile 727.4 AHP) you notice on the map a dashed line crossing the river. This line indicates a __________.
161: At 1923, on September 21, you pass Bixby Towhead Light (mile 873.7 AHP). What was your average speed since leaving Cairo? 

    N a. 12.1 mph
    Y b. 11.3 mph
    N c. 10.5 mph
    N d. 9.2 mph
307: A vessel at LAT 28°00'N, LONG 116°00'W is to proceed to LAT 34°00'N, LONG 123°40'W. What is the course and distance by mid-latitude sailing? 

    N a. 323°T, 428 miles
    N b. 324°T, 453 miles
    Y c. 312°T, 533 miles
    N d. 302°T, 539 miles
316: From your 1830 fix, you continue south on a course of 150°T turning RPMs for 6 knots. You encounter a flood current in the direction of 330°T at 2 knots. Adjusting your course for set and drift, which course would you steer to make good a course of 150°T while turning RPMs for 6 knots? 

    N a. 162°T
    N b. 158°T
    Y c. 150°T
    N d. 144°T
357: If the visibility is 5 miles and you are in the red sector, at what distance off should you sight Cape Henry Light? 

    Y a. 09 miles
    N b. 11 miles
    N c. 13 miles
    N d. 15 miles
446: At 1345, you depart from a position 1 mile due east of Montauk Point Light and set course for Block Island Southeast Light at 9 knots. At 1430, your position is:

Latitude 41° 06.3' North
Longitude 071° 41.9' West

What was the current encountered since 1345? 

    N a. Set 015°, drift 0.5 knot
    N b. Set 195°, drift 0.7 knot
    N c. Set 015°, drift 0.7 knot
    Y d. Set 195°, drift 0.5 knot
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
526: Your vessel receives a distress call from a vessel reporting her position as LAT 35°01.0'S, LONG 18°51.0'W. Your position is LAT 35°01.0'S, LONG 21°42.0'W. Determine the true course and distance from your vessel to the vessel in distress by parallel sailing. 

    Y a. 090°T, 140.0 miles
    N b. 090°T, 189.2 miles
    N c. 270°T, 140.0 miles
    N d. 270°T, 189.2 miles
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
670: You are on a voyage from Cape May (LAT 39°50'N, LONG 74°45'W) to the English Channel (LAT 49°00'N, LONG 05°00'W). What will NOT prohibit the use of a great circle track from departure to arrival? (Use gnomonic chart WOXZC5274.) 

    N a. Newfoundland
    N b. Icebergs north of 48°N and west of 49°W
    N c. Islands approximately 50 miles south of Cape Cod
    Y d. The high latitude in which the vertex lies
678: Using gnomonic tracking chart WOXZC 5270, determine which of the following statements about a voyage from Valdez, AK, to Hilo, HI, is TRUE. 

    Y a. A great circle track is not significantly shorter than a rhumb line track.
    N b. You will cross the Northern Hemisphere vertex where the track line crosses LAT 45°N.
    N c. Distance is measured by using the length of a degree of longitude at the mid-latitude line.
    N d. When plotted on a Mercator chart, the track line will be convex to San Francisco.
732: On 3 January , your 1759 zone time DR position is LONG 60°53.2'W. At that time you observe Polaris with a sextant altitude (hs) of 22°55.8'. The chronometer time of the sight is 09h 57m 10s, and the chronometer error is 02m 26s slow. The index error is 2.9' off the arc, and the height of eye is 52.5 feet. What is your latitude by Polaris? 

    N a. 21°35.2'N
    N b. 21°52.5'N
    Y c. 22°03.6'N
    N d. 22°22.6'N
1094: On 12 Oct. , your vessel is on course 081°T, speed 20 knots. Your 1800 zone time DR position is LAT 26°11.0'S, LONG 77°18.0'E. You observed 3 celestial bodies. Determine the latitude and longitude of your 1835 running fix. NP-0024

    N a. LAT 26°05.5'S, LONG 77°14.5'E
    N b. LAT 26°07.5'S, LONG 77°34.0'E
    N c. LAT 26°09.0'S, LONG 77°27.5'E
    Y d. LAT 26°12.0'S, LONG 77°31.0'E
1128: How far is it to the Hernando Desoto Bridge in Memphis, TN? 

    N a. 980.8 miles
    N b. 736.6 miles
    N c. 312.3 miles
    Y d. 218.1 miles
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.
1144: What is the brown colored tint shown at Bordeaux Point Dykes (mile 681.0 AHP)? 

    N a. river gage
    N b. fish hatchery
    Y c. dredge material
    N d. levee
1229: Which type of daymark would you see on the Belle Island Corner Lt. at mile 458.6 AHP? 

    N a. Green - Diamond
    N b. Green - Square
    Y c. Red - Diamond
    N d. Red - Triangle
1274: On 13 February , at 0325 zone time, your DR position is LAT 23°20'N, LONG 155°15'W. You are steering 240°T at a speed of 13.6 knots. What is the zone time of sunrise? 

    N a. 0652
    Y b. 0657
    N c. 0706
    N d. 0711
1280: On 27 March , your 0330 zone time DR position is LAT 23°32'N, LONG 154°47'E. Your vessel is on a course of 105°T at a speed of 20 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel? 

    Y a. 0534
    N b. 0557
    N c. 0612
    N d. 0624
1456: On 12 September , your 0736 zone time DR position is LAT 28°34.0'S, LONG 174°49.0'E. At that time, you observe the Sun bearing 084° per standard magnetic compass (psc). The chronometer reads 07h 38m 11s, and the chronometer error is 01m 46s fast. The variation is 11°W. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass? 

    N a. 2.9°W
    Y b. 3.2°E
    N c. 3.9°E
    N d. 4.7°W
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
1502: On May 20 , you are keeping ZD +4, and your 2300 (ZD +4) DR position is LAT 42°07'N, LONG 81°02'W. At that time, you observe Polaris bearing 012°psc. The chronometer time of the observation is 03h 02m 23s, and the chronometer is 1m 17s fast. The variation is 9.5°W. What is the deviation of the magnetic compass? 

    Y a. 2.7°W
    N b. 12.2°W
    N c. 6.8°E
    N d. 12.2°E
1651: On 23 October , in DR position LAT 21°13.0'N, LONG 152°18.0'E, you observe an amplitude of the Sun. The Sun's center is on the visible horizon and bears 259°psc. The chronometer reads 07h 21m 46s and is 01m 32s slow. Variation in the area is 5°E. What is the deviation of the magnetic compass? 

    N a. 0.9°E
    N b. 1.5°W
    Y c. 5.9°W
    N d. 6.5°E
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
1906: On 22 March , your 0519 DR position is LAT 27°20.6'N, LONG 69°25.6'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 051°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 50°03.7'. The chronometer reads 10h 16m 47s, and is 02m 15s slow. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Acamar
    N b. Enif
    N c. Menkar
    Y d. Deneb
1915: On 14 January , your 0550 DR position is LAT 25°26.0'N, LONG 38°16.0'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 043°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 37°12.1'. The chronometer reads 08h 48m 51s, and is 01m 22s slow. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Gienah
    N b. Kochab
    N c. Gacrux
    Y d. Eltanin
1958: Which daymark would you see as you approach Red Store Light (mile 269.5 AHP)? 

    Y a. Green square
    N b. Green triangle
    N c. Green diamond
    N d. Red square
2025: On 10 October , your 1500 zone time DR position is LAT 27°35.6'S, LONG 44°49.0'W. You are on course 342°T at a speed of 24 knots. Considering their magnitude, azimuth, and altitude, which group includes the three bodies best suited for a fix at star time? 

    N a. Venus, Moon, Fomalhaut
    N b. Venus, Arcturus, Hamal
    Y c. Moon, Al Na'ir, Rigil Kentaurus
    N d. Deneb, Spica, Markab
2277: You observe the lower limb of the Sun at a sextant altitude (hs) of 41°29.8' on 11 January . The index error is 2.4' off the arc. The height of eye is 68 feet. What is the observed altitude (Ho)? 

    N a. 41°36.4'
    Y b. 41°39.4'
    N c. 41°42.0'
    N d. 41°44.5'
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'
2442: Anchorage regulations for this area may be obtained from __________. 

    N a. Office of Commander 2nd Coast Guard District
    Y b. District Engineer, Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, VA
    N c. Virginia - Maryland Pilots Association
    N d. Chesapeake Bay Port Authority, Hampton VA
2669: You are steering 143°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 18.2 miles at 2006. You change course to pass the light 5.5 miles off abeam to port. If you are making 14.5 knots, what is your ETA at a position 5.5 miles off the light? 

    N a. 2115
    Y b. 2118
    N c. 2121
    N d. 2124
2698: While on a course of 138°T, a light bears 14° on the starboard bow at a distance of 8.6 miles. What course should you steer to pass 3 miles abeam of the light leaving it to starboard? 

    Y a. 132°T
    N b. 135°T
    N c. 138°T
    N d. 141°T
2712: What is the length of the trip? 

    N a. 720.8 miles
    N b. 777.4 miles
    Y c. 897.2 miles
    N d. 906.3 miles
2901: You are steaming on a course of 198°T at 18.5 knots. At 0316 you observe a lighthouse bearing 235°T. At 0348 the lighthouse bears 259°T. What is your distance off at the second bearing? 

    Y a. 14.8 miles
    N b. 15.3 miles
    N c. 15.8 miles
    N d. 16.3 miles
3318: While steaming at 12 knots, your vessel burns 45 tons of fuel per day. What will be the rate of fuel consumption if you decrease speed to 11.5 knots? 

    N a. 31 tons/day
    N b. 36 tons/day
    Y c. 40 tons/day
    N d. 43 tons/day
3460: You wish to make good a course of 230°T while turning for an engine speed of 12.5 knots. The set is 180°T, and the drift is 1.7 knots. What speed will you make good along the track line? 

    N a. 11.5 knots
    N b. 12.5 knots
    Y c. 13.6 knots
    N d. 14.0 knots
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
3645: The true course between two points is 119°. Your gyrocompass has an error of 3°E. You allow of 4° leeway for a south-southwest wind. What gyro course should be steered to make the true course good? 

    N a. 112°pgc
    N b. 118°pgc
    Y c. 120°pgc
    N d. 126°pgc
10903: What is the distance from Norfolk to Philadelphia for a deep draft vessel via the Chesapeake Bay and C and D Canal ? 

    N a. 209 miles
    Y b. 245 miles
    N c. 286 miles
    N d. 302 miles
12309: You sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light (LAT 41°18.2'N, LONG 71°56.0'W) bearing 089° per standard magnetic compass. If your vessel was heading 297° per standard magnetic compass at the time, which of the following is TRUE? 

    N a. The deviation table is correct for that heading.
    N b. The deviation equals the variation.
    Y c. You should swing your vessel to check the deviation table.
    N d. The compass error is 13°W for all bearings of 089°psc.
13400: You are going to anchor at Gardiners Bay in LAT 41°04.5'N, LONG 72°13.0'W. What type of bottom should you expect? 

    N a. Streaked mud
    N b. Sand
    N c. Hard rocks
    Y d. Soft mud
15161: From your 1815 position, you want to make good course 263°
T. Your engines are turning RPMs for 12 knots. The current is 050°T at 1.9 knots. Adjusting your course for set and drift, at what time should you expect to enter the red sector of Cape Henry Light? 

    N a. 1851
    N b. 1857
    Y c. 1904
    N d. 1911
15168: Which chart provides more detail of Cape Charles harbor and its approaches? 

    N a. 12238
    N b. 12225
    Y c. 12224
    N d. 12222
15356: You are on course 092°T, and the engines are turning for 8 knots. At 0452, you take the following bearings:

Stratford Point Light 020°pgc
Stratford Shoal (Middle Ground) Light 141°pgc

What is your 0452 position? 

    N a. LAT 41°05.4'N, LONG 73°07.7'W
    Y b. LAT 41°05.2'N, LONG 73°07.8'W
    N c. LAT 41°05.2'N, LONG 73°07.5'W
    N d. LAT 41°05.1'N, LONG 73°07.7'W
15445: As you proceed up York Spit Channel, what are the three base courses that you must steer to conform to the channel,
if steering by standard magnetic compass? 

    N a. 337.5°, 359.5°, 028.0°
    N b. 337.5°, 357.5°, 026.0°
    N c. 324.0°, 352.5°, 009.5°
    Y d. 340.0°, 000.5°, 025.0°
15509: At 1800, your position is LAT 41°06.5'N, LONG 71°43.5'W. How would the buoy which bears approximately 040°T from your position at a range of half a mile be painted? 

    Y a. Horizontally banded, green over red, with a green buoyancy chamber
    N b. Horizontally banded, red over green, with a red buoyancy chamber
    N c. Vertically striped, red and green
    N d. Solid green with red letters "BIS"
15607: If there is no current, what is the course per gyro compass from your 1600 position to point A located 0.5 mile due east of Hog Island Lighted Bell Buoy "12"? 

    N a. 190°pgc
    Y b. 193°pgc
    N c. 196°pgc
    N d. 199°pgc
15807: You are southeast of Saybrook Breakwater Light passing Saybrook Bar Lighted Bell Buoy "8". This buoy marks __________. 

    Y a. shoal water
    N b. a tide rips area
    N c. the junction with the Connecticut River
    N d. a sunken wreck
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
15845: If you are going to head directly for Chesapeake Light from your 2111 fix, what is the course to make good? 

    Y a. 190°T
    N b. 193°T
    N c. 196°T
    N d. 199°T
16357: The coast between Great Machipongo Inlet and Cape Charles is __________. 

    N a. composed of high rocky bluffs and wooded uplands
    N b. marked by prominent isolated barren hills
    N c. broken by the mouths of several major rivers
    Y d. low with sandy beaches bordered by marshes
16513: At 0748, you change course to 160°T. What loran reading can you follow to remain on this course? 

    Y a. 9960-W-14651.0
    N b. 9960-W-14660.0
    N c. 9960-Y-43852.0
    N d. 9960-Y-43943.8
16542: At 2308 your position is LAT 41°12.7'N, LONG 72°22.8'W.
You steer a course to make good 255°T from this position. At 2310 you receive a distress call from a vessel anchored 2.1 miles due north of Mattituck Inlet Light. If you change course at 2314, what is the course to steer per gyrocompass to arrive at the distress site if you allow 2°
leeway for northerly winds, 3°E gyro error and correct your course for a current of 073°T at 1.3 knots? 

    N a. 208°pgc
    N b. 212°pgc
    N c. 216°pgc
    Y d. 220°pgc
16606: Your position is LAT 40°59.0'N, LONG 73°06.2'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to New Haven Harbor Lighted Whistle Buoy "NH"? 

    N a. 035°
    N b. 046°
    N c. 049°
    Y d. 052°