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.


40: Which of the following statements regarding aids to navigation shown in the Army Corps. of Engineers map book is TRUE?


181: You are on course 192°pgc at 12 knots. At 1900 you fix your position using the following information:

Sand Shoal Inlet South Light bearing 244°true @ 11 nm


What is your latitude and longitude at 1900?


248: You are southeast of Saybrook Breakwater Light passing Saybrook Bar Lighted Bell Buoy "8". This buoy marks __________.


276: At 1200, your position is 2.0 miles southwest of Bartlett Reef Light. Your heading is 075°T. Visibility is less than 0.2 mile in fog and rain. Which of the following signals is most likely to be from another vessel?

    N a. Whistle from 125° relative
    N b. Bell from 350° relative
    Y c. Whistle from 075° relative
    N d. Horn from 330° relative

331: You leave York Spit Channel at buoy "14" at 0600 with an engine speed of 12 knots. You receive orders to rendezvous with the tug "Quicksilver" and her tow at Hog Island Bell Buoy "12". What is your ETA at the rendezvous point, if you pass through Chesapeake Channel to buoy "CBJ", through the outbound traffic separation lane to buoy "NCA" (LL#375), and then to the rendezvous point?

    N a. 0935
    Y b. 0910
    N c. 0850
    N d. 0830

332: You arrive at the rendezvous point, secure the tow, and head back southward. At 1200, you take the following bearings:

Sand Shoal Inlet South Light bearing 289° pgc
Cape Charles Light bearing 240° pgc

What is your 1200 position?

    Y a. LAT 37°15.0'N, LONG 75°37.5'W
    N b. LAT 37°16.0'N, LONG 75°38.0'W
    N c. LAT 37°17.0'N, LONG 75°39.5'W
    N d. LAT 37°19.0'N, LONG 75°40.5'W

551: 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?

    Y a. LAT 41°05.2'N, LONG 73°07.8'W
    N b. LAT 41°05.0'N, LONG 73°07.5'W
    N c. LAT 41°05.0'N, LONG 73°07.3'W
    N d. LAT 41°04.8'N, LONG 73°07.3'W

1190: On 12 February , your 0930 zone time DR position is LAT 25°20.0'N, LONG 30°40.0'W. Your vessel is on course 135°
T at a speed of 11.2 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)?

    N a. 1210
    Y b. 1215
    N c. 1220
    N d. 1224

1202: Your 0830 DR position is LAT 27°33'S, LONG 79°17'E. Your vessel is on a course of 066°T, at a speed of 19.5 knots. Determine the time of LAN on 10 December .

    Y a. 1131
    N b. 1136
    N c. 1153
    N d. 1215

1270: At 0500 zone time, on 21 August , your DR position is LAT 47°00'N, LONG 125°15'W. You are steering 000°T at a speed of 9.8 knots. What is the zone time of sunrise?

    Y a. 0525
    N b. 0529
    N c. 0531
    N d. 0535

1277: On 22 June , your 0400 zone time DR position is LAT 23°00'N, LONG 81°45'W. You are steaming on course 110°T at a speed of 8.6 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel?

    N a. 0537
    Y b. 0541
    N c. 0545
    N d. 0547

1283: On 5 May , your 1800 ZT DR position is LAT 26°11.5'N, LONG 65°35.0'W. You are on course 270°T at a speed of 12 knots. What will be the ZT of sunset at your vessel?

    N a. 1825
    N b. 1840
    Y c. 1857
    N d. 1901

1417: What is the distance from Baton Rouge, LA, to Hickman, KY, on the Mississippi River System?

    N a. 117 miles
    N b. 433 miles
    N c. 656 miles
    Y d. 692 miles

1419: Which light will you be passing at 0059, on 22 September, if you make good 9.2 knots?

    Y a. Obion Bar Lt.
    N b. Kate Aubrey Lt.
    N c. Trotter Lt.
    N d. Quaker Oats Lt.

1726: The highest point on your towboat is 57 feet above water. The Natchez Gage (mile 363.3 AHP) reads 16.7 feet. What is the vertical clearance when you pass under the Natchez - Vidalia (westbound) Hwy. Bridge?

    Y a. 52.3 feet
    N b. 59.9 feet
    N c. 61.0 feet
    N d. 68.6 feet

1907: On 22 March , your 1834 DR position is LAT 26°13.5'S, LONG 108°36.5'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 062°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 23°22.0'. The chronometer reads 01h 32m 37s, and is 01m 50s slow. Which star did you observe?

    Y a. Regulus
    N b. Menkar
    N c. Rigel
    N d. Alphard

1950: The Greenville Gage reads 10.6 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?

    N a. 44.4 feet
    N b. 54.2 feet
    Y c. 65.4 feet
    N d. 75.4 feet

1952: As you approach Dean Island Light (mile 754.8 AHP), which type of daymark will be observed at the light?

    N a. Green triangle
    Y b. Green diamond
    N c. Green square
    N d. Red-and-green banded square

2050: From Baton Rouge to Cairo, what is the maintained minimum channel depth during low water?

    Y a. 9 feet
    N b. 12 feet
    N c. 15 feet
    N d. 30 feet

2286: You observe the lower limb of the Sun at a sextant altitude (hs) of 50°26.9' on 9 November . The index error is 1.5' on the arc. The height of eye is 56 feet (17 meters). What is the observed altitude (Ho)?

    N a. 50°04.2'
    N b. 50°18.1'
    Y c. 50°33.5'
    N d. 50°41.4'

2658: You are steering 202°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 14.6 miles at 2234. You change course to pass the light 5 miles off abeam to starboard. If you are making 21 knots, what is your ETA at the position 5 miles off the light?

    N a. 2310
    Y b. 2313
    N c. 2316
    N d. 2319

2880: Your vessel is steering 218°T at 19 knots. At 2223 a light bears 261°T, and at 2234 the same light bears 289°T. What will be your distance off abeam?

    N a. 4.5 miles
    Y b. 4.9 miles
    N c. 5.3 miles
    N d. 5.7 miles

3293: Your vessel consumes 274 barrels of fuel per day at a speed of 17.5 knots. What will be the fuel consumption of your vessel at 13.5 knots?

    Y a. 126 bbls
    N b. 163 bbls
    N c. 211 bbls
    N d. 253 bbls

3457: You wish to make good a course of 035°T while turning for an engine speed of 12 knots. The set is 340°T, and the drift is 2 knots. What speed will you make good along the track line?

    N a. 12.2 knots
    N b. 12.7 knots
    Y c. 13.0 knots
    N d. 13.3 knots

3648: The true course between two points is 312°. Your gyrocompass has an error of 3°W. You make an allowance of 4° leeway for a west by south wind. What gyro course should be steered to make the true course good?

    N a. 305°pgc
    Y b. 311°pgc
    N c. 315°pgc
    N d. 318°pgc

10101: Your GPS position is LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 75°48.6'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position one mile east of Cape Charles Buoy "14" (LAT 37°07.4'N, LONG 75°41.0'W)?

    N a. 040°psc
    Y b. 045°psc
    N c. 049°psc
    N d. 053°psc

10203: Your present position is LAT 41°05.5'N, LONG 72°38.0'W. Assuming there is no set and drift, what course must you steer per standard magnetic compass (psc) to arrive at a position 3 miles due north of Horton Point Light?

    N a. 077°psc
    N b. 081°psc
    Y c. 085°psc
    N d. 088°psc

10308: You are 3 miles due east of Montauk Point Light. What is the course per standard magnetic compass to a position 1.5 miles due east of Watch Hill Point Light?

    N a. 341°psc
    N b. 337°psc
    N c. 011°psc
    Y d. 007°psc

10608: At 1825 your GPS position is LAT 41°04.9'N, LONG 72°42.1'W. You are on course 085° per standard magnetic compass at a speed of 10 knots. At 1910 your GPS position is 1 mile due south of Twenty-Eight Foot Shoal Lighted Buoy. What were your set and drift?

    N a. 233°T at 2.9 knots
    N b. 227°T at 2.5 knots
    Y c. 054°T at 2.8 knots
    N d. 051°T at 2.1 knots

12902: Your 1312 position is LAT 37°10.9'N, LONG 75°29.6'W. You are turning for 8.3 knots. What is your ETA at LAT 37°21.9'N, LONG 75°42.6'W?

    N a. 1449
    N b. 1456
    Y c. 1502
    N d. 1511

15106: The National Weather Service provides 24 hour weather broadcasts to vessels transiting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel area on which frequency?

    N a. 147.45 MHz
    Y b. 162.55 MHz
    N c. 181.15 MHz
    N d. 202.35 MHz

15169: At 2123, your position is LAT 37°20.0'N, LONG 76°03.0'W. What is your distance offshore of Savage Neck?

    Y a. 1.7 miles
    N b. 2.5 miles
    N c. 3.6 miles
    N d. 10.9 miles

15319: The coastline by Cape Henry is best described as __________.

    N a. rocky with pine scrubs
    Y b. sandy hills about eighty feet high
    N c. low wetlands
    N d. low and thinly wooded with many beach houses

15568: At 0520, you are on course 243°pgc at 12 knots. What is the course per standard magnetic compass?

    N a. 262°psc
    Y b. 258°psc
    N c. 233°psc
    N d. 227°psc

15569: The coastline between Point Judith and Watch Hill is __________.

    N a. marked by waterfalls from the highland ponds
    N b. low and marshy
    Y c. sandy and broken by rocky points
    N d. heavily forested

15569: The coastline between Point Judith and Watch Hill is __________.

    N a. marked by waterfalls from the highland ponds
    N b. low and marshy
    Y c. sandy and broken by rocky points
    N d. heavily forested

15720: The red sector of New London Harbor Light covers from __________.

    N a. 040° - 310°
    Y b. 000° - 041°
    N c. 208° - 220°
    N d. 204° - 239°

15770: At 0930, your position is LAT 41°16.5'N, LONG 71°41.4'W, and you are turning for 7 knots. Allowing 3° leeway for northerly winds and estimating the current as 035° at 0.3 knot, what is the course to steer (pgc) to point "B"?

    N a. 084°pgc
    Y b. 086°pgc
    N c. 091°pgc
    N d. 094°pgc

15806: What type of bottom is found at Long Sand Shoal?

    N a. Rocky
    N b. Muddy
    N c. Sandy
    Y d. Hard

15960: From your 1752 position, you steer 313°pgc at 9 knots. At 1805, you obtain the following visual bearings:
Old Pt. Comfort Light - 238°pgc.
Chesapeake Bay Tunnel North Light - 136°pgc.
What are the latitude and longitude of your 1805 position?

    Y a. LAT 37°05.9'N, LONG 76°08.0'W
    N b. LAT 37°06.0'N, LONG 76°08.4'W
    N c. LAT 37°05.0'N, LONG 76°08.7'W
    N d. LAT 37°06.1'N, LONG 76°08.1'W

16041: From your 0847 fix, you change course to arrive at the rendezvous position and, correcting for current, you estimate your speed over the ground at 15 knots. What is your ETA at the rendezvous?

    N a. 0902
    N b. 0905
    Y c. 0908
    N d. 0911

16459: What is the course to steer per gyro compass from the anchorage to point "A" if easterly winds are causing 3° of leeway?

    N a. 178°pgc
    Y b. 181°pgc
    N c. 185°pgc
    N d. 189°pgc

16714: What was the current between 0520 and 0600?

    N a. 201° at 1.0 knot
    N b. 201° at 1.5 knot
    N c. 021° at 1.0 knot
    Y d. 021° at 1.5 knots