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.


85: You are turning for 10 mph, approaching Angola, LA. Angola reports that the current at Red River Landing is estimated at 4.5 mph. Which of the following statements is TRUE?


95: You complete changing out your tow and get underway enroute Memphis, Tennessee to deliver 2 tank barges. What is the distance you must travel from Cairo Point Light to the Lion Oil Refining Co. Docks in Memphis?


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


291: What is the height above water of Davis Creek Channel Light "1"?

    Y a. 15 feet (4.6 meters)
    N b. 17 feet (5.2 meters)
    N c. 19 feet (5.8 meters)
    N d. 24 feet (7.3 meters)

300: You are bound for New London. Where will you cross the demarcation line and be governed by the Inland Rules of the Road?

    N a. You are already governed by the Inland Rules.
    N b. Above the Thames River Bridge
    Y c. In the Race
    N d. You will not be governed by the Inland Rules.

417: A vessel at LAT 21°32'N, LONG 160°30'W, heads for a destination at LAT 30°00'N, LONG 150°00'E. Determine the true course and distance by Mercator sailing.

    N a. 273°T, 2645 miles
    N b. 273°T, 2692 miles
    Y c. 281°T, 2733 miles
    N d. 284°T, 2762 miles

477: The great circle distance from LAT 08°50.0'N, LONG 80°21.0'W to LAT 12°36.0'N, LONG 128°16.0'E is 8664 miles, and the initial course is 306.6°T. Determine the latitude of the vertex.

    Y a. 37°30.2'N
    N b. 37°39.6'N
    N c. 37°48.2'N
    N d. 37°53.6'N

549: In order to check your compasses, you sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light bearing 074°pgc. The helmsman was steering 303°pgc and 315° per standard magnetic compass at the time.

Which of the following is TRUE?

    N a. The true line of the range is 072°.
    N b. The deviation based on the observation is 15°W.
    N c. The magnetic compass error is 12°W.
    Y d. The gyro error is exactly 1.5°E.

554: Based on your running fix, you __________.

    Y a. have a following current
    N b. have a head current
    N c. are being set to the north
    N d. are not affected by a current

606: At 0915 zone time, on 11 May , 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 19.5 knots. The distance is 4,276 miles. What is your estimated zone time of arrival at Seattle?

    Y a. 1932, 19 May
    N b. 0332, 20 May
    N c. 1032, 20 May
    N d. 1232, 20 May

606: At 0915 zone time, on 11 May , 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 19.5 knots. The distance is 4,276 miles. What is your estimated zone time of arrival at Seattle?

    Y a. 1932, 19 May
    N b. 0332, 20 May
    N c. 1032, 20 May
    N d. 1232, 20 May

653: On which voyage would a great circle track be significantly shorter than a rhumb line track? (Use gnomonic tracking chart WOXZC 5274)

    Y a. Savannah, GA, to Lisbon, Portugal
    N b. Dublin, Ireland (Irish Sea), to La Coruna, Spain (LAT 43°22'N, LONG 8°24'W)
    N c. Reykjavik, Iceland, to Lisbon, Portugal
    N d. Boston to Sable Island

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

1179: On 26 September , your 0830 zone time DR position is LAT 26°04.0'N, LONG 129°16.0'W. Your vessel is on course 119°T at a speed of 20.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)?

    Y a. 1124
    N b. 1127
    N c. 1130
    N d. 1133

1187: On 17 March , your 0800 zone time DR position is LAT 21°27.0'N, LONG 65°25.0'W. Your vessel is on course 105°T at a speed of 17.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)?

    N a. 1210
    N b. 1218
    Y c. 1225
    N d. 1231

1200: On 26 September , your 0830 DR position is LAT 26°04.0'N, LONG 129°16.0'W. Your vessel is on a course of 119°T at a speed of 20.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)?

    Y a. 1124
    N b. 1128
    N c. 1142
    N d. 1146

1339: At 1300, 5 January, the river will be temporarily closed to navigation for six hours at mile 531.3 AHP due to repairs to a bridge. What minimum speed over the ground must you make from Natchez Gage in order not to be delayed?

    N a. 5.7 mph
    Y b. 6.0 mph
    N c. 6.8 mph
    N d. 7.3 mph

1343: At 1019, on 10 March, you pass under the Greenville Bridge (mile 531.3 AHP). What was your average speed since departing River Cement Co. Dock?

    Y a. 7.2 mph
    N b. 6.8 mph
    N c. 6.5 mph
    N d. 6.2 mph

1546: As you pass under the Vicksburg Bridges, you estimate the current as 3.0 mph. What is the speed over the ground, if your vessel is making turns for 10.5 mph?

    N a. 7.5 mph
    N b. 10.5 mph
    Y c. 13.5 mph
    N d. 16.5 mph

1643: Which facility is located on the right descending bank at mile 363.6 AHP?

    N a. River Cement Corps..
    N b. Bunge Corps..
    N c. T.L. James
    Y d. Vidalia Dock and Storage Co.

1761: What is the length of the trip?

    Y a. 887.9 miles
    N b. 878.9 miles
    N c. 851.9 miles
    N d. 726.0 miles

1853: On 8 April , while taking observations for an evening fix, you observe an unidentified star bearing 250.7°T at an observed altitude of 51°44.8'. Your DR position at the time of the sight was LAT 22°16.0'N, LONG 157°58.3'W. The chronometer reads 05h 09m 57s and is 01m 23s slow. What star did you observe?

    N a. Betelgeuse
    N b. Aldebaran
    N c. Alnilam
    Y d. Bellatrix

1887: On 8 April , your evening DR position is LAT 22°16.0'N, LONG 157°58.3'W. You observe an unidentified star bearing 271°T at an observed altitude (Ho) of 44°08.2'. The chronometer reads 05h 09m 57s, and is 01m 23s slow. What star did you observe?

    N a. Betelgeuse
    Y b. Aldebaran
    N c. Alnilam
    N d. Bellatrix

2170: On 22 July , at 0720 ZT, in DR position LAT 20°38.2'N, LONG 87°16.0'W, you observe the Moon's lower limb. The sextant altitude (hs) is 38°32.6, and the chronometer reads 01h 18m 14s. The chronometer is 01m 28s slow. The index error is 3.1' off the arc, and the height of eye is 68 feet. What is the azimuth (Zn) and intercept (a) of this sight from the assumed position?

    N a. Zn 291.4°, a 5.2' A
    N b. Zn 111.4°, a 8.7' A
    Y c. Zn 248.6°, a 5.0' T
    N d. Zn 068.6°, a 6.5' T

2238: At 1430 ZT, on 16 April , in DR position LAT 34° 03.8' N, LONG 061° 02.5'W, you observe an amplitude of the Moon. The center of the Moon is on the visible horizon and bears 095.2°psc. The variation is 12°W. What is the deviation?

    N a. 1.7°W
    N b. 1.7°E
    N c. 1.9°W
    Y d. 1.9°E

2331: What is the coastwise distance from your 0731 fix to Wilmington, DE (LAT 39°43.2'N, LONG 75°31.5'W)?

    N a. 339 miles
    N b. 309 miles
    N c. 245 miles
    Y d. 221 miles

2403: At 0812 you obtain the following information:

Chesapeake Light bearing 091° true @ a range of 10.5 nm

What is your 0812 position?

    N a. LAT 36°53.7'N, LONG 75°56.0'W
    N b. LAT 36°53.8'N, LONG 75°56.1'W
    Y c. LAT 36°54.4'N, LONG 75°55.9'W
    N d. LAT 36°54.6'N, LONG 75°55.8'W

2689: You are steering 107°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 11 miles at 0847. You change course to leave the light 3 miles off to starboard. If you are making 15.5 knots, what is your ETA at the position 3 miles off the light?

    Y a. 0928
    N b. 0931
    N c. 0934
    N d. 0937

2708: While on a course of 349°T, a light bears 13° on your starboard bow at a distance of 10.8 miles. What course should you steer to pass 2.5 miles abeam of the light, leaving it to starboard?

    N a. 323°
    N b. 336°
    Y c. 349°
    N d. 002°

3079: If the speed necessary for reaching port at a designated time is 18.2 knots and the pitch of the propeller is 23.9 feet, how many revolutions per minute will the shaft have to turn, assuming a 2% negative slip?

    N a. 70
    N b. 73
    Y c. 76
    N d. 79

3453: You wish to make good a course of 350°T while turning for an engine speed of 10 knots. The set is 070°T, and the drift is 1.5 knots. What course should you steer?

    N a. 332°T
    Y b. 341°T
    N c. 345°T
    N d. 359°T

3463: You are underway on course 215°T at 12 knots. The current is 000°T at 2.3 knots. What is the course made good?

    N a. 209°T
    N b. 217°T
    Y c. 222°T
    N d. 232°T

3769: Entering a harbor, you take a bearing on a range and get 338° per gyrocompass (pgc). The true bearing from the chart is 340°T. Variation for the area is 14°E. Your course is 329° per standard magnetic compass (psc) and 338°pgc. The deviation on this heading is __________.

    N a. 3°E
    Y b. 3°W
    N c. 5°E
    N d. 5°W

4002: You swung ship and compared the magnetic compass against the gyro compass to find deviation. Gyro error is 2°E. The variation is 8°W. Find the deviation on a true heading of 258°.
HEADING HEADING HEADING
PSC PGC PSC PGC PSC PGC
358.5° - 350° 122.5° - 110° 239.5° - 230°
030.5° - 020° 152.0° - 140° 269.0° - 260°
061.5° - 050° 181.0° - 170° 298.0° - 290°
092.0° - 080° 210.0° - 200° 327.5° - 320°

    N a. 0.5°W
    N b. 0.0°
    N c. 0.5°E
    Y d. 1.0°E

6144: What are the dimensions of the Old River Lock on the Lower Old River (mile 304 AHP)?

    Y a. 1190 X 75 feet
    N b. 1185 X 84 feet
    N c. 1190 X 84 feet
    N d. 1185 X 75 feet

12103: You sight Wolf Trap Light in line with New Point Comfort Spit Light "2" bearing 048° per standard magnetic compass. You are on course 203°psc. Based on this, you know __________.

    N a. the compass error is 12°W
    N b. the deviation is 9°W
    Y c. that the deviation table is in error
    N d. the deviation is 3°E for bearings of 048° per standard magnetic compass

12210: You sight New Haven Outer Channel Range Rear Light in line with the Outer Channel Range Front Light bearing 343° per standard magnetic compass. What is your compass error?

    N a. 5°E
    N b. 5°W
    N c. 9°E
    Y d. 9°W

13000: Your 2108 position is LAT 41°10.0'N, LONG 72°30.0'W. You are turning for 12.5 knots. What is your ETA at Buoy NH (LAT 41°12.1'N, LONG 72°53.8'W)?

    N a. 2133
    N b. 2227
    Y c. 2235
    N d. 2248

13507: Areas enclosed by a long and short dashed magenta line indicate __________.

    N a. cable areas
    N b. dumping grounds
    Y c. fish trap areas
    N d. precautionary areas

13803: NOAA Weather Broadcasts for the New London area may be received by turning your radio to __________.

    Y a. 162.550 MHz
    N b. 162.475 MHz
    N c. 162.400 MHz
    N d. 162.350 MHz

15156: Your 1600 position is LAT 37°22.5'N, LONG 75°32.3'W. The depth of water is about __________.

    N a. 38 feet (11.5 meters)
    N b. 45 feet (13.6 meters)
    Y c. 52 feet (15.8 meters)
    N d. 59 feet (17.3 meters)

15170: From your 2123 position, you are approximately 42 miles from Crisfield, MD. If you are making good a speed of 11 knots, at what time should you arrive at Crisfield, MD?

    N a. 2359
    N b. 0037
    Y c. 0112
    N d. 0149

15218: What is your 2118 position?

    N a. LAT 36°57.0'N, LONG 76°01.5'W
    Y b. LAT 36°57.4'N, LONG 76°01.9'W
    N c. LAT 36°57.8'N, LONG 76°01.5'W
    N d. LAT 36°58.2'N, LONG 76°02.4'W

15467: At 1018, you are entering York Spit Channel and buoy "19" is abeam to starboard. At 1031, buoy "23" is abeam. What speed are you making good?

    N a. 8.4 knots
    Y b. 8.8 knots
    N c. 9.7 knots
    N d. 9.9 knots

15517: From your 1915 position, you come left and set a course for Gardiners Point. At 1930, your position is LAT 41°12.7'N,
LONG 71°56.8'W. What type of bottom is charted at this position?

    N a. Blue mud, gritty shells
    N b. Buried mussels, gritty shells
    Y c. Blue mud, gray sand
    N d. Bumpy muck with grainy surface

15621: What is the length of the trip?

    N a. 899.6 miles
    N b. 878.9 miles
    Y c. 851.9 miles
    N d. 726.0 miles

15713: What do the dotted lines around Goose Island and Kimberly Reef represent?

    N a. Limiting danger
    N b. Breakers
    Y c. Depth contours
    N d. Tide rips

15814: At 0130, you obtain the following bearings:

Horton Point Lighthouse 078°T
Mattituck Breakwater Light tower 196°T

What were the course and speed made good between 0100 and 0130?

    Y a. 246°T at 9.8 knots
    N b. 253°T at 9.4 knots
    N c. 259°T at 9.8 knots
    N d. 267°T at 9.4 knots

15961: At 1810, a red buoy bears 010° relative. This buoy marks __________.

    N a. the side of York Spit Channel
    N b. the visibility limit of the red sector of Cape Henry Light
    N c. a submerged obstruction in York Spit Channel
    Y d. the York River Entrance Channel

15969: What is the height above water of New Point Comfort Spit Light "2"?

    N a. 6 feet (1.8 meters)
    N b. 15 feet (4.6 meters)
    Y c. 18 feet (5.5 meters)
    N d. 24 feet (7.3 meters)

16145: At 2054 Block Island Southeast Point Light bears 054°T at 6.9 miles and Southwest Ledge Lighted Bell Buoy 2 is 1.6 miles off to port. The set and drift from 2027 to 2054 is __________.

    Y a. 127°T at 3.1 knots
    N b. 127°T at 1.4 knots
    N c. 307°T at 3.1 knots
    N d. 307°T at 1.4 knots

16218: At 0830, Watch Hill Point bears 343°T at 3.5 miles by radar. What was the speed made good since 0745?

    N a. 5.4 knots
    N b. 5.8 knots
    N c. 6.7 knots
    Y d. 7.1 knots

16258: What is the course to steer per standard magnetic compass from the anchorage to point A, if easterly winds are causing 3° of leeway?

    N a. 187°
    Y b. 191°
    N c. 194°
    N d. 197°

16514: At 0815, Montauk Pt. Light House is bearing 167°T,
Shagwong Pt. has a radar range of 4.5 miles, and Cerberus Shoal "9" Buoy is bearing 284°T. If the engine is making turns for 10 knots, what was the set and drift of the current since 0748?

    N a. Set 065°T, drift 1.1 knots
    N b. Set 065°T, drift 2.4 knots
    N c. Set 245°T, drift 1.1 knots
    Y d. Set 245°T, drift 2.4 knots

16569: The short-long dashed magenta line around Gardiners Island marks __________.

    N a. a regulated anchorage
    Y b. fish trap areas
    N c. an area closed to the public
    N d. underwater cables

16707: Point Judith Harbor of Refuge __________.

    N a. is used mostly by towing vessels
    N b. has a maximum depth of 14 feet at MHW
    N c. is easily accessible in heavy southerly seas
    Y d. is entered through the East Gap or the West Gap