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.

38: What are the color and shape of Anconia Pt. Light at mile 528.6 AHP?
110: As you pass under the Baton Rouge RR and Highway 190 bridge you receive a call from another tow upriver. What channel on the VHF should you be monitoring?
161: At 1923, on September 21, you pass Bixby Towhead Light (mile 873.7 AHP). What was your average speed since leaving Cairo?
179: In order to check your compasses, you sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light bearing 077°pgc. The helmsman was steering 307°pgc and 320° per standard magnetic compass at the time. Which statement is TRUE? 

    N a. The gyro error by observation is 2°E.
    N b. The deviation based on the observation is 15°W.
    Y c. The magnetic compass error is 14°W.
    N d. The true line of the range is 079°.
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
282: From your 1752 position, you steer 307°pgc at 9 knots. At 1805, you obtain the visual bearings. What are the latitude and longitude of your 1805 position? Old Pt. Comfort Light 232°pgc. Chesapeake Bay Tunnel North Light 130°pgc. 

    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°05.9'N,  LONG 76°07.7'W
    N d. LAT 37°06.1'N,  LONG 76°07.5'W
288: According to your track line, how far off New Point Comfort Spit Light "4" will you be when abeam of this light? 

    N a. 0.5 mile
    Y b. 0.9 miles
    N c. 1.5 miles
    N d. 1.8 miles
305: A vessel steams 666 miles on course 295°T from LAT 24°24'N, LONG 83°00'W. What are the latitude and longitude of the point of arrival by mid-latitude sailing? 

    N a. LAT 29°01'N, LONG 94°18'W
    Y b. LAT 29°06'N, LONG 94°16'W
    N c. LAT 29°10'N, LONG 94°10'W
    N d. LAT 29°13'N, LONG 94°06'W
305: A vessel steams 666 miles on course 295°T from LAT 24°24'N, LONG 83°00'W. What are the latitude and longitude of the point of arrival by mid-latitude sailing? 

    N a. LAT 29°01'N, LONG 94°18'W
    Y b. LAT 29°06'N, LONG 94°16'W
    N c. LAT 29°10'N, LONG 94°10'W
    N d. LAT 29°13'N, LONG 94°06'W
383: From point "A", you lay out an intended track line to a point where Block Island North Light bears 180°T at 2.9 miles (Point "B"). What is the length of this leg of the voyage? 

    Y a. 24.4 miles
    N b. 23.9 miles
    N c. 23.7 miles
    N d. 20.4 miles
406: You depart LAT 49°45.0'N, LONG 06°35.0'W, and steam 3599 miles on course 246.5°T. What is the longitude of your arrival by Mercator sailing? 

    N a. LONG 76°36.2'W
    Y b. LONG 77°02.8'W
    N c. LONG 78°14.0'W
    N d. LONG 78°22.6'W
487: At 0700, your gyro alarm sounds. What course should you steer by the standard magnetic compass in order to maintain your original heading of 078°T? 

    Y a. 095°psc
    N b. 090°psc
    N c. 080°psc
    N d. 062°psc
685: What company does NOT have a marine facility along the river bank in Madison Parish (mile 457.0 AHP)? 

    N a. Complex Chemical Co.
    N b. Delta Southern Railroads
    Y c. Baxter Wilson Steam
    N d. Farm Chemical
750: On 28 October , at 1754 ZT, your vessel's DR position is LAT 28°30'N, LONG 63°24'W. At this time, you obtain a sextant altitude (hs) of Polaris reading 28°42.6', with an index error of 2.4' on the arc. Your chronometer reads 09h 50m 00s, and is 4m 14s slow. What is your latitude by Polaris, given a height of eye of 28 feet (8.5 meters)? 

    N a. 28°25.2'N
    N b. 28°30.6'N
    Y c. 28°34.9'N
    N d. 28°41.3'N
1181: On 4 January , your 0800 zone time DR position is LAT 25°25.0 S, LONG 16°09.0'W. Your vessel is on course 290°T at a speed of 13.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1157
    N b. 1205
    N c. 1209
    Y d. 1213
1186: On 16 November , your 0800 zone time DR position is LAT 25°11.0'N, LONG 117°41.0'W. Your vessel is on course 252°T at a speed of 14.5 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1131
    N b. 1135
    Y c. 1139
    N d. 1144
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
1344: At 2142, on January 3, you pass Sebastapol Light (mile 283.3 AHP). At 0137, January 4, you pass Fort Adams Light(mile 311.4 AHP). You have been turning for 9.0 mph. What was the current? 

    N a. 4.2 mph
    N b. 3.3 mph
    N c. 2.7 mph
    Y d. 1.8 mph
1478: On 12 June , at 0919 zone time, your position is LAT 26°52'N, LONG 84°34'W. The chronometer reads 03h 17m 00s. Chronometer error is 01m 40s slow. At that time, an azimuth of the Sun is obtained. The bearing is 089.5° per standard magnetic compass. Variation for this area is 4.5°E. What is the deviation of the standard magnetic compass? 

    N a. 9.5°E
    N b. 9.5°W
    N c. 5.2°E
    Y d. 5.2°W
1731: What is the total length of the trip? 

    N a. 910.6 miles
    Y b. 901.2 miles
    N c. 900.3 miles
    N d. 873.7 miles
1811: Where would you find out which buoys, if any, are in place at Concordia Bar crossing (mile 596.0 AHP)? 

    Y a. Notice to Mariners
    N b. Bulletin board at the Rosedale Gage
    N c. Waterways Journal
    N d. None of the above
1866: On 12 June , your 1845 DR position is LAT 21°47'N, LONG 46°52'W when you observe a faint unidentifiable star through a break in the clouds. The star bears 019.0°T at a sextant altitude (hs) of 53°56.2'. The index error is 0.5' on the arc, and the height of eye is 45 feet. The chronometer reads 09h 43m 27s, and the chronometer error is 1m 46s slow. What star did you observe? 

    N a. Phecda
    N b. Mimosa
    N c. Gamma Ursae Minoris
    Y d. Mizar
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
2086: Ar your current speed of 22 knots you only have enough fuel remaining to travel 440 miles. You must travel 618 miles to reach your destination. What should you reduce your speed (knots) to in order to reach your destination? 

    N a. 17.8
    Y b. 18.6
    N c. 19.4
    N d. 20.2
2104: What type of bottom is found at Long Sand Shoal? 

    N a. Rocky
    N b. Muddy
    N c. Sandy
    Y d. Hard
2123: At 0410, you take the following bearings:
New Point Comfort Light "2" 244°pgc Wolf Trap Light 315°pgc What is your 0410 position? 

    N a. LAT 37°21.2'N, LONG 76°08.3'W
    N b. LAT 37°21.1'N, LONG 76°08.8'W
    N c. LAT 37°21.1'N, LONG 76°07.9'W
    Y d. LAT 37°21.0'N, LONG 76°08.1'W
2297: The Platte River empties into which river? 

    N a. Mississippi
    N b. Ohio
    Y c. Missouri
    N d. Tennessee
2340: You have steamed 775 miles at 17 knots, and consumed 145 tons of fuel. If you have to steam 977 miles to complete the voyage, how many tons of fuel will be consumed while steaming at 18 knots? 

    Y a. 204 tons
    N b. 181 tons
    N c. 163 tons
    N d. 129 tons
2583: You lose GPS and are navigating solely on LORAN. What LORAN line would you follow to leave Six Mile Reef buoy "8C" abeam to port at 1.0 mile? 

    N a. 9960-W-14885.0
    N b. 9960-Y-43980.5
    Y c. 9960-Y-43982.0
    N d. 9960-Y-43983.5
2589: From the 2130 position, you steer 236°T at 10 knots. A strong northerly wind is causing 4° of leeway. What course must you steer per standard compass, to make good 236°T? 

    N a. 232° psc
    N b. 240° psc
    N c. 244° psc
    Y d. 252° psc
2683: You are underway on a course of 135°pgc at 15 knots, and you sight a lighthouse dead ahead at a range of 12.5 miles at 1145. What course would you steer to leave the lighthouse 3.0 miles off your port beam? 

    N a. 117°pgc
    N b. 121°pgc
    Y c. 149°pgc
    N d. 154°pgc
2857: Your vessel is on a course of 253°T at 18 knots. At 2027 a light bears 275.5°T, and at 2055 the light bears 298°T.
At what time and at what distance off will your vessel be when abeam of the light? 

    Y a. 2115, 5.9 miles
    N b. 2109, 6.4 miles
    N c. 2123, 7.3 miles
    N d. 2104, 7.7 miles
3068: Your vessel's propeller has a pitch of 22'06". From 0530, 19 March, to 1930, 20 March, the average RPM was 82. The distance run by observation was 721.5 miles. What was the slip? 

    N a. +4%
    Y b. -4%
    N c. +7%
    N d. -7%
3267: Your vessel arrives in port with sufficient fuel to steam 726 miles at 16 knots. If you are unable to take on bunkers, at what speed must you proceed to reach your next port, 873 miles distant? 

    Y a. 14.6 knots
    N b. 15.1 knots
    N c. 16.3 knots
    N d. 16.8 knots
3468: You are underway on course 215°T at 12 knots. The current is 000°T at 2.3 knots. What is the speed being made good? 

    N a. 8.5 knots
    Y b. 10.2 knots
    N c. 10.9 knots
    N d. 11.2 knots
3639: You desire to make good a true course of 132°. The variation is 10°W, magnetic compass deviation is 5°E, and gyrocompass error is 5°W. A northeast by east wind produces a 5° leeway. What is the course to steer per standard magnetic compass to make the true course good? 

    Y a. 132°psc
    N b. 135°psc
    N c. 137°psc
    N d. 142°psc
3642: You are steering 154° per gyrocompass. The wind is northeast by east, causing 4° leeway. The gyro error is 3° east, variation is 11° west, and deviation is 7°E. What is the true course made good? 

    N a. 151°T
    N b. 158°T
    Y c. 161°T
    N d. 164°T
11400: At 1035 your GPS position of LAT 41°05.3'N, LONG 72°33.7'W. At 1103 your position is LAT 41°09.0'N, LONG 72°40.0'W. What was your speed made good? 

    N a. 6.1 knots
    N b. 9.5 knots
    Y c. 13.0 knots
    N d. 14.8 knots
12508: You are on course 319° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings: New Point Comfort Light "2" 244°psc Horn Harbor Entrance Light "HH" 267°psc Wolf Trap Light 335°°psc What is the position of the fix? 

    N a. LAT 37°20.9'N, LONG 76°09.7'W
    N b. LAT 37°21.0'N, LONG 76°09.2'W
    N c. LAT 37°21.0'N, LONG 76°09.9'W
    Y d. LAT 37°21.1'N, LONG 76°09.5'W
14200: What is the length of the city wharf at The Dalles on the Columbia River? 

    N a. 20 feet
    Y b. over 1000 feet
    N c. 800 feet
    N d. 600 feet
14402: You are underway and proceeding in an easterly direction on the Columbia River. Your vessel is positioned in the right outside quarter of McGowans Channel and is abeam of light No. 88. What should your fathometer read at this position, if the staff gauge at Portland reads + 15.0 feet? 

    N a. 22 feet
    N b. 31 feet
    N c. 43 feet
    Y d. 52 feet
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
15013: At 2020, what is the course to steer to enter the inbound lane of North Chesapeake Entrance traffic separation scheme if a northwesterly wind causes 3° of leeway? 

    N a. 227°pgc
    N b. 224°pgc
    Y c. 221°pgc
    N d. 215°pgc
15117: At 1930, you take a fix using the following radar ranges:

York Spit Light - 3.6 miles
New Point Comfort Spit Light "2" - 2.0 miles
York Spit Swash Channel Light "3" - 2.5 miles

Your longitude is __________. 

    N a. 76°16.5'W
    Y b. 76°16.8'W
    N c. 76°17.0'W
    N d. 76°17.2'W
15162: At 1920, Cape Henry Light bears 231°pgc, and Chesapeake Channel Tunnel North Light bears 294°pgc. If your heading is 268°T, what is the relative bearing of Chesapeake Light? 

    Y a. 213°
    N b. 201°
    N c. 194°
    N d. 179°
15358: At 0507, Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light bears 208°pgc. What is the position of your 0507 running fix? 

    N a. LAT 41°04.8'N, LONG 73°05.0'W
    N b. LAT 41°04.9'N, LONG 73°04.8'W
    Y c. LAT 41°05.1'N, LONG 73°05.1'W
    N d. LAT 41°05.3'N, LONG 73°04.8'W
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"
16017: What is the approximate distance to New Bedford, MA, from your 0530 DR position, if your 0352 position was 7 miles from Bridgeport, CT? 

    N a. 77 miles
    N b. 91 miles
    Y c. 104 miles
    N d. 115 miles
16066: Which statement concerning Thimble Shoal Channel is TRUE? 

    Y a. The project width of the main channel is 1000 feet (30.3 meters)
    N b. The channel is 14.5 miles in length.
    N c. A tow drawing 30 feet (9.1 meters) is excluded from the main channel.
    N d. Thimble Shoal Channel is in international waters.
16066: Which statement concerning Thimble Shoal Channel is TRUE? 

    Y a. The project width of the main channel is 1000 feet (30.3 meters)
    N b. The channel is 14.5 miles in length.
    N c. A tow drawing 30 feet (9.1 meters) is excluded from the main channel.
    N d. Thimble Shoal Channel is in international waters.
16067: At 2118, you obtain the following information:
Cape Henry Light 151°pgc;
Cape Charles Light 033°pgc;
Thimble Shoal Light 291°pgc

What is your 2118 position? 

    Y a. LAT 36°57.4'N,  LONG 76°01.9'W
    N b. LAT 36°57.5'N,  LONG 76°01.4'W
    N c. LAT 36°57.6'N,  LONG 76°01.8'W
    N d. LAT 36°57.6'N,  LONG 76°02.2'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.
16460: At 0250, Great Machipongo Inlet Light "5" (37°21.8'N,
75°43.7'W) bears 279°pgc. At 0320, the light bears 320°
pgc. If you are making good 6.5 knots, what is the position of your 0320 running fix? 

    N a. LAT 37°17.95'N, LONG 75°39.95'W
    N b. LAT 37°18.00'N, LONG 75°39.75'W
    N c. LAT 37°18.10'N, LONG 75°39.30'W
    Y d. LAT 37°18.10'N, LONG 75°39.55'W
16545: At 0030 you alter course and speed to make good 265°T at 10 knots. What is your ETA at a point where Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light is abeam? 

    N a. 0218
    N b. 0223
    N c. 0228
    Y d. 0233