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?


82: If the Rosedale Gage reads -0.5 feet, what is the water level in relation to the low water reference plane? The low water reference plane (LWRP) for Rosedale, MS. is 3.0 feet.


103: You are approaching the Old River Control Structure (mile 314.5 AHP). The structure is in operation. Which of the following statements is TRUE?


111: As you pass Solitude Lt. (mile 249.0 AHP) which dayboard would you see?

    N a. Green square
    Y b. Green diamond
    N c. Red triangle
    N d. Red diamond

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

274: At what approximate distance would you expect Bartlett Reef Light to break the horizon, if the visibility is 27 nautical miles?

    Y a. 12.8 nm
    N b. 12.0 nm
    N c. 6.9 nm
    N d. 5.9 nm

375: As you near Little Gull Island, you use your loran to insure that you do not come within 0.5 mile of the island. Which of the following loran readings will act as a danger line and keep you off Little Gull Island by a minimum of 0.5 mile?

    N a. Not less than 9960-W-14735.8
    N b. Not more than 9960-W-14735.9
    Y c. Not less than 9960-Y-43953.5
    N d. Not more than 9960-X-26149.0

444: At 1110, you increase speed to 12 knots. What is your ETA at the new position?

    N a. 1220
    Y b. 1215
    N c. 1208
    N d. 1157

489: At 0728, Race Rock Light is bearing 282°T at 3.8 miles, and the closest point on Fishers Island is at a radar range of 2.1 miles. What speed have you been making since you changed course at 0705?

    N a. 11.4 knots
    N b. 10.6 knots
    Y c. 9.9 knots
    N d. 9.2 knots

496: At 0815, you change course to 079°T and head for the entrance of Great Salt Pond on Block Island. To compensate for a northerly wind, you estimate a 5° leeway is necessary. What course should you steer per gyrocompass to make good 079°T?

    Y a. 071°pgc
    N b. 074°pgc
    N c. 076°pgc
    N d. 079°pgc

520: On 29 June you observe the star Achernar at a sextant altitude (Hs) of 54°18.9'. The index error is 4.7' off the arc. The height of eye is 58 feet. What is the observed altitude (Ho)?

    N a. 54°06.1'
    Y b. 54°15.5'
    N c. 54°31.5'
    N d. 54°43.7'

552: If the visibility is 10 miles, what is the earliest time you can expect to see New Haven Light?

    N a. 0500
    N b. 0508
    N c. 0514
    Y d. You will not sight the light.

563: At 0705, the gyro loses power. At 0715, you are on course 092° per standard magnetic compass (psc) when you take the following bearings: Falkner Light bears 356°psc, Horton Point Light bears 123°psc, and Kelsey Point Breakwater Light bears 048°psc. What is the position of your 0715 fix?

    N a. LAT 41°06.7'N, LONG 72°36.0'W
    Y b. LAT 41°07.0'N, LONG 72°36.2'W
    N c. LAT 41°07.2'N, LONG 72°36.4'W
    N d. LAT 41°07.4'N, LONG 72°36.4'W

621: You are on a voyage from New York, NY, to San Francisco, CA. The distance from pilot to pilot is 5132 miles. The speed of advance is 13.5 knots. You estimate 32 hours for bunkering at Colon, and 14 hours for the Panama Canal transit. If you take departure at 0600 hours (ZD +4), 16 May, what is your ETA (ZD +7) at San Francisco?

    N a. 0609, 1 June
    Y b. 2109, 2 June
    N c. 0009, 3 June
    N d. 0409, 3 June

668: A great circle track would be most advantageous when compared to the rhumb line track on which route? (Use gnomonic tracking chart WOXZC5274)

    N a. Cayenne (LAT 4°40'N, LONG 52°15'W) to Sao Tome (LAT 0°00', LONG 6°45'E)
    Y b. Palm Beach, FL, to the English Channel
    N c. Natal, Brazil, to Reykjavik, Iceland
    N d. Recife, Brazil, to Monrovia

822: On 10 March , in DR position LAT 21°42.0'S, LONG 57°28.0'E, you take an ex-meridian observation of the Sun's lower limb. The chronometer time of the sight is 08h 28m 17s, and the chronometer error is 00m 00s. The sextant altitude (hs) is 72°08.0'. The index error is 3.4' on the arc, and your height of eye is 52.7 feet. What is the latitude at meridian transit?

    N a. LAT 21°32.5'S
    N b. LAT 21°40.6'S
    Y c. LAT 21°45.5'S
    N d. LAT 21°50.2'S

1003: On 15 November , your 1030 ZT DR position is LAT 17°25'S, LONG 42°12'W. You are on course 059°T, speed 22 knots. Determine your 1200 position using the following observations of the Sun.

ZONE TIME GHA DECLINATION Ho
1128 40°50.4' S 18°33.6' 88°18.4'
1133 42°05.4' S 18°33.6' 88°37.7'

    N a. LAT 17°00.0'S, LONG 41°45.8'W
    N b. LAT 17°02.1'S, LONG 41°48.4'W
    Y c. LAT 17°06.8'S, LONG 41°44.3'W
    N d. LAT 17°08.9'S, LONG 41°40.4'W

1234: What is the distance from the Amoco Docks at Baton Rouge, LA, to Pittsburgh, PA?

    Y a. 1681.7 miles
    N b. 1575.3 miles
    N c. 981.7 miles
    N d. 727.9 miles

1730: What is the distance from Arkansas City, AR, to St. Louis, MO, on the Mississippi River System?

    Y a. 584 miles
    N b. 617 miles
    N c. 733 miles
    N d. 832 miles

1836: Which daymark should you see as you approach French Point Light (mile 915.4 AHP)?

    N a. Green diamond
    N b. Green square
    Y c. Red triangle
    N d. Red diamond

1878: On 13 September , your 1830 ZT DR position was LAT 23°03'S, LONG 105°16'E when you observe a faint unidentifiable star through a hole in the clouds. The star bore 132.3°T at a sextant altitude (hs) of 29°34.6'. The chronometer read 11h 24m 39s and is 5m 08s slow. The index error is 1.0' off the arc, and the height of eye is 52 feet. What star did you observe?

    Y a. Beta Gruis
    N b. Sigma Capricorni
    N c. Scheat
    N d. Alpha Indi

2053: At 2342, on 25 August, you pass under the Helena Highway Bridge (mile 661.7 AHP). What has been the average speed of the current since departing Memphis Harbor, McKellar Lake, if you have been making turns for 9 mph?

    Y a. 1.8 mph
    N b. 2.1 mph
    N c. 4.4 mph
    N d. 5.6 mph

2655: You are steering 078°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 15.6 miles at 2316. You change course to pass the light 4.5 miles off abeam to port. If you are making 17 knots, what is your ETA at the position 4.5 miles off the light?

    N a. 0006
    Y b. 0009
    N c. 0012
    N d. 0015

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

2869: Your vessel is on a course of 237°T at 18 knots. At 0404 a light bears 263.5°T, and at 0430 the light bears 282°T. At what time and at what distance off will your vessel be when abeam of the light?

    N a. 0448, 6.8 miles
    N b. 0452, 7.2 miles
    Y c. 0456, 7.8 miles
    N d. 0500, 8.4 miles

3053: The propeller on a vessel has a diameter of 19.9 feet and a pitch of 21.6 feet. What would be the apparent slip if the vessel cruised 395 miles in a 23 hour day (observed distance) at an average RPM of 78?

    Y a. -3.2%
    N b. +3.2%
    N c. -12.0%
    N d. +12.0%

3077: If the speed necessary for reaching port at a designated time is 23.7 knots and the pitch of the propeller is 20.8 feet, how many revolutions per minute will the shaft have to turn, assuming a 7% negative slip?

    Y a. 108
    N b. 112
    N c. 116
    N d. 124

3266: Your vessel has consumed 1087 bbls of fuel after steaming 2210 miles at a speed of 10.75 kts. What is the maximum speed you can steam for the last 1000 miles of the voyage on the remaining 725 bbls, if you estimate 3% of the fuel is not usable?

    N a. 11.43 knots
    N b. 11.76 knots
    Y c. 12.84 knots
    N d. 15.33 knots

3299: You have steamed 174 miles and consumed 18 tons of fuel. If you maintain the same speed, how many tons of fuel will you consume while steaming 416 miles?

    N a. 34.9 tons
    N b. 38.4 tons
    Y c. 43.0 tons
    N d. 46.2 tons

3764: 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 064°T, and the variation is 17°W. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 094° per standard magnetic compass, what is the correct deviation?

    N a. 4°E
    N b. 4°W
    N c. 13°E
    Y d. 13°W

4008: 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 gyro heading of 037°.
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°

    Y a. 1.0°W
    N b. 1.5°W
    N c. 1.5°E
    N d. 2.0°E

10208: Your GPS position is LAT 41°08.5'N, LONG 72°28.8'W. What course must you steer per standard magnetic compass (psc) to leave Cornfield Lighted Whistle Buoy "CF" 0.5 mile abeam to starboard?

    N a. 032°psc
    N b. 048°psc
    N c. 055°psc
    Y d. 067°psc

10301: Determine the course per standard magnetic compass from Cerberus Shoal Buoy 9 (LAT 41°10.4'N, LONG 71°57.1'W) to the entrance to Quonochontaug Pond (LAT 41°19.8'N, LONG 71°43.2'W).

    N a. 030°psc
    N b. 036°psc
    Y c. 059°psc
    N d. 067°psc

10506: At 0919 your position is LAT 37°00.0'N, LONG 75°30.0'W. You are on course 270°T at 8.7 knots. At 1031 your position is LAT 36°59.5'N, LONG 75°44.9'W. What was the set and drift?

    N a. 239° at 0.8 knot
    Y b. 252° at 1.3 knots
    N c. 060° at 0.7 knot
    N d. 073° at 1.2 knots

11303: At 0856 your GPS position is LAT 37°01.6'N, LONG 75°31.7'W. At 0945 your position is LAT 36°57.0'N, LONG 75°41.0'W. What was the speed made good between the fixes?

    N a. 8.4 knots
    N b. 8.9 knots
    N c. 9.6 knots
    Y d. 10.7 knots

11708: Your position is LAT 37°00.9'N, LONG 75°30.0'W. What is the course to steer per magnetic compass to arrive at LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 75°48.5'W, if you are turning for 7.8 knots the current is 339°T at 1.3 knots, and a northwesterly wind is causing 3° of leeway?

    Y a. 265°psc
    N b. 267°psc
    N c. 269°psc
    N d. 271°psc

15015: At 2100, Cape Charles Light bears 321°pgc, and Cape Henry Light bears 247°pgc. Your latitude is __________.

    N a. 37°00.0'N
    N b. 36°59.7'N
    Y c. 36°59.4'N
    N d. 36°59.1'N

15060: At 0802, the radar range and bearing to Branford Reef Light are 350°pgc at 0.8 mile, and the north point of Falkner Island are 090°pgc at 6.7 miles. What were the set and drift that you encountered since 0740?

    N a. Set 085°T, drift .2 knot
    Y b. Set 085°T, drift .6 knot
    N c. Set 265°T, drift .2 knot
    N d. Set 265°T, drift .6 knot

15258: Which structure should you look for while trying to locate Stratford Point Light?

    Y a. White conical tower with a brown band midway of height
    N b. White octagonal house on a cylindrical pier
    N c. Conical tower, upper half white, lower half brown
    N d. Black skeleton tower on a granite dwelling

15313: From your noon position, if there is no set and drift, what is your course per standard magnetic compass to the "NCA"
(LL #375) buoy?

    N a. 215°psc
    Y b. 217°psc
    N c. 219°psc
    N d. 221°psc

15567: Point Judith Harbor of Refuge __________.

    N a. is used mostly by towing vessels
    N b. has a maximum depth of 14 feet (4.3 meters) at MHW
    N c. West Gap has a controlling depth of 24 feet
    Y d. is entered through the East Gap or the West Gap

15616: At 2037, you change course to make good a course of 016°T.
There is no current, but a westerly wind is causing 3°
leeway. What course per standard magnetic compass (psc)
should you steer to make good the course 016°T?

    N a. 031°psc
    N b. 028°psc
    N c. 025°psc
    Y d. 022°psc

15813: According to the DR track line from your 0100 position, how far off Roanoke Point Shoal Buoy "5" should you be when the buoy is abeam?

    N a. 0.2 mile
    Y b. 0.6 mile
    N c. 1.3 mile
    N d. 1.8 miles

15817: The south coast of Long Island Sound between Mattituck Inlet and Port Jefferson is __________.

    N a. composed of high rocky bluffs
    N b. a high, flat plateau with sheer cliffs
    Y c. fringed by rocky shoals
    N d. low and marshy with isolated beaches

15858: At 0005, on 26 January, your position is LAT 41°11.8'N,
LONG 72°20.5'W. From this position, you plot a course to a position one mile North of Mattituck Breakwater Light "MI". If there are no set and drift, what course should you steer per gyro compass?

    N a. 219°pgc
    Y b. 222°pgc
    N c. 225°pgc
    N d. 228°pgc

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

16539: If you estimate 3° leeway due to northerly winds, which course will you steer per standard magnetic compass (psc)
to make good 255°T?

    N a. 267°psc
    Y b. 270°psc
    N c. 272°psc
    N d. 274°psc

16541: At 2255 you take the following visual bearings.

Saybrook Breakwater Light 333°pgc
Little Gull Island Light 094°pgc
Horton Point Light 211°pgc

What is your position?

    Y a. LAT 41°13.6'N, LONG 72°19.2'W
    N b. LAT 41°13.8'N, LONG 72°19.6'W
    N c. LAT 41°14.0'N, LONG 72°19.0'W
    N d. LAT 41°14.2'N, LONG 72°19.7'W

16608: At 2142, you take the following bearings:

Stratford Point Light 331°T
Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light 280°T
Old Field Point Light 223°T

What is your 2142 position?

    Y a. LAT 41°03.0'N, LONG 73°01.7'W
    N b. LAT 41°03.1'N, LONG 73°02.1'W
    N c. LAT 41°03.1'N, LONG 73°01.3'W
    N d. LAT 41°03.3'N, LONG 73°01.9'W

16646: The Tidal Current Tables indicate the following for the Race:
SLACK WATER MAXIMUM CURRENT
0328 0642 3.9 F
0947 1301 3.2 E

What current should you expect when transiting the Race?

    N a. 3.9 knots, flooding
    Y b. 3.5 knots, flooding
    N c. 3.3 knots, flooding
    N d. 3.0 knots, flooding