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.

100: Which of the following statements concerning the buoys on the Mississippi River is TRUE?
171: At 2015, your vessel is at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel midway between buoys "13" and "14". If the height of tide is -1 foot (-0.3 meters), what is the approximate depth of water?
208: From your 1850 fix, you come left to a course of 280°T,
while maintaining a speed of 10 knots. Which of the following combinations of available Loran-C lines would be best for position determination?
231: From your 2123 position, you are approximately 42 miles from Crisfield, MD. If you are making good a speed of 13 knots, at what time should you arrive at Crisfield, MD? 

    N a. 0148
    N b. 0112
    Y c. 0037
    N d. 2359
317: Determine your 1915 position using the following information obtained at 1915.
Visual bearings
Cape Charles Light 107°pgc
Cape Henry Light 172°pgc

Radar Bearing and Range
Chesapeake Channel Tunnel South Light 189°pgc at 7.2 miles 

    N a. LAT 37°03.5'N, LONG 76°05.9'W
    N b. LAT 37°03.5'N, LONG 76°09.3'W
    Y c. LAT 37°09.3'N, LONG 76°03.1'W
    N d. LAT 37°09.8'N, LONG 76°04.1'W
323: At 2205, you are in Thimble Shoal North Auxiliary Channel abeam of lighted gong buoy "4". At this time the visibility decreases to 5 miles. You continue to turn RPMs for 6 knots and experience no set and drift. What time would you expect Old Point Comfort Light (white sector) to become visible? 

    N a. 2258
    N b. 2246
    Y c. 2240
    N d. 2230
323: At 2205, you are in Thimble Shoal North Auxiliary Channel abeam of lighted gong buoy "4". At this time the visibility decreases to 5 miles. You continue to turn RPMs for 6 knots and experience no set and drift. What time would you expect Old Point Comfort Light (white sector) to become visible? 

    N a. 2258
    N b. 2246
    Y c. 2240
    N d. 2230
422: 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.
    N c. The wreck was cleared by wire drag in 1982 and will not appear on future charts.
    Y d. The wreck is shown on the chart, but its actual existence is doubtful.
426: The broken magenta line which runs parallel to the shore between Roanoke Point and Mattituck Inlet marks a __________. 

    Y a. fish trap area
    N b. pipeline
    N c. demarcation line
    N d. cable area
688: What is the distance from the Amoco Docks at Baton Rouge, LA, to Pittsburgh, PA? 

    N a. 727.9 miles
    N b. 981.5 miles
    N c. 1575.3 miles
    Y d. 1681.7 miles
1176: On 24 January , your 0700 zone time DR position is LAT 22°25.0'N, LONG 46°10.0'W. Your vessel is on course 110°T at a speed of 12.0 knots. What is the zone time of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1203
    N b. 1208
    Y c. 1212
    N d. 1215
1256: On 17 May , your 0300 ZT DR position is LAT 27°21.0'N,
LONG 146°14.0'E. You are on course 107°T at a speed of 18 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel? 

    N a. 0457
    N b. 0511
    N c. 0519
    Y d. 0522
1261: On 16 February , your 0300 ZT DR position is LAT 28°32.0'S, LONG 176°49.0'E. You are on course 082°T at a speed of 21 knots. What will be the zone time of sunrise at your vessel? 

    N a. 0534
    Y b. 0552
    N c. 0631
    N d. 0645
1480: On 28 November , your vessel's 0712 zone time DR position is LAT 26°54'S, LONG 45°18'W, when you take an azimuth of the Sun. Determine the gyro error using the azimuth information.
Chronometer time: 10h 09m 18s Chronometer error: slow 02m 54s Gyro bearing: 102° 

    N a. 1.7°W
    Y b. 0.6°W
    N c. 1.1°E
    N d. 0.8°E
1482: On 20 July , your vessel's 1626 zone time DR position is LAT 27°13.0'N, LONG 63°42.0'W, when you take an azimuth of the Sun. Determine the gyro error using the azimuth information.
Chronometer time: 08h 24m 18s Chronometer error: slow 02m 12s Gyro bearing: 279.3°
Variation: 15°W 

    Y a. 1.9°W
    N b. 2.6°W
    N c. 1.4°E
    N d. 2.6°E
1486: On 1 September , your 1115 zone time DR position is LAT 25°20.0'N, LONG 28°24.0'W. At that time, you observe the Sun bearing 160.5°psc. The chronometer reads 01h 14m 58s, and the chronometer error is 01m 17s fast. The variation is 13.5°W. What is the deviation of the standard compass? 

    Y a. 2.1°E
    N b. 4.1°E
    N c. 11.0°W
    N d. 11.0°E
1869: 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 282.5°T at a sextant altitude (hs) of 14°22.3'. 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. Wezen
    Y b. Alhena
    N c. Mirzam
    N d. Menkalinan
2124: If the visibility is 10 miles and you are in the red sector, at what distance off should you sight Cape Henry Light? 

    Y a. 15 miles
    N b. 12 miles
    N c. 10 miles
    N d. 08 miles
2164: On 6 March , at 0550 zone time, morning stars were observed, and the vessel's position was determined to be LAT 23°56.0'N, LONG 27°19.0'W. Your vessel is steaming at 25.0 knots on a course of 149.0°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 0830 zone time. The chronometer reads 10h 32m 05s, and the sextant altitude is 31°31.5'. The index error is 2.5' on the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 45s fast. Your height of eye on the bridge is 76.0 feet. What is the azimuth (Zn) of this sight using the assumed position? 

    N a. 109.8°T
    N b. 111.2°T
    Y c. 112.8°T
    N d. 114.3°T
2177: On 21 November , at 0430 ZT, morning stars were observed, and the vessel's position was LAT 22°14.0'S, LONG 79°23.0'E. Your vessel is steaming at 14.5 knots on a course of 246°T. A sextant observation of the Sun's lower limb is made at 0816 ZT. The chronometer reads 03h 14m 16s, and the sextant altitude (hs) is 44°29.2'. The index error is 1.0' on the arc, and the chronometer error is 01m 47s slow. Your height of eye is 61.0 feet (18.6 meters). What is the azimuth (Zn) and intercept (a) of this sight using the assumed position? 

    N a. Zn 084.2°,  a 6.6' A
    N b. Zn 084.2°,  a 6.6' T
    N c. Zn 095.6°,  a 6.6' A
    Y d. Zn 095.6°,  a 6.6' T
2276: You observe the lower limb of the Sun at a sextant altitude (hs) of 46°20.3' on 1 April . The index error is 4.5' off the arc. The height of eye is 57 feet (17.4 meters). What is the observed altitude (Ho)? 

    N a. 46°24.2'
    N b. 46°27.9'
    N c. 46°30.1'
    Y d. 46°32.6'
2586: At 2100 Branford Reef Light bears 347°psc and Falkner Island Light bears 059°psc. You also get a radar range of 5.3 miles from Branford Reef Light. What are your LORAN readings? 

    N a. 14994.0,  26473.0,  43982.0
    N b. 14994.5,  26482.0,  43982.0
    Y c. 14996.0,  26477.5,  43981.0
    N d. 14997.5,  26479.5,  43981.0
2672: While on a course of 283°pgc, a light bears 10° on the port bow at a distance of 8.3 miles. What course should you steer to pass 3.5 miles abeam of the light leaving it to port? 

    N a. 289°pgc
    N b. 294°pgc
    Y c. 298°pgc
    N d. 302°pgc
3278: While steaming at 14 knots, your vessel burns 276 bbls of fuel per day. What will be the rate of fuel consumption if you decrease speed to 11.7 knots? 

    N a. 135 bbls/day
    Y b. 161 bbls/day
    N c. 196 bbls/day
    N d. 245 bbls/day
3296: Your vessel consumes 199 barrels of fuel per day at a speed of 14.5 knots. What will be the fuel consumption of your vessel at 10.0 knots? 

    Y a. 65 bbls
    N b. 95 bbls
    N c. 137 bbls
    N d. 148 bbls
3608: You are steering 125°pgc. The wind is southwest by south causing a 3° leeway. The variation is 6°E, the deviation is 2°W, and the gyro error is 1°W. What is the true course made good? 

    Y a. 121°T
    N b. 123°T
    N c. 127°T
    N d. 129°T
10102: Your GPS position is LAT 37°07.5'N, LONG 75°39.1'W. What is the course per standard magnetic compass (psc) to a position 0.3 mile due north of North Chesapeake Entrance Buoy NCA (LL #375)? 

    N a. 222°psc
    N b. 228°psc
    N c. 231°psc
    Y d. 234°psc
10703: At 1516 your position is LAT 41°11.3'N, LONG 71°48.6'W. You are on course 300° per standard magnetic compass at 9.4 knots. At 1600 your position is LAT 41°14.0'N, LONG 71°58.1'W. What were the set and drift? 

    N a. 142°T at 1.9 knots
    N b. 153°T at 1.4 knots
    Y c. 332°T at 1.5 knots
    N d. 347°T at 1.1 knots
11301: At 1256 your GPS position is LAT 36°57.0'N, LONG 75°41.0'W. At 1331 your position is LAT 37°07.5'N, LONG 75°39.1'W. What was the speed made good between the fixes? 

    N a. 14.6 knots
    N b. 15.2 knots
    N c. 16.6 knots
    Y d. 18.3 knots
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
12305: You sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light (LAT 41°18.2'N, LONG 71°56.0'W) bearing 095° per standard magnetic compass. If your vessel was heading 056° per standard magnetic compass at the time, which of the following is TRUE? 

    N a. You should subtract 15°Compass error for bearings of 095°.
    N b. The deviation table is correct for all bearings of 095°.
    Y c. The vessel should be swung, and the deviation table checked.
    N d. The compass error is 19°W for all headings.
12601: You are on course 062° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings: Branford Reef Light 060°psc Stratford Point Light 272°psc New Haven Light 324°psc What is your position? 

    N a. LAT 41°07.1'N, LONG 72°53.4'W
    Y b. LAT 41°10.5'N, LONG 72°52.8'W
    N c. LAT 41°11.6'N, LONG 72°50.0'W
    N d. LAT 41°13.3'N, LONG 72°48.7'W
13005: At 1715 your position is LAT 41°00.0'N, LONG 72°40.0'W. You are making turns for 15.5 knots. What is your ETA at a position 1.5 miles due south of Stratford Shoal Middle Ground Light? 

    N a. 1820
    N b. 1824
    N c. 1828
    Y d. 1832
13903: Your position is LAT 41°12.4'N, LONG 71°53.2'W. You are on course 163°T enroute to sea. You can ensure that you will clear Montauk Point if your loran reading is always __________. 

    N a. more than 9960-X-25990
    Y b. less than 9960-W-14665
    N c. more than 9960-Y-43870
    N d. All of the above
14002: At 1630 your vessel exits Bonneville Lock steaming in a westerly direction. What speed must you average to arrive at the Interstate 5 highway bridge with an ETA of 2120? 

    N a. 6 mph
    N b. 7 mph
    Y c. 8 mph
    N d. 9 mph
15230: What is the distance from Cairo Point, IL, to Arkansas City? 

    N a. 28 miles
    N b. 110 miles
    N c. 292 miles
    Y d. 400 miles
15260: From your 0830 position, you wish to make good 097°T. There is no current, but a southerly wind is producing 4°
leeway. What course should you steer per standard magnetic compass in order to make good your true course? 

    N a. 101°psc
    N b. 108°psc
    N c. 110°psc
    Y d. 115°psc
15307: At 0315, you obtain the following bearings:

Old Plantation Flats Light bearing 179.5° true
Wolf Trap Light bearing 271° true

What is the true course from this position to the entrance of York Spit Channel? 

    N a. 203°
    Y b. 208°
    N c. 211°
    N d. 217°
15429: What is the vertical clearance of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge when the river level is the same as the Low Water Reference Plane? The low water reference plane (LWRP) for Vicksburg, MS. is 0.1. 

    N a. 128.3 ft
    N b. 125.6 ft
    N c. 119.5 ft
    Y d. 116.1 ft
15439: What is your ETA off Chesapeake Bay Entrance Buoy "CB" at the entrance to the inbound lane of the traffic separation scheme? 

    Y a. 2058
    N b. 2104
    N c. 2109
    N d. 2115
15829: A stretch where the channel changes from one side of the river to the other is called a __________. 

    N a. passing
    N b. transit
    N c. transfer
    Y d. crossing
15913: At 0830, you wish to get the latest weather forecasts for the Falkner Island area. On what frequency would you set your FM radio for this information? 

    N a. 2181 kHz
    N b. 156.65 Mhz
    N c. 156.80 Mhz
    Y d. 162.40 Mhz
16207: If you change course at 0610, what is the course to steer to a point where Little Gull Island Light bears 180°T at 0.7 mile (Point "A")? 

    N a. 072°pgc
    N b. 076°pgc
    Y c. 080°pgc
    N d. 084°pgc
16265: At 0600, you are on course 241°psc at 6.5 knots. Chesapeake Light bears 153° per standard magnetic compass,
and Cape Henry Light bears 261° per standard magnetic compass. What is the position of your 0600 fix? 

    N a. LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 75°47.4'W
    Y b. LAT 36°59.3'N, LONG 75°47.7'W
    N c. LAT 36°59.5'N, LONG 75°47.8'
    N d. LAT 36°59.3'N, LONG 75°48.0'
16309: From your 0530 position, you set a course of 271°psc with an engine speed of 9 knots. At 0645, Cornfield Safe-Water Buoy "CF" is abeam to port. What speed have you averaged since 0530? 

    N a. 7.5 knots
    Y b. 8.6 knots
    N c. 9.0 knots
    N d. 9.5 knots
16366: From your 0600 fix, you change course to 250°T. At 0605,
Cape Henry Light bears 250°T. At 0615, it bears 251°T. At 0625, it bears 252°T. Based on this you know you are __________. 

    Y a. being set to the south
    N b. being set to the north
    N c. meeting a current from dead ahead
    N d. running with a current from dead astern
16367: Weather broadcasts for the Norfolk area are broadcast on what frequency? 

    N a. 162.25 MHz
    N b. 162.30 MHz
    Y c. 162.55 MHz
    N d. 162.65 MHz
16509: At 0705, with your gyro again functioning properly, you change course to 096°T. At this time Race Rock Light is bearing 000°T at 0.35 mile. You are now governed by which Navigation Rules? 

    N a. Inland Rules
    N b. Local Pilot Rules
    Y c. International Rules
    N d. Coastal Fishery Rules
16540: You sight Bartlett Reef Light in range with New London Harbor Light bearing 038°pgc. At the time of the bearing,
the helmsman reports he was heading 253°pgc and 269° per standard magnetic compass. What is the deviation for that heading? 

    Y a. 1°E
    N b. 1°W
    N c. 4°E
    N d. 4°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
16560: From your 1800 position, you steer a course of 355°psc at a speed of 10.0 knots. At 1830, your position is LAT 41°11.7'N, LONG 71°45.8'W. What are the set and drift of the current? 

    Y a. 005°T, 1.0 knot
    N b. 005°T, 0.5 knots
    N c. 180°T, 0.5 knot
    N d. 208°T, 1.0 knots