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.

76: What daymark should you see as you approach Parker Landing Light (mile 924.6 AHP)?
297: What course should you steer per standard magnetic compass in order to navigate down the center of York River Entrance Channel (ignore set and drift)?
308: A vessel at LAT 20°00'N, LONG 107°30'W is to proceed to LAT 24°40'N, LONG 112°30 W. What is the course and distance by mid-latitude sailing?
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
343: While on a heading of 082°T, you sight Middle Ground Light in line with Old Field Point Light bearing 206° per standard magnetic compass. From this you can determine the __________. 

    Y a. deviation table is correct for that heading
    N b. variation
    N c. compass error is 17.5°E
    N d. deviation is 3.5°E for a bearing of 206° per standard magnetic compass
370: At 0812, you are on course 132°T. The standard magnetic compass reads 135°. What should you conclude? 

    N a. The deviation table is correct for that heading.
    N b. You should adjust the magnetic compass.
    N c. The deviation is increasing as you go south.
    Y d. Your compass may be influenced by a local magnetic disturbance.
376: You depart LAT 40°42.0'N, LONG 74°01.0'W, and steam 3365.6 miles on course 118°T. What is the longitude of your arrival by Mercator sailing? 

    N a. 24°29.0'W
    N b. 22°58.0'W
    Y c. 17°41.0'W
    N d. 10°46.0'W
472: The great circle distance from LAT 38°17.0'N, LONG 123°16.0'W to LAT 35°01.0'N, LONG 142°21.0'E is 4330 miles and the initial course is 300.9°T. The latitude of the vertex is 47°40.5'N. What is the longitude of the vertex? 

    N a. 173°04.6'E
    N b. 167°18.0'E
    N c. 173°04.6'W
    Y d. 167°18.5'W
569: At 0823, Old Point Comfort Light bears 000°T at 0.6 mile. What is your 0823 position? 

    N a. LAT 36°59.8'N, LONG 76°18.0'W
    Y b. LAT 36°59.5'N, LONG 76°18.4'W
    N c. LAT 36°59.0'N, LONG 76°19.6'W
    N d. LAT 36°55.5'N, LONG 76°18.6'W
726: On 16 December , your 1810 zone time DR position is LONG 129°46.5'W. At that time you observe Polaris with a sextant altitude (hs) of 23°56.8'. The chronometer time of the sight is 03h 12m 31s, and the chronometer error is 02m 16s fast. The index error is 2.5' off the arc, and the height of eye is 52.6 feet. What is your latitude by Polaris? 

    Y a. 23°07.8'N
    N b. 23°12.3'N
    N c. 24°11.9'N
    N d. 24°18.6'N
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
1196: On 14 October your 0800 zone time (ZT) dead reckoning position is LAT 28°22.0'N, LONG 161°17.0'E. Your vessel is on course 116°T at a speed of 17.5 knots. What is the ZT of local apparent noon (LAN)? 

    N a. 1148
    N b. 1151
    Y c. 1156
    N d. 1202
1250: What facility is not found near La Grange Towhead Light (538.2 AHP) on Greenville Harbour? 

    N a. Mississippi Limestone
    N b. Ergon, Inc.
    N c. American Commercial Barge Lines
    Y d. Greenville Casino Wharf
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
1502: On May 20 , you are keeping ZD +4, and your 2300 (ZD +4) DR position is LAT 42°07'N, LONG 81°02'W. At that time, you observe Polaris bearing 012°psc. The chronometer time of the observation is 03h 02m 23s, and the chronometer is 1m 17s fast. The variation is 9.5°W. What is the deviation of the magnetic compass? 

    Y a. 2.7°W
    N b. 12.2°W
    N c. 6.8°E
    N d. 12.2°E
1545: You are downbound, passing by Warfield Point Lt. (mile 537 AHP), when you observe on your Mississippi River map several black lines extending into the river from the bank. These indicate __________. 

    N a. revetments
    N b. weirs
    N c. fleeting areas
    Y d. dikes
1670: On 10 August , your vessel's 0426 zone time DR position is LAT 52°07'N, LONG 142°16'E, when an amplitude of the Sun is observed. The Sun's lower limb is about 20 minutes of arc above the visible horizon and bears 074.5° per standard compass. Variation in the area is 12°W. The chronometer reads 07h 24m 19s and is 02m 34s fast. Which of the following is the deviation of the standard compass? 

    N a. 0.0°
    N b. 1.3°W
    Y c. 1.3°E
    N d. 2.3°W
1707: You are passing the Memphis Gage at 0405, 18 March. If you are turning for 8 mph and estimate the current at 2.3 mph,
what is your ETA at Cairo Point, IL (mile 954.5 AHP)? 

    N a. 0447, 19 Mar
    N b. 1052, 19 Mar
    N c. 1518, 19 Mar
    Y d. 1839, 19 Mar
2085: At your current speed of 20 knots you only have enough fuel remaining to travel 360 miles. You must travel 440 miles to reach your destination. What should you reduce your speed (knots) to in order to reach your destination? 

    Y a. 18.1
    N b. 17.5
    N c. 16.9
    N d. 16.3
2118: You are northwest of Port Jefferson Harbor steering 242°
per standard magnetic compass. As you continue westward, you see that the Port Jefferson Range Front Light and Rear Light come into line. If the deviation table is correct, the bearing of the range should be __________. 

    N a. 140°psc
    N b. 146°psc
    Y c. 157°psc
    N d. 160°psc
2319: You complete changing out your tow and get underway enroute Ark City Tank Storage (mile 554.0 AHP) to deliver the tank barges. What is the distance you must travel from Cairo Point Light? 

    N a. 606.8 miles
    N b. 554.0 miles
    Y c. 399.8 miles
    N d. 202.1 miles
2577: On 23 July, you take a time tick using the 0900 GMT Cape Town broadcast. You hear a repeating series of 59 dots followed by a dash. At the beginning of the fifth dash you start your stopwatch. The chronometer reads 08h 39m 16s at the time the stopwatch reads 01m 42s. The chronometer error at 0900 GMT, 22 July, was 22m 24s slow. What is the chronometer rate? 

    Y a. 00m 02s losing
    N b. 01m 02s gaining
    N c. 22m 24s losing
    N d. 22m 26s slow
2657: You are steering 349°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 17.2 miles at 2122. You change course to pass the light 4.5 miles off abeam to port. If you are making 19.5 knots, what is your ETA at the position 4.5 miles off the light? 

    N a. 2207
    N b. 2210
    Y c. 2213
    N d. 2216
2662: You are on course 006°T, speed 16.6 knots. At 0516 you see a light bearing 008°T at a range of 10.2. If you change course at 0528 to leave the light abeam to port at 1.0 mile,
at what time will the light be abeam? 

    Y a. 0553
    N b. 0556
    N c. 0604
    N d. 0607
2662: You are on course 006°T, speed 16.6 knots. At 0516 you see a light bearing 008°T at a range of 10.2. If you change course at 0528 to leave the light abeam to port at 1.0 mile,
at what time will the light be abeam? 

    Y a. 0553
    N b. 0556
    N c. 0604
    N d. 0607
2676: While on a course of 019°pgc, a light bears 14° on the port bow at a distance of 15.3 miles. What course should you steer to pass 1.5 miles abeam of the light, leaving it to port? 

    N a. 006°pgc
    Y b. 011°pgc
    N c. 013°pgc
    N d. 015°pgc
2687: While on a course of 321°T, a light bears 7° on the starboard bow at a distance of 9.7 miles. What course should you steer to pass 3.5 miles abeam of the light leaving it to starboard? 

    N a. 297°T
    N b. 300°T
    N c. 303°T
    Y d. 307°T
2716: The charts show two dashed lines crossing the river just south of St. Catherine Bar Light. What does this indicate? 

    N a. Overhead power lines
    N b. Louisiana-Mississippi ferry crossings
    N c. Two railroad trestles
    Y d. Two submerged oil pipelines
2776: The charts show a circle with two black quadrants located at mile 846.0 AHP. What does this indicate? 

    N a. Hazardous chemical dock
    Y b. River Gage
    N c. Betz-Tipton Veneers Terminal
    N d. Bulletin Board
3250: You are taking a time tick using the 1200 signal from Valparaiso, Chile. You hear a series of 1 second dashes followed by a 9 second silent period, then a long 1.3 second dash. At the beginning of the long dash, your comparing watch reads 12h 00m 18s. When compared to the chronometer, the comparing watch reads 12h 01m 23s, and the chronometer reads 11h 59m 35s. What is the chronometer error? 

    N a. 0m 18s fast
    N b. 1m 05s fast
    N c. 0m 25s slow
    Y d. 1m 30s slow
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
3283: While steaming at 17.5 knots, your vessel consumes 378 barrels of fuel oil per day. In order to reduce consumption to 194 barrels of fuel oil per day, what is the maximum speed the vessel can turn for? 

    N a. 12.5 knots
    Y b. 14.0 knots
    N c. 15.5 knots
    N d. 16.8 knots
3632: You desire to make good a true course of 157°. The variation is 15°E, magnetic compass deviation is 9°W, and gyrocompass error is 3°E. A southwesterly wind produces a 2° leeway. What is the course to steer per standard magnetic compass to make the true course good? 

    N a. 145°psc
    N b. 147°psc
    N c. 150°psc
    Y d. 153°psc
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
3767: You are on course 251°pgc and 241° per magnetic compass, when you observe a range in line bearing 192°pgc. The chart indicates that the range is in line on a bearing of 194°T. The variation is 16°E. What is the deviation of the magnetic compass? 

    N a. 2°E
    N b. 2°W
    Y c. 4°W
    N d. 10°W
4009: 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 187°.
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. 1.5°W
    Y b. 0.5°W
    N c. 0.0°
    N d. 1.0°E
10602: At 1815 your GPS position is LAT 41°09.2'N, LONG 72°36.9'W. You are steering course 285° per standard magnetic compass at a speed of 16 knots. At 1909 you fix your position by plotting several compass bearings on nearby known fixed objects. These result in a position of LAT 41°08.5'N, LONG 72°53.7'W. What were your set and drift? 

    N a. 292°T at 1.8 knots
    N b. 243°T at 1.0 knot
    N c. 118°T at 1.9 knots
    Y d. 111°T at 2.1 knots
11105: What is the height of the tide at Great Salt Pond on Block Island at the afternoon high water (daylight savings time) on 1 July 1983? 

    N a. 3.9 feet
    N b. 3.0 feet
    N c. 2.4 feet
    Y d. 2.1 feet
11305: At 1919 your position is LAT 37°00.0'N, LONG 75°30.0'W. At 2000 your position is LAT 36°59.5'N, LONG 75°37.0'W. What was the speed made good? 

    N a. 5.6 knots
    N b. 6.6 knots
    Y c. 8.2 knots
    N d. 9.1 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
12309: You sight North Dumpling Island Light in line with Latimer Reef Light (LAT 41°18.2'N, LONG 71°56.0'W) bearing 089° per standard magnetic compass. If your vessel was heading 297° per standard magnetic compass at the time, which of the following is TRUE? 

    N a. The deviation table is correct for that heading.
    N b. The deviation equals the variation.
    Y c. You should swing your vessel to check the deviation table.
    N d. The compass error is 13°W for all bearings of 089°psc.
12608: You are on course 083° per standard magnetic compass when you take the following bearings: Branford Reef Light 344.5°psc Falkner Island Light 053.5°psc Mattituck Inlet Light 141.5°psc What is your position? 

    N a. LAT 41°10.4'N, LONG 72°43.0'W
    N b. LAT 41°09.6'N, LONG 72°44.9'W
    N c. LAT 41°08.4'N, LONG 72°43.7'W
    Y d. LAT 41°08.0'N, LONG 72°44.8'W
14404: You are underway and proceeding in an easterly direction on the Columbia River. You position your vessel in the middle of the channel and bring Government Island Lower Range in line over your bow. What should your fathometer read at this position, if the staff gauge at Portland reads 10.0 feet? 

    Y a. 15 feet
    N b. 24 feet
    N c. 28 feet
    N d. 31 feet
15118: What was the speed made good from 1845 to 1930? 

    N a. 6.2 knots
    N b. 7.5 knots
    Y c. 8.3 knots
    N d. 9.4 knots
15507: What course should you steer by your standard magnetic compass to make good a course of 280°T? 

    N a. 266°psc
    N b. 272°psc
    N c. 290°psc
    Y d. 294°psc
15918: At 1038, you are 0.4 mile south of Long Sand Shoal Buoy "8A" on course 090°T when visibility is reduced to 1 mile in rain and haze. You intend to stay on 090°T until your Loran shows a reading that you can safely follow to the approaches of New London. Which of the following Loran readings will you look for? 

    N a. 9960-W-14720
    N b. 9960-X-26290
    Y c. 9960-Y-43980
    N d. 9960-W-14810
15944: From your 2038 position you change course to 104°T and increase engine speed to 18 knots. If you make good this course and speed, at what time will Southwest Ledge Lighted Bell Buoy "2" bear 157°T? 

    N a. 2047
    Y b. 2052
    N c. 2056
    N d. 2101
15963: At 1845, you obtain the following Radar Ranges:

Old Plantation Flats Light @ 7.45nm
New Point Comfort Light @ 7.35nm

Your latitude is __________. 

    N a. 37°11.4'N
    Y b. 37°11.2'N
    N c. 37°10.9'N
    N d. 37°10.7'N
16112: At 0530, the Coast Guard announces that Chesapeake Channel is closed indefinitely due to a collision occurring in the channel between Trestle "B" and "C" of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. You exit York Spit Channel, leaving buoy "20" abeam to port at 0.1 mile, and alter course to leave Horseshoe Crossing Lighted Bell Buoy abeam to port at 0.2 mile. What is the course per gyrocompass? 

    N a. 185°pgc
    N b. 187°pgc
    N c. 190°pgc
    Y d. 193°pgc
16146: From your 2054 position, you change course to 066°T. Maintaining course and speed of 18 knots, at what time can you expect to first cross the 90-foot curve if you experience no set and drift? 

    Y a. 2105
    N b. 2111
    N c. 2117
    N d. 2125
16259: You are on track from the anchorage to point A. 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. What is the position of your 0320 running fix if you are making good 6.5 knots? 

    Y a. LAT 37°18.10'N, LONG 75°39.55'W
    N b. LAT 37°18.10'N, LONG 75°39.30'W
    N c. LAT 37°18.00'N, LONG 75°39.75'W
    N d. LAT 37°17.95'N, LONG 75°39.95'W
16261: At 0400 you take the following bearings:

Sand Shoal Inlet South Light bearing 299°pgc
Cape Charles Light bearing 242°pgc

What is your 0400 position? 

    N a. LAT 37°14.2'N, LONG 75°39.2'W
    Y b. LAT 37°14.4'N, LONG 75°39.3'W
    N c. LAT 37°14.4'N, LONG 75°39.0'W
    N d. LAT 37°14.6'N, LONG 75°39.2'W
16517: 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? 

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