U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman ... · Q413 Navigation General-Oceans...

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U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam

Apprentice Mate Steersman

Q413 Navigation General – Oceans

(Sample Examination)

of 16 Q413 Navigation General – Oceans

9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4

Choose the best answer to the following Multiple Choice Questions.

1. You are entering an east coast port and see a buoy with a yellow triangle painted on it. What does the symbol indicate?

o (A) The buoy is off station • (B) You are in the vicinity of the ICW o (C) The buoy designates a sharp turn in the channel o (D) The buoy is a special mark

If choice B is selected set score to 1.

2. A hurricane is characterized by winds of which speed?

o (A) Up to 33 knots o (B) 34 to 47 knots o (C) 48 to 63 knots • (D) 64 knots or greater

If choice D is selected set score to 1.

3. In many areas "atoll" clouds (clouds of vertical development) are produced over small islands. What causes the development of these clouds?

• (A) Rising air currents produced by the warm islands o (B) Descending air over the islands o (C) Cool land air mixing with warm sea air o (D) Warm air from the sea rising over higher land areas

If choice A is selected set score to 1.

4. How many characters does the short text messaging feature of the automatic identification system (AIS) allows for?

o (A) 56 characters o (B) 64 characters o (C) 128 characters • (D) 158 characters



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Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 5. You are running parallel to the coast and plotting running fixes using bearings of the same object.

You are making more speed than assumed for the running fix. In relation to the position indicated by the fix you will be __________.

o (A) on the track line behind the fix o (B) on the track line ahead of the fix o (C) closer to the coast • (D) farther from the coast


6. You are on course 042°T. To check the course of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

o (A) 090° • (B) 132° o (C) 180° o (D) 222°


7. A daymark used to indicate the safe water in a channel will have which of the shapes shown in illustration D045NG below?

o (A) A o (B) B • (C) C o (D) D

If choice C is selected set score to 1.

8. If you were sailing in the North Pacific and were interested in the ice and iceberg limits, where could you find this information?

o (A) Notice to Mariners o (B) Coast Pilot • (C) Pilot Chart o (D) None of the above


9. You will be advised of any hazardous areas due to the fallout of a nuclear explosive by a message with which code word?

• (A) MERWARN o (B) FALLWARN o (C) NUCLEAR o (D) FALLOUT



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Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 10. Which agency publishes the Light Lists?

o (A) Army Corps of Engineers o (B) Oceanographic Office o (C) National Ocean Service • (D) United States Coast Guard


11. Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, when entering from seaward a lateral system buoy to be left to port may display which topmark shown in illustration D046NG below?

o (A) A • (B) B o (C) C o (D) D


12. Where will you find information about the duration of slack water?

o (A) American Practical Navigator o (B) Sailing Directions • (C) Tidal Current Tables o (D) Tide Tables


13. Mean lower low water is the reference plane used for which measurements?

o (A) The heights above water for lights, mountains, etc. o (B) All vertical measurements • (C) The soundings on the U.S. east and west coasts o (D) The water depths on the U.S. east coast only


14. You are on course 238°T. To check the course of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

o (A) 180° o (B) 238° • (C) 328° o (D) 090°



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 15. White and orange buoys, if lighted, show which color light?

o (A) Orange • (B) White o (C) Alternating yellow and white o (D) Red


16. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System used on the Western Rivers, which is TRUE of the aids to navigation lights on the right descending bank?

o (A) They can only be white lights o (B) They can only be green lights • (C) They are white or green lights o (D) They are white or red lights


17. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding automatic identification systems (AIS)?

o (A) AIS is always required to be operating if the vessel is within 100 nautical miles of the coastline.

• (B) The master may, at his/her discretion, turn off the AIS if he/she believes that it may compromise the safety or security of the vessel.

o (C) AIS is always required to be operating if the vessel is in or in the vicinity of a VTS area. o (D) Under no circumstances shall AIS be turned off while underway as this could endanger the

vessel and those around her.


18. The owner or Master of a towing vessel that is operating within a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) area must report specific information to the service. Which of the following choices is not required to be reported?

o (A) Any characteristics of the vessel that affect its maneuverability o (B) A shortage of personnel, lack of charts, maps or other required publications • (C) The type of credential he/she holds and its serial number o (D) Any malfunction of propulsion machinery, steering gear, radar, gyrocompass or depth-

sounder, if installed



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 19. A buoy having red and green horizontal bands would have which light characteristic?

o (A) Interrupted quick flashing • (B) Composite group flashing o (C) Quick flashing o (D) Morse (A)


20. In the Northern Hemisphere, swells that have outrun the storm are produced in which location?

• (A) In the right front quadrant of the right semicircle o (B) In the rear of the left semicircle o (C) In the left front quadrant of the right semicircle o (D) In the after section of the left semicircle


21. What is the equivalent of 2° 35' in time units?

o (A) 9 min. 10 sec. o (B) 6 min. 43 sec. o (C) 7 min. 06 sec. • (D) 10 min. 20 sec.


22. Entering from sea, how would a daymark on the port side of the channel be indicated on a chart?

o (A) A red triangle with the letter R o (B) A white triangle with the letters RG • (C) A green square with the letter G o (D) A white square with the letters GR


23. Two well-developed high pressure areas may be separated by which item?

o (A) A hill of low pressure o (B) A valley of low pressure • (C) A trough of low pressure o (D) A ridge of low pressure



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 24. How is a chart with a natural scale of 1:160,000 classified?

o (A) A coast chart o (B) A harbor chart • (C) A general chart o (D) A sailing chart


25. You are approaching Chatham Strait from the south in foggy weather. You have Coronation Island and Hazy Islands on the radar. Suddenly the radar malfunctions. You then resort to using whistle echoes to determine your distance off Coronation Island. Your stopwatch reads 16.3 seconds for the echo to be heard. How far are you off Coronation Island?

o (A) 1.0 mile • (B) 1.5 miles o (C) 2.0 miles o (D) 2.5 miles


26. The vertex of a great circle track is in LONG 109°E. Which longitude would an eastbound vessel cross the equator?

• (A) 161°W o (B) 19°E o (C) 161°E o (D) 19°W


27. Which term is defines the ocean bottom that extends from the shoreline out to an area where there is a marked change in slope to a greater depth?

o (A) Offshore terrace o (B) Abyssal plain • (C) Continental shelf o (D) Borderland


28. An orange and white buoy marking an area where operating restrictions are in effect will be marked with which symbol?

o (A) Open-faced diamond o (B) Diamond with a cross o (C) Rectangle • (D) Circle



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 29. What causes permanent magnetism on a vessel?

• (A) The earth's magnetic field affecting the ship's hard iron during construction o (B) The horizontal component of the earth's magnetic field acting on the horizontal soft iron o (C) The operation of electrical equipment and generators on board ship o (D) The vertical component of the earth's magnetic field acting on the vertical soft iron


30. Which is a low, uniform layer of cloud resembling fog, but not resting on the ground?

• (A) Stratus clouds o (B) Cirrus clouds o (C) Nimbus clouds o (D) Cumulus clouds


31. In illustration D039NG below, what type of cloud is indicated by the number five?

o (A) Cirrostratus • (B) Altocumulus o (C) Nimbostratus o (D) Cirrocumulus


32. While steaming on course 280°T, you sight a buoy showing a very quick flashing (VQ) white light well to port. Maintaining course, you sight another buoy showing a quick flashing (Q) white light. How should you pass?

o (A) South of the buoy • (B) North of the buoy o (C) East of the buoy o (D) West of the buoy


33. A Doppler log in the volume reverberation mode indicates __________.

o (A) speed being made good o (B) the set of the current o (C) the depth of the water • (D) speed through the water



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 34. Which condition would most likely result in fog?

o (A) Dew point falling below the air temperature o (B) Airborne dust particles • (C) Warm moist air blowing over cold water o (D) Warm moist air blowing over warm water


35. Which refers to the period at high or low tide during which there is no change in the height of the water?

o (A) Reversing of the tide o (B) Range of the tide o (C) Plane of the tide • (D) Stand of the tide


36. Daylight savings time is a form of zone time that adopts the time __________.

o (A) two zones to the east o (B) two zones to the west o (C) one zone to the west • (D) one zone to the east


37. When changing from a compass course to a true course, which should you apply?

o (A) A correction for the direction of current set • (B) Both variation and deviation o (C) Deviation only o (D) Variation only


38. An ECDIS is required to display which information?

o (A) Waypoints o (B) Meteorological data o (C) Radar targets • (D) Soundings



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 39. The datum from which the predicted heights of tides are reckoned in the tide tables is the same as

that used for the charts of the locality. The depression of the datum below mean sea level for Hampton Roads, Virginia is __________.

o (A) between 1.9 and 3.2 feet o (B) between -.7 and +.5 feet • (C) 1.2 feet o (D) 4.1 feet


40. In the horizon system of coordinates what is the equivalent to the meridians on the Earth?

o (A) Horizon o (B) Hour circle o (C) Celestial meridians • (D) Vertical circles


41. Which is TRUE concern the horizon glass of a sextant?

o (A) It is mounted on the index arm • (B) It is silvered on its half nearer the frame o (C) It is between the horizon and the shade glasses o (D) It is a movable bar the same material as the frame


42. In illustration D044NG below, a pillar buoy is indicated by which letter?

o (A) A o (B) B • (C) C o (D) D


43. In United States waters, a buoy having red and white vertical stripes if lighted, it will have which light characteristic?

• (A) Morse (A) o (B) Quick flashing o (C) Group occulting o (D) Interrupted quick flashing



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4 44. Which is TRUE of an alternating light?

o (A) It marks an alternate lesser used channel • (B) It shows a light that changes color o (C) It is used as a replacement for another light o (D) It shows a light with varying lengths of the lighted period


45. Which is TRUE of a downbound power-driven vessel, when meeting an upbound vessel on the Western Rivers?

o (A) She shall propose the manner of passage. o (B) She shall initiate the maneuvering signals. o (C) She has the right of way. • (D) All of the above


46. Which part of a sextant is mounted directly over the pivot of the index arm?

• (A) The index mirror o (B) The micrometer drum o (C) The horizon glass o (D) The telescope


47. Which statement about gyrocompass error is TRUE?

o (A) Any error will remain constant unless the compass is stopped and restarted. o (B) Any error shown by a gyro repeater will be the same as the error of the master compass. o (C) The sign (E or W) of the error will change with different headings of the ship. • (D) The amount of the error and the sign will generally be the same on all headings.


48. By what means are indications of the master gyrocompass sent to remote repeaters?

o (A) by azimuth motor o (B) by phantom element o (C) by follow-up system • (D) by transmitter



9/10/2019

Q413 Navigation General-Oceans U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman Illustrations: 4

49. An orange and white buoy marking a danger area will have what symbol on it?

o (A) Diamond with a cross• (B) Open-faced diamondo (C) Circleo (D) Square


50. What is the approximate geographic range of Shinnecock Light, NY, if your height of eye is 24 feet(7.3 meters)? Refer to "Reprints from the LIGHT LISTS AND COAST PILOTS".

o (A) 8.7 nmo (B) 9.9 nmo (C) 14.4 nm• (D) 15.9 nm



9/10/2019

National Maritime Center

Serving Our Nation's Mariners

9/6/2018

D039NG

Adapted for testing purposes only PRETOR-PINNEY, The Cloudspotter’s Guide,

The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds

Copyright © 2006 by Gavin Pretor-Pinney

Further reproduction prohibited without permission of 16 Q413 Navigation General – Oceans



9/10/2018

D045NG






5/7/2019

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U.S.C.G. Merchant Marine Exam Apprentice Mate Steersman ... · Q413 Navigation General-Oceans...

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