USCG General Deck: 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.


61: Deckhands onboard towing vessels shall be divided into 3 watches when on a trip exceeding __________.


74: The best information on the location of the blocks when dry docking a vessel is contained in the __________.


112: You start a centrifugal cargo pump to discharge cargo. The pump works for a while and then loses suction. This could NOT be caused by __________.


185: Before a Master relieves a Pilot of the conn, the __________.

    Y a. Master should foresee any danger to the vessel on the present course
    N b. vessel must be in extremis
    N c. Master should agree to sign a release of liability form
    N d. Master must first request the Pilot to take corrective action

237: The latch of a safety hook __________.

    N a. increases the strength of the hook
    Y b. prevents the sling ring from coming out of the hook if the strain is abruptly eased
    N c. prevents the sling ring from coming out of the hook if there is a strain on the sling ring
    N d. All of the above

261: A seaman about to be discharged has a Continuous Discharge Book. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. A Certificate of Discharge Form should be attached to the book.
    N b. An entry should be made in the book and a Certificate of Discharge Form issued to the seaman.
    N c. If a vessel was on coastwise articles, the record of discharge will be made in the Official Logbook.
    Y d. The record of entry in the book must be submitted to the Coast Guard.

319: Static electricity may be built up by the __________.

    N a. flow of petroleum through pipes
    N b. spraying or splashing of petroleum
    N c. settling of solids or water in petroleum
    Y d. All of the above

347: You are the person in charge of a 199 GRT uninspected towing vessel engaged in coastwise towing from the Gulf of Mexico to the New York area, a distance in excess of 600 miles. Which statement is FALSE?

    Y a. Certificates of Discharge are not required to be issued.
    N b. All crew members shall have Merchant Mariner's Documents.
    N c. Able seamen are required in the deck crew.
    N d. The sailors shall be divided into 3 watches.

384: A "strongback" refers to a __________.

    Y a. bar securing a cargo port
    N b. centerline vertical bulkhead
    N c. deep beam
    N d. spanner stay

455: A vessel having continuous closely spaced transverse strength members is __________.

    N a. longitudinally framed
    Y b. transversely framed
    N c. cellular framed
    N d. web framed

489: Your tank vessel is fully loaded, and you find that she is down slightly by the head. To adjust the trim, you may __________.

    N a. add ballast aft
    N b. load more cargo aft
    Y c. shift cargo aft
    N d. All of the above

641: Which document shows the minimum required crew a vessel must have to navigate from one port in the United States to another?

    N a. Articles
    Y b. Certificate of Inspection
    N c. Crew List
    N d. Register

743: A heavy steel curved arch constructed athwartships and above the after deck on a towing vessel is sometimes called a __________.

    N a. towing arch
    N b. jockey bar
    N c. chafing bar
    Y d. Dutch tow bar

798: How many cubic feet of space is required to stow 775 tons of a cargo with a stowage factor of 25? (estimated broken stowage is 15%)

    N a. 12,916
    Y b. 22,794
    N c. 25,833
    N d. 29,397

829: In terms of vessel manning, a watch is the ____________ .

    Y a. direct performance of deck or engine operations in a scheduled and fixed rotation
    N b. performance of maintenance work necessary for the vessel's safe operation, on a daily basis
    N c. performance of lookout duties
    N d. direct performance of cargo loading and discharge operations only

965: While steering by autopilot you notice that the vessel has deviated 15 degrees from course and there is no corrective rudder being applied. As a standard operating procedure you should first __________.

    N a. check the setting of the rudder adjustment
    N b. check the setting of the weather adjustment
    Y c. switch to hand steering
    N d. immediately engage the trick wheel

1029: When cleaning a tank by the Butterworth process, you should begin to pump out the slops __________.

    N a. at the end of the drop schedule
    Y b. when the process is started
    N c. when the process is finished
    N d. when the tank is clean

1090: A chock __________.

    N a. is a deck fitting used to shackle gear to the deck
    N b. permits easy jettisoning of deck cargo in an emergency
    N c. prevents stress concentration in the bulwark
    Y d. provides openings through the bulwark for mooring lines

1139: The pivoting point of a vessel going ahead is __________.

    N a. near the stern
    N b. at the hawsepipe
    Y c. about one-third of the vessel's length from the bow
    N d. about two-thirds of the vessel's length from the bow

1154: Which line would be least likely to kink?

    Y a. Braided
    N b. Left-handed laid
    N c. Right-handed laid
    N d. Straight laid

1188: An implied warranty of seaworthiness on the part of the vessel's owner lies in the __________.

    N a. Cargo Manifest
    N b. Certificate of Inspection
    N c. Classification Certificate
    Y d. contract of carriage, i.e. Bill of Lading

1375: A chain stripper is used to __________.

    Y a. prevent chain from clinging to the wildcat
    N b. clean the marine debris from the chain
    N c. flake chain from a boat's chain locker
    N d. clean chain prior to an x-ray inspection

1379: The heel block is located __________.

    Y a. at the base of the boom
    N b. at the cargo hook
    N c. near the midships guy
    N d. near the spider band

1399: Which part of a cargo boom has the greatest diameter?

    N a. Head
    Y b. Middle
    N c. Heel
    N d. It has the same diameter along its complete length.

1435: Which letter shown represents a clove hitch? (DO30DG )

    Y a. X
    N b. U
    N c. T
    N d. R

1455: Which letter represents a bowline on a bight? (DO30DG )

    N a. H
    Y b. I
    N c. M
    N d. W

1528: You are being towed by one tug. As you lengthen the bridle legs you __________.

    N a. increase your chances of breaking the towing hawser
    Y b. reduce the yawing of your vessel
    N c. reduce the spring effect of the tow connection
    N d. increase your chances of breaking the bridle legs

1560: Which arrangement of shell plating is used most in modern shipbuilding?

    N a. Clinker
    Y b. Flush
    N c. In-and-Out
    N d. Joggled

1574: Wire rope is galvanized to __________.

    Y a. protect it from corrosion due to contact with saltwater
    N b. make it bend more easily
    N c. increase its strength
    N d. increase its circumference

1705: You are to load a consignment of lumber. Each piece measures 3-inches thick, 12-inches wide and 16-feet long. There are 30,000 pieces in the shipment. How many board feet would be listed on the Bill of Lading?

    N a. 96,000
    N b. 1,200,000
    Y c. 1,440,000
    N d. 14,400,000

1724: A "bowline" is used to __________.

    N a. join lines of equal size
    Y b. form a temporary eye (loop) at the end of a line
    N c. be a stopper
    N d. keep a line from fraying

1740: The group of markings shown is called a __________. (D003DG )

    N a. loft mark
    Y b. load line mark
    N c. test mark
    N d. water mark

1748: An Official Logbook is required on which vessel?

    N a. A 150-G.T. tug going from Boston to New Orleans.
    Y b. A 100-G.T. tug going from New York to San Pedro, California.
    N c. A 50-G.T. tug going from Miami to Seattle.
    N d. A 199-G.T. tug on a coastwise trip of 650 miles.

1765: The annual survey for endorsement of a Load Line Certificate must be held within __________.

    N a. the three month period immediately following the certificate's anniversary date
    N b. the three month period immediately preceding the certificate's anniversary date
    Y c. three months either way of the certificate's anniversary date
    N d. the three month period centered on the certificate's anniversary date

1783: Which mooring line is likely to undergo the most strain when docking a ship under normal conditions?

    N a. Bow line
    N b. Breast line
    Y c. Spring line
    N d. Stern line

1842: The knot shown lettered W is a __________. (DO30DG )

    N a. clove hitch
    Y b. square knot
    N c. barrel hitch
    N d. stopper knot

1943: In order to pay out or slack a mooring line which is under strain, you should __________.

    N a. sluice the line
    Y b. surge the line
    N c. stopper the line
    N d. slip the line

2087: A vessel has a deadweight carrying capacity of 10,500 tons. Fuel, water, and stores require 1500 tons. The cubic capacity is 500,000 cubic feet. Which cargo will put her full and down?

    N a. Slabs of zinc, SF 7.1
    Y b. Rolls of barbed wire, SF 55.5
    N c. Barrels of tallow, SF 66.8
    N d. Bundles of rubber, SF 140.2

2146: You are on a single-screw vessel with a right-handed propeller. The vessel is going full speed astern with full right rudder. The bow will swing __________.

    N a. quickly to port, then more slowly to port
    Y b. probably to port
    N c. slowly to port, then quickly to starboard
    N d. probably to starboard

2213: You are using tackle number 6 to lift a weight. The hauling part of this tackle is bent to the weight hook (w) of tackle number 8. Disregarding friction, what is the mechanical advantage of this rig? (DO29DG )

    N a. 11
    N b. 16
    Y c. 18
    N d. 24

2282: Using the graph in illustration D008DG, if the dry bulb temperature is 77° and the wet bulb temperature is 69°, what is the relative humidity in a cargo hold? (D008DG )

    Y a. 67%
    N b. 70%
    N c. 77%
    N d. 81%

2472: A "liner" in riveted construction of a vessel is a(n) __________.

    Y a. small plate which fills the aperture between riveted strakes and the vessel framing
    N b. backing plate which is used to level the strakes while riveting, and then removed
    N c. internal frame to which the side shell is riveted
    N d. seam that is welded after riveting is completed

2478: A "contra-guide" is a type of __________.

    N a. bow thruster
    N b. cargo gear
    N c. steering engine
    Y d. rudder

2762: Which vessel is exempt from the load line and marking requirements for vessels operating on the Great Lakes System?

    N a. A 300 GT tank barge operating exclusively on Lake Michigan
    N b. A 200 GT passenger vessel operating between Duluth, MN and Munising, MI
    N c. A 79-foot, 150 GT pleasure craft operating on the St. Lawrence River
    Y d. A 500 GT dry cargo river barge operated continuously between Calumet Hbr Chicago, IL and Burns Hbr, IN

2817: The command "meet her" means the helmsman should __________.

    N a. decrease the rudder angle
    N b. steer more carefully
    Y c. use rudder to slow the vessel's swing
    N d. note the course and steady on that heading

2824: While being assisted by an icebreaker on Lake Superior, you receive a single letter code instructing you to slow your vessel. Which signal could you use to signify that you are complying with the request?

    N a. Three blasts of the whistle
    N b. The code flag "A" (Alpha) displayed from a halyard
    Y c. Four blasts of the whistle, namely 1 short 2 long and 1 short
    N d. The code flag "L" (Lima) displayed from a halyard

2879: The vertical reference for all water levels and bench marks on the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River System is known as __________.

    N a. Mean Sea Level Datum
    Y b. International Great Lakes Datum
    N c. Great Lakes Low Water Datum
    N d. North Central Reference Datum

2931: In a national emergency, when communicating via the Navy, messages are sent by precedence. A message designated FLASH will be delivered within __________.

    N a. 3 hours to start of business the following day
    Y b. 10 minutes if possible
    N c. 1 to 6 hours
    N d. 30 minutes to 1 hour

2979: Which statement about shipping coal is TRUE?

    N a. Anthracite will generate more methane than bituminous coal.
    N b. Coal should not be shipped while wet.
    Y c. Coal should be surface ventilated to remove methane gas.
    N d. The methane gas generated by coal will react with moisture on the ship's structure and accelerate corrosion.

3240: You are the operator of a towing vessel which becomes involved in a collision. By law you must assist __________.

    N a. if your vessel is at fault
    N b. if you can do so without excessive delay
    Y c. if you can do so without serious danger to your vessel
    N d. regardless of the circumstances

3460: You would NOT secure a line to a __________.

    N a. kevel
    Y b. stand pipe
    N c. button
    N d. timber head

3614: While you are on watch, you learn that a crewman has not been seen on board for the past three hours. Which type of turn is best in this man-overboard situation?

    N a. Round
    Y b. Scharnow
    N c. Racetrack
    N d. Single turn of 180°

3690: The part of the anchor indicated by the letter I is the __________. (D038DG )

    N a. tripping palm
    Y b. fluke
    N c. bill
    N d. stock

3776: The tankship Northland is loaded as shown. Use the salmon colored pages in the Stability Data Reference Book to determine the sagging numeral. (Get Table Data)

    Y a. 29.70 numeral
    N b. 33.63 numeral
    N c. 49.82 numeral
    N d. 58.33 numeral

4043: When backing down with sternway, the pivot point of a vessel is __________.

    N a. aft of the propellers
    Y b. about one-quarter of the vessel's length from the stern
    N c. about one-third of the vessel's length from the bow
    N d. at the bow

4051: You are the operator of an uninspected vessel which is involved in an accident. You are not required to assist people affected by the accident if __________.

    N a. the other vessel did not appear to be sinking
    N b. it would unduly delay your voyage
    N c. the other vessel was at fault
    Y d. it would cause serious danger to your vessel

4130: Which lashing material is preferred when securing new cars aboard Ro-Ro vessels?

    N a. Chain lever or turnbuckle
    Y b. Webbing
    N c. Wire
    N d. None of the above

4183: Which of the following lashing gear used aboard Ro-Ro vessels should be maintained when not in use?

    N a. Chain
    N b. Wire rope
    N c. Webbing
    Y d. All of the above

4209: Pedestal cranes have limit switches to restrict the movement of which function?

    N a. Slew travel limits
    N b. Turntable limits
    N c. Luff travel limits
    Y d. All of the above

4240: It is the responsibility of the crane operator to, at all times, be aware of the location of the __________.

    N a. load
    N b. hook
    N c. boom
    Y d. All of the above