Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels, Revision & Practice Exams

When water is used to fight a fire on board a ship, the effect of the weight of the water must be taken into account. How much sea water will increase the weight displacement by one ton?

1. 64 cubic feet
2. 35 cubic feet ✓
3. 100 gallons
4. 500 liters

Which is the difference between the DR position and a fix, both of which have the same time?

1. Leeway
2. Variation
3. Deviation
4. Current ✓

When utilizing a Pacific Coast chart, which is the reference plane of soundings?

1. Mean low water springs
2. Mean lower low water ✓
3. Lowest normal low water
4. Mean lowest water

Which is the region containing 3/4 of the mass of the atmosphere and to which are confined such phenomena as clouds, storms, precipitation and changing weather conditions?

1. The tropopause
2. The troposphere ✓
3. The stratopause
4. The stratosphere

Entering a harbor, you take a bearing on a range and get 338° per gyrocompass (pgc). The true bearing from the chart is 340°T. Variation for the area is 14°E. Your course is 329° per standard magnetic compass (psc) and 338°pgc. What is the deviation on this heading?

1. 3°E
2. 3°W ✓
3. 5°E
4. 5°W

All of the following can be found on a Pilot Chart EXCEPT information concerning which item?

1. Percentage of frequency of wave heights
2. Amounts of precipitation ✓
3. Percentage of poor visibility conditions
4. Sea surface temperatures

How often is The Local Notice to Mariners updated?

1. Usually monthly
2. Usually daily
3. Usually weekly ✓
4. Usually semiannually

What must the owner or Master do if any of the towing vessel's required navigational safety equipment fails during a voyage?

1. Repair it at the earliest practicable time
2. Enter its failure in the log or other on-board record
3. Consider the state of the equipment in deciding whether it is safe for the vessel to proceed
4. All of the above ✓

Which theoretical minimum number of measurements from satellites does a GPS receiver need in order to provide an exact three-dimensional position?

1. Five
2. Four ✓
3. Three
4. Two

When does the effects of priming of the tides occur?

1. When the Earth, Moon, and Sun are lying approximately on the same line
2. When the Moon is between new and first quarter and between full and third quarter ✓
3. When the Moon is between first quarter and full and between third quarter and new
4. At times of new and full Moon

You are conducting trials to determine the maneuvering characteristics of your vessel. While making a turn, you take ranges and bearings of an isolated light with the results as shown. Based on this information, what is the advance for a turn of 45°? Illustration D034DG

1. 590 yards
2. 635 yards
3. 690 yards ✓
4. 740 yards

How should a vessel spotted at 45° relative be reported?

1. 4 points abaft the starboard beam
2. On the starboard beam
3. 4 points forward of starboard bow
4. Broad on the starboard bow ✓

How should a vessel that is being assisted by an icebreaker indicate that it is ready to cast off the towline (if one is used)?

1. Display code numeral "5"
2. Sound one prolonged blast of the whistle
3. Sound five short blasts of his whistle
4. Display the code letter "Y" (Yankee) ✓

Which term is used to describe the horizontal port or starboard movement of a vessel?

1. Heave
2. Yaw
3. Sway ✓
4. Surge

Which term is given to a light that has a light period shorter than its dark period?

1. Flashing ✓
2. Alternating
3. Pulsating
4. Occulting

What is the minimum number of bolts required in a temporarily connected standard ANSI (American National Standards Institute) 8-bolt flange for the transfer of cargo oil?

1. 2
2. 4 ✓
3. 6
4. 8

Normally, your vessel is on a voyage of three months duration. How many sanitary inspections are required to be conducted during the voyage?

1. one ✓
2. three
3. six
4. twelve

While underway in thick fog you are on watch and hear the cry "man overboard". Which type of maneuver should you make?

1. Williamson turn ✓
2. figure eight turn
3. Racetrack turn
4. Round turn

Aneroid barometers are usually calibrated to indicate atmospheric pressure in which units?

1. Inches of mercury and centimeters
2. Inches of mercury and millibars ✓
3. Inches of mercury and millimeters
4. Feet of mercury and millibars

A chart position enclosed by a square is a(n) __________.

1. dead reckoning position
2. fix
3. estimated position ✓
4. running fix

Entering from seaward, what do triangular-shaped daymarks mark?

1. The starboard side of the channel ✓
2. The centerline of the channel
3. An obstruction where the preferred channel is to starboard
4. Any special purpose areas

Ultrasonic testing is used to determine the thickness of a vessel's shell plating and which other testing?

1. To test the links of the anchor cables while being ranged
2. To provide tail shaft clearances
3. To test welds for subsurface defects ✓
4. To check the wear of the rudder carrier bearing

Which is the principal danger from ice collecting on a vessel?

1. The loss of stability ✓
2. The decrease in capabilities of radar
3. The decrease in displacement
4. The adverse effect on trim

With respect to failure warnings and status indications, GPS receivers should provide, at a minimum, __________.

1. a warning of loss of position ✓
2. a cross-track error alarm
3. an alarm if engine speed is suddenly reduced
4. an indication of a change in satellite configuration

Repairing damage to the hull at or above the waterline reduces which threat?

1. Rapid capsizing of vessel
2. Wind heel
3. Free surface effects
4. Continued progressive flooding ✓

Which term describes the holes in the bulwark that allow deck water to drain into the sea?

1. Fidleys
2. Doggers
3. Swash ports
4. Freeing ports ✓

Which is TRUE of paints and solvents on a vessel?

1. They must be stored in a gear locker
2. They should be returned to the paint locker after each use ✓
3. They must be covered at all times to protect from ignition sources
4. They should be stored safely at the work site until work is completed

A burning pile of dunnage would be which classification of fire?

1. Class A ✓
2. Class B
3. Class C
4. Class D

The vertical motion of a floating vessel in which the entire hull is lifted by the force of the sea is known by which term?

1. Pitch
2. Surge
3. Heave ✓
4. Sway

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?

1. East of the buoy
2. North of the buoy ✓
3. South of the buoy
4. West of the buoy

Which is TRUE concerning the stowage of life jackets?

1. They must be stowed in readily accessible locations ✓
2. They are required to be stowed in messrooms
3. They are required to be stowed in a central location
4. They are always locked in watertight containers

What does the prefix "nimbo" in a cloud's name mean?

1. It signifies middle or high-altitude clouds
2. It means rainy clouds ✓
3. It means sheet or layer clouds
4. It means great vertical development

A rotary current sets through all directions of the compass. How much time does it take to complete one of these cycles, in a locale off the East coast of the U.S.?

1. 2 1/2 hours
2. 3 1/2 hours
3. 6 1/4 hours
4. 12 1/2 hours ✓

Disregarding friction, what is the mechanical advantage of a twofold purchase when rove to disadvantage?

1. 2
2. 3
3. 4 ✓
4. 5

The self-contained breathing device should not be used in which situation?

1. Fighting fires that produce heavy smoke
2. Underwater search ✓
3. Compartments containing poisonous vapors
4. Oxygen deficient spaces

You have taken another vessel in tow. Which is an indicator that the towing speed is too fast?

1. The tow line feels like it is "jumping" when touched
2. The catenary comes clear of the water ✓
3. The vessels are not in step
4. The towed vessel goes "in irons"

For the purpose of training and drills, if reasonable and practicable, how frequently should rescue boats be launched with their assigned crew?

1. Once a week
2. Twice a year
3. Once a year
4. Once a month ✓

How may a spherical buoy be identified?

1. It may be green
2. It may be numbered
3. It may be red
4. It may be lettered ✓

What does a white buoy with an orange circle marked on it indicate?

1. A mooring buoy
2. Vessels are excluded from the area
3. Operating restrictions are in effect ✓
4. Danger

A sylphon cell is a part of which instrument?

1. A barograph ✓
2. A thermograph
3. A maximum thermometer
4. A hygrometer

You are on course 209°T. In order to check the longitude of your vessel, you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

1. 209°
2. 270° ✓
3. 299°
4. 000°

Which topmark shown in illustration D023NG below identifies an isolated danger?

1. A
2. B ✓
3. C
4. D

Which statement is TRUE?

1. You must keep a record of the approximate weight of the garbage dumped.
2. You need not keep a record of ground garbage dumped into the sea more than 25 miles offshore.
3. You must keep a record of garbage discharged in port to a shore facility. ✓
4. You need not keep a record of garbage incinerated on the ship.

Which color is the next-to-last shot of an anchor cable usually painted?

1. International orange
2. Yellow ✓
3. White
4. Red

Which of the following describes (auto) ignition temperature?

1. the temperature at which a fuel begins to give off explosive vapors
2. the temperature at which a fuel if ignited will continue to burn
3. the temperature at which no spark or flame is required to ignite gas or vapor ✓
4. the temperature at which a 1% mixture of the fuel with air will explode

In general, how often are sanitary inspections of passenger and crew quarters made aboard passenger vessels in river service?

1. Once each day
2. Once each week
3. Once each month ✓
4. Once each trip

After each reading of an oxygen indicator, the instrument should be purged with __________.

1. water
2. CO2
3. the tested compartment's air
4. fresh air ✓

Lifesaving regulations in Subchapter W require that a fire drill include which of the following?

1. Starting the fire pumps
2. Checking the operation of watertight doors
3. Checking arrangements for abandon ship
4. All of the above ✓

Which term indicates how many tons of cargo a vessel can carry?

1. Gross tonnage
2. Loaded displacement
3. Deadweight ✓
4. Bale cubic

When computing gross under keel clearance (UKC), what factor should NOT be considered?

1. Squat allowance
2. Heel allowance
3. Tidal residual allowance
4. Wind residual allowance ✓

You are on a single-screw vessel with a right-handed propeller, and you are making headway. What occurs when you enter shallow water?

1. Your vessel will tend to ride higher
2. Your speed will increase without a change in your throttle
3. Your rudder response will become sluggish ✓
4. Your vessel will have better rudder response

Which statement(s) is(are) TRUE concerning the use of dry chemical extinguishers?

1. You should direct the spray directly into the fire.
2. You should direct the spray at a vertical bulkhead and allow it to flow over the fire.
3. You should direct the spray at the base of the fire. ✓
4. On a weather deck approach the fire from the leeward side.

Lighted white and orange buoys must show which color light?

1. Alternating yellow and white
2. Red
3. White ✓
4. Orange

What describes a flood current?

1. Horizontal movement of the water toward the land after low tide ✓
2. Horizontal movement of the water away from the land following high tide
3. Horizontal movement of the water toward the land after high tide
4. Horizontal movement of the water away from the land following low tide

How do preferred channel buoys indicate the preferred channel to transit?

1. Odd or even numbers
2. The color of their top band ✓
3. The location of the buoy in the channel junction
4. The buoy's light rhythms

Which defines the flash point of a liquid?

1. The temperature that a liquid must reach before it will flow readily
2. The temperature at which a liquid will give off flammable vapors ✓
3. The temperature at which a liquid will burn steadily
4. The temperature at which a liquid will explode

How should the letter "W" be pronounced when spoken on the radiotelephone?

1. WISS KEY ✓
2. DUB A U
3. WOO LF
4. WI NE

The following types of vessels are awaiting lockage on the upper Mississippi. Which type of vessel is normally passed through the lock first?

1. Commercial passenger vessels ✓
2. Pleasure craft
3. Commercial fishing vessels
4. Commercial towboats

On 9 November 2023 at 0130, you are inbound at Charleston Harbor Entrance Buoy “10” (ACT6611). Your vessel will transit 15nm and make good 10.0 knots to a berth where the nearest tidal current station is ACT6706. What will be the direction and velocity of the current as you approach the dock? Illustration D058NG

1. 0.2kts at 104°T
2. 0.6kts at 172°T
3. 0.2kts at 280°T
4. 0.6kts at 335°T ✓

You are in charge of a towing vessel that operates exclusively on inland waters. You regularly tow barges that provide services (cargo lighters, fuel barges, etc.) to foreign flag vessels in port. What will be accepted as proper credentials for you and your crew?

1. State driver's license with photo ID
2. Social Security card
3. No credentials are required since you operate on inland waters only
4. Merchant Mariner Credential ✓

Cargo tanks on barges fitted with goose neck vents and flame screens are limited to carrying which grade of cargo?

1. A and below
2. B and below
3. C and below
4. D and E only ✓

You are on a multiple-product chemical tanker and will carry cargoes of ethanolamine, methyl acrylate, and glycerine. Which statement is true?

1. Methyl acrylate and ethanolamine are compatible, but both must be segregated from glycerine.
2. Glycerine may be stowed adjacent to methyl acrylate but must be segregated from ethanolamine.
3. Glycerine is compatible with both of the other cargoes. ✓
4. All of these cargoes are mutually incompatible.

Which mooring line checks forward motion of a vessel at a pier?

1. The bow line
2. The stern breast line
3. The forward bow line
4. The stern line ✓

You are proceeding to a distress site and expect large numbers of people in the water. Which statement is TRUE?

1. You should stop to windward of the survivors in the water and only use the ship's boats to recover the survivors.
2. An inflatable liferaft secured alongside can be an effective boarding station for transfer of survivors from the boats. ✓
3. If the survivors are in inflatable rafts you should approach from windward to create a lee for the survivors.
4. Survivors in the water should never be permitted alongside due to the possibility of injury from the vessel.

Which term describes the time required to incline the vessel from port to starboard and back to port again?

1. Initial stability
2. Range of stability
3. Inclining moment
4. Rolling period ✓

Multi-year ice is the hardest sea ice and should be avoided if possible. It is recognizable because of what tone to its surface color?

1. Greenish
2. Grey
3. Bluish ✓
4. Grey-white

In a racetrack turn, to recover a man overboard, the vessel is steadied for the SECOND time after a turn of how many degrees from the original heading?

1. 60°
2. 135°
3. 180°
4. 360° ✓

Why should storage batteries be charged in a well-ventilated area?

1. They emit hydrogen ✓
2. They recharge faster in a well-ventilated space
3. Because of the toxic fumes they emit
4. They generate heat

When turning a ship in restricted space with a strong wind, which is the BEST action to take?

1. Go ahead on both engines with the rudder hard to one side, if on a twin-screw vessel
2. Turn so that the tendency to back into the wind can be used, if on a single-screw vessel ✓
3. Back down with the rudder hard to one side, if on a single-screw vessel
4. Take advantage of the tendency to back to port, if on a twin-screw vessel

What publication contains information about the port facilities in Cadiz, Spain?

1. Nautical Index
2. World Port Index ✓
3. United States Coast Pilot
4. Sailing Directions

The Light List indicates that a light has a nominal range of 14 miles and is 26 feet high. If the visibility is 14 miles and your height of eye is 20 feet, at which approximate distance will you sight the light?

1. 7.5 miles
2. 11.2 miles ✓
3. 14.0 miles
4. 18.1 miles

Which is TRUE concerning Light Lists for coastal waters?

1. They are published every five years and require no correction
2. They are published every second year and must be corrected
3. They are published every year and require no corrections
4. They are accurate thru NM number on title page and must be corrected ✓

In illustration D014SA below, which item number correctly identifies the ballast bags?

1. 12
2. 2
3. 13 ✓
4. 22

The regulations for a general alarm system on a towing vessel require all of the following EXCEPT which function?

1. Has a contact maker at the operating station
2. Is capable of notifying persons in any accommodation, workspace and the engine room
3. Must be used instead of the public address system ✓
4. Has installed a flashing red light in areas that have high background noise

To what chemical family does chlorallylene belong?

1. Substituted allyl ✓
2. Alcohols
3. Esters
4. Glycol ethers

A Permit to Proceed is issued by which organization?

1. U.S. Department of Labor
2. American Bureau of Shipping
3. U.S. Coast Guard ✓
4. National Cargo Bureau

What does "Hanging a barge off" refer to?

1. To remove and deliver a loaded barge from a multiple tow
2. To remove a barge while locking through
3. Mooring a barge to the bank and leaving it there ✓
4. Towing an empty barge astern