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Ground tackle and anchor types, scope of chain and rode, holding ground and bottom, and setting, veering, and weighing anchor.
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Common knots, bends, hitches, and whippings; their uses aboard; and basic fibre and wire line and rope work under load.
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Vessel stability — center of gravity and buoyancy, metacentric height (GM), righting arm, list and trim, and free-surface effect.
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Deck machinery and fittings — winches, capstans, windlasses, bitts, chocks, and cleats, and their safe operation.
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Line handling and mooring — mooring line arrangements (bow, stern, spring lines), making fast, heaving lines, and tending lines under load.
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Twin-screw vessel handling — using opposed engines and twin rudders to twist, back, and maneuver in close quarters.
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Single-screw maneuvering — propeller side force (prop walk), backing and turning, and using rudder and throttle to handle the vessel.
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GMDSS and VHF radiotelephone procedures — distress, urgency (pan-pan), and safety (securite) calls, Channel 16, and digital selective calling.
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Tides as the periodic vertical rise and fall of sea level, tidal currents as the horizontal flow that accompanies them, spring and neap ranges, the sounding datum charted depths are referred to, and using the NOAA Tide Tables and Tidal Current Tables to predict height of tide and time of slack water.
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Geographic coordinates on a nautical chart: latitude measured 0 to 90 degrees north or south of the equator and longitude 0 to 180 degrees east or west of the prime meridian, read off the side and top scales, and why distance is measured on the latitude scale because one minute of latitude equals one nautical mile.
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Vessel documentation and state numbering — the Certificate of Documentation, hailing port, tonnage threshold for documentation, and undocumented-vessel registration.
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Load lines and tonnage — freeboard and load-line (Plimsoll) marks, seasonal and zone marks, and gross and net register tonnage measurement basics.
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Measuring true course and distance between two charted points: laying the course line with parallel rules against the compass rose, reading distance off the latitude scale, and expressing the result as a true direction in three digits.
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Converting between true, magnetic and compass directions — the T-V-M-D-C sequence. Applying variation from the chart's compass rose and deviation from the vessel's card, easterly errors added when correcting compass to true ("correcting add east") and westerly errors added when uncorrecting true to compass ("uncorrecting add west").
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Fixing position from simultaneous bearings on three charted objects, and interpreting the cocked-hat triangle the three lines of position form when they do not meet at a point.
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Obtaining a fix from successive bearings on a single object: advancing the earlier line of position along the course steered for the distance run, and taking the intersection with the later bearing as the running fix.
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Advancing a dead-reckoning position to an estimated position by applying the set and drift of the current: the DR accounts for course steered and distance run, the EP adds the water's own movement over the elapsed time.
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Solving the current triangle for the course to steer so the vessel makes good an intended track: constructing the vector diagram from set, drift, intended track and speed through the water.
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Using a danger bearing on a charted object to stay clear of an off-lying hazard, and the danger circle drawn about a hazard, keeping the observed bearing on the safe side of the plotted limit.
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Determining closest point of approach and passing distance from a chart plot or relative motion plot: constructing the relative motion line from successive positions of the contact and measuring the perpendicular distance to own vessel.
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Applying tidal height predictions to charted soundings: charted depth is referred to the sounding datum, so the height of tide at the time is added to obtain the actual depth of water available.
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Allowing for leeway — the downwind displacement of a vessel from her steered course caused by wind on the hull and superstructure — and applying that allowance when plotting the course to steer.
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Standing a lookout and helm watch, steering commands, and the engine-order telegraph.
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Lifeboat and survival-craft operation, davit and launching devices, and lifesaving appliances.
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Man-overboard recovery, emergency towing, abandon-ship duties, and care of survivors.
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Booms, blocks, tackle, wire rope rigging, and safe working loads for cargo handling.
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Windlasses, winches, capstans, anchor windlass operation, and ground tackle components.
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Knots, bends, hitches, and splices; fibre and wire rope care; and line handling under load.
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Anchoring procedures, scope and holding ground, and mooring line arrangements.
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Basic safety procedures, general engine-room safety, and hazardous material handling.
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Lubrication principles, fuel oil storage and transfer, fuel treatment, and fuel service systems.
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Diesel engine operation, air-charge, cooling water, intake/exhaust, starting, and drive systems.
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Standing an engine-room watch, reading gauges and instruments, and engine-room terminology.
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Pipes, fittings, and valves; bilge and ballast systems; compressed air.
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Boiler fundamentals, combustion, feedwater and condensate, steam and turbine fundamentals.
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Fire prevention, firefighting equipment and principles, damage control, first aid, and emergency equipment.
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Bearing types and wear, lubrication of running gear, and care of equipment and machine parts.
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Use of hand and power tools, measuring instruments, and routine maintenance procedures.
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Generation equipment, motors, electrical maintenance, and electrical safety at the Oiler level.
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Refrigeration principles and shipboard refrigeration systems for the Oiler rating.
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Auxiliary machinery, heat exchangers, steering, desalination, potable water, and sanitary systems.
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Oil and MARPOL pollution prevention, discharge control, and environmental awareness.
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Diesel engine operation, air-charge, cooling water, intake/exhaust, starting, and drive systems.
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Basic safety procedures, general engine-room safety, and hazardous material handling.
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Pumps, fans, and blowers; pipes, fittings, and valves; bilge and ballast systems.
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DC and AC circuits, calculations, batteries, generation, motors, controllers, and distribution.
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Standing an engine-room watch, reading instruments and measuring devices, and terminology.
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Boiler fundamentals, combustion, feedwater, condensate, and steam/turbine fundamentals.
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Auxiliary machinery, deck machinery, steering, heating/ventilation, and remote control equipment.
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Fire prevention, firefighting equipment and principles, damage control, first aid, and communications.
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Basic thermodynamics, heat transfer, and heat exchanger operation aboard ship.
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Refrigeration principles and cycle, air conditioning, and shipboard refrigeration systems.
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Maintenance procedures, hand/power tools, measuring instruments, bearings, and drawings and tables.
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Hydraulic principles, hydraulic systems, and compressed-air (pneumatic) systems.
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Lubrication principles and systems, properties of fuel, fuel storage, transfer, and treatment.
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Oil and MARPOL pollution prevention, discharge control, and environmental awareness.
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Electrical safety practices, lockout/tagout, general engine-room safety, and hazardous materials.
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Direct-current circuits, Ohm's law calculations, and basic electronic principles.
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AC/DC motors, generation equipment, and their operating characteristics.
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The vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, refrigerants, compressors, condensers, and evaporators.
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Main and emergency switchboards, distribution systems, and circuit protection.
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Motor controllers, starters, and remote control equipment.
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Meters, measuring devices, and instrumentation principles for electrical systems.
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Fault isolation, troubleshooting methods, and electrical maintenance procedures.
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Air conditioning systems, heating and ventilation, and compressed-air systems.
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Fire prevention, firefighting equipment and principles, damage control, and pollution prevention.
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Battery types, charging, maintenance, and shipboard battery installations.
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Auxiliary machinery, heat exchangers, pumps, valves, bearings, lubrication, and steering.
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Alternating-current circuits, power calculations, and communication devices.
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