USCG Exam PracticeChart symbols and abbreviations (Chart No. 1)
A mariner is using a US nautical chart and notes that a lighthouse symbol (star) and a nearby buoy symbol (circle) are both shown. The mariner needs to plot the precise geographic position of each aid. Which statement is correct?
- ✓ The precise position of the lighthouse is the centre of the star; the precise position of the buoy is the centre of the circle.Correct
- B. The precise position of both aids is taken from the outermost point of their respective symbols.
- C. The precise position of the lighthouse is the centre of the star; the precise position of the buoy is taken from the tip of the buoy symbol.
- D. The precise position of both aids is the centre of the circle, as all aids use the same position convention.
Why A is correct
Chart No. 1 conventions, as reflected in the Light List Position Symbol entry, specify that the centre of the star is the charted position for a lighthouse and the centre of the small circle is the charted position for a buoy. Applying the wrong convention to either aid will introduce a position error. Light List — Position Symbol.