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U.S. Depa rtment

of Tra nsp orta tion

Unite d Sta te s

C oa st G uard

LIGHT LIST

Volume II

ATLANTIC COAST

Shrewsbury River, New Jersey to

This publication contains a list of lights, sound

signals, buoys, daybeacons, and other aids to navigation.

IMPORTANT

THIS PUBLICATION SHOULD BE CORRECTED

EACH WEEK FROM THE LOCAL NOTICES TO MARINERS

OR NOTICES TO MARINERS AS APPROPRIATE.

2000COMDTPUB P16502.2

Little River, South Carolina

Cover


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60O

40O

20O

60O

50O

50O

40O

20O

MIDWAY ISLANDS

VOL. VIPACIFIC COAST

AND PACIFIC ISLANDS

LIMITS OF LIGHT LISTS PUBLISHED BY

U.S. COAST GUARD

80O

60O

100O

120O

140O

160O

180O

80O

60O

100O

120O

140O

160O

180O

VOL. I ATLANTIC COAST

(St. Croix River, ME to Shrewsbury River, NJ)

VOL. II ATLANTIC COAST

(Shrewsbury River, NJ to Little River, SC)

VOL. III ATLANTIC COAST

(Little River, SC to Econfina River, FL)

VOL. VMISSISSIPPI

RIVER SYSTEM

VOL. VIIGREAT LAKES

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

AIDS TO NAVIGATION MAINTAINED BY UNITED STATES AT OTHER

PACIFIC ISLANDS ARE INCLUDED ON THE PACIFIC LIST

Aids maintained at

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands,

and Guantanamo Bay

included in Volume III.

VOL. IVGULF COAST

(Econfina River, FL to Rio Grande, TX)

Inside Front


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Inside Back

CONVERSION TABLES

FEET TO METERS(1 foot = 0.3048 meters) – (1 meter = 3.2808 feet)

Feet Meters Feet Meters Feet Meters Feet Meters Feet Meters Feet Meters

0 0 35 10.7 70 21.3 105 32.0 140 42.7 175 53.31 0.3 36 11.0 71 21.6 106 32.3 141 43.0 176 53.62 0.6 37 11.3 72 22.0 107 32.6 142 43.3 177 54.03 0.9 38 11.6 73 22.3 108 32.9 143 43.6 178 54.34 1.2 39 11.9 74 22.6 109 33.2 144 43.9 179 54.6

5 1.5 40 12.2 75 22.9 110 33.5 145 44.2 180 54.96 1.8 41 12.5 76 23.2 111 33.8 146 44.5 181 55.27 2.1 42 12.8 77 23.5 112 34.1 147 44.8 182 55.58 2.4 43 13.1 78 23.8 113 34.4 148 45.1 183 55.89 2.7 44 13.4 79 24.1 114 34.8 149 45.4 184 56.1

10 3.1 45 13.7 80 24.4 115 35.1 150 45.7 185 56.411 3.4 46 14.0 81 24.7 116 35.4 151 46.0 186 56.712 3.7 47 14.3 82 25.0 117 35.7 152 46.3 187 57.013 4.0 48 14.6 83 25.3 118 36.0 153 46.6 188 57.314 4.3 49 14.9 84 25.6 119 36.3 154 46.9 189 57.6

15 4.6 50 15.2 85 25.9 120 36.6 155 47.2 190 57.916 4.9 51 15.5 86 26.2 121 36.9 156 47.6 191 58.217 5.2 52 15.9 87 26.5 122 37.2 157 47.9 192 58.518 5.5 53 16.2 88 26.8 123 37.5 158 48.2 193 58.819 5.8 54 16.5 89 27.1 124 37.8 159 48.5 194 59.1

20 6.1 55 16.8 90 27.4 125 38.1 160 48.8 195 59.421 6.4 56 17.1 91 27.7 126 38.4 161 49.1 196 59.722 6.7 57 17.4 92 28.0 127 38.7 162 49.4 197 60.123 7.0 58 17.7 93 28.4 128 39.0 163 49.7 198 60.424 7.3 59 18.0 94 28.7 129 39.3 164 50.0 199 60.7

25 7.6 60 18.3 95 29.0 130 39.6 165 50.3 200 61.026 7.9 61 18.6 96 29.3 131 39.9 166 50.6 300 91.427 8.2 62 18.9 97 29.6 132 40.2 167 50.9 400 121.928 8.5 63 19.2 98 29.9 133 40.5 168 51.2 500 152.429 8.8 64 19.5 99 30.2 134 40.8 169 51.5 600 182.9

30 9.1 65 19.8 100 30.5 135 41.2 170 51.8 700 213.431 9.5 66 20.1 101 30.8 136 41.5 171 52.1 800 243.832 9.8 67 20.4 102 31.1 137 41.8 172 52.4 900 274.333 10.1 68 20.7 103 31.4 138 42.1 173 52.7 1000 304.8

34 10.4 69 21.0 104 31.7 139 42.4 174 53.0 2000 609.6

STATUTE MILES (St M) TO NAUTICAL MILES (NM)(1 St M = 5,280 feet) – (1 NM = 6,076.1 feet)

St M NM St M NM St M NM St M NM St M NM St M NM

1 0.9 21 18.3 41 35.6 61 53.0 81 70.4 101 87.82 1.7 22 19.1 42 36.5 62 53.9 82 71.3 102 88.63 2.6 23 20.0 43 37.4 63 54.8 83 72.1 103 89.54 3.5 24 20.9 44 38.2 64 55.6 84 73.0 104 90.35 4.4 25 21.7 45 39.1 65 56.5 85 73.9 105 91.2

6 5.2 26 22.6 46 40.0 66 57.4 86 74.7 106 92.17 6.1 27 23.5 47 40.8 67 58.2 87 75.6 107 93.0

8 7.0 28 24.3 48 41.7 68 59.1 88 76.4 108 93.89 7.8 29 25.2 49 42.6 69 60.0 89 77.3 109 94.710 8.7 30 26.1 50 43.5 70 60.8 90 78.2 110 95.6

11 9.6 31 26.9 51 44.3 71 61.7 91 79.1 111 96.512 10.4 32 27.8 52 45.2 72 62.6 92 80.0 112 97.313 11.3 33 28.7 53 46.1 73 63.4 93 80.9 113 98.214 12.2 34 29.6 54 46.9 74 64.3 94 81.7 114 99.115 13.0 35 30.4 55 47.8 75 65.2 95 82.6 115 99.9

16 13.9 36 31.3 56 48.7 76 66.0 96 83.4 116 100.817 14.8 37 32.2 57 49.5 77 66.9 97 84.3 117 101.718 15.6 38 33.0 58 50.4 78 67.8 98 85.2 118 102.519 16.5 39 33.9 59 51.3 79 68.7 99 86.0 119 103.420 17.4 40 34.8 60 52.1 80 69.5 100 86.9 120 104.3


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i

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, U.S. COAST GUARD

LIGHT LIST

Volume II

ATLANTIC COAST

Shrewsbury River, New Jersey to

Little River, South Carolina

2000 Edition

This publication contains a list of lights, soundsignals, buoys, daybeacons, and other aids to navigation.

Includes corrections through:Fifth Coast Guard District Local Notice toMariners No. 18/00, May 2, 2000

andNational Imagery and Mapping Agency Notice toMariners No. 22/00, May 27, 2000

IMPORTANT

THIS PUBLICATION SHOULD BE CORRECTED

EACH WEEK FROM THE LOCAL NOTICES TO MARINERS

OR NOTICES TO MARINERS AS APPROPRIATE.

COMDTPUB P16502.2

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEWASHINGTON, DC: 2000

For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402GPO Stock Number: 050-012-00412-9

ISBN: 0-16-059212-7


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ii

CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION.................. Page

Light List Coverage Diagram .....Inside front

Geographic Sections................................. iii

Preface...................................................... ivPrivate Aids to Navigation......................... iv

Record of Corrections ............................... ivCoast Guard District Commanders ........... v

Introduction ............................................. viDescription of Columns............................ vi

Related Publications................................ viiNotices to Mariners ................................. viiNautical Charts and Publications........... viii

Defects in Aids to Navigation.................. viiiU.S. Aids to Navigation System .............. viii

Types of Marks ....................................... viiiBuoys and Beacons ................................... x

Lighted Aids to Navigation......................... xOil Well Structures.................................. xii

Characteristics of Aids to Navigation....... xiiLight Colors ............................................. xiiLight Rhythms......................................... xii

Characteristics of Lights......................... xiiiShapes......................................................xv

Numbers...................................................xvDayboards ................................................xv

Other Short Range Aids to Navigation...xviiiVariations to the U.S. System ...............xviiiBridge Markings ..................................... xix

Electronic Aids to Navigation .................. xxRACONS .................................................. xx

Radar Reflectors ...................................... xxRadiobeacons .......................................... xx

Loran-C .................................................. xxiGlobal Positioning System (GPS)........... xxiiDifferential GPS (DGPS) ....................... xxiii

Navigation Information Service ............ xxiiiDGPS Sites – Atlantic Coast ..................xxiv

DGPS Sites Chartlet ...............................xxvGlossary of Aids to Navigation Terms....xxvi

Abbreviations Used in Broadcast Notices to Mariners .............................xxx

Geographic Range Table .......................xxxiiAids to Navigation (illustrated) ............xxxiiiLuminous Range Diagram..................xxxvii

Conversion Table (Feet to Meters) ......................Inside back

GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE................. Page

SEACOAST

New Jersey ................................................1

Delaware....................................................2Maryland ...................................................3

Virginia ......................................................3North Carolina...........................................6

BAYS, RIVERS & HARBORS

Barnegat Inlet............................................9Little Egg Inlet .........................................10Cape May Harbor.....................................13

Delaware Bay...........................................13Delaware River.........................................23

C & D Canal.............................................26Ocean City Inlet.......................................43

Chincoteague Bay....................................47Virginia Inside Passage............................51

Chesapeake Bay ......................................61Hampton Roads .......................................98

James River ...........................................103

York River..............................................122Rappahannock River .............................132

Potomac River........................................146Washington Channel (D.C.) ...................166

Patuxent River .......................................167Annapolis Harbor ..................................174Patapsco River .......................................180

Pokomoke Sound...................................193 Tangier Sound .......................................199

Choptank River......................................217Susquehanna River ...............................237

North Carolina Inlets .............................241Cape Fear River .....................................260Pamlico Sound.......................................276

Neuse River ...........................................290

INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY...............303

INDEX ...................................................345

CROSS REFERENCE ............................353


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iii

Geographic SectionsSection Page

1 Seacoast Aids – New Jersey to South Carolina............................................. 1

2 New Jersey to Delaware River....................................................................... 9

3 Delaware River ............................................................................................. 23

4 Cape Henlopen to Virginia Inside Passage.................................................... 41

5 Virginia Inside Passage to Chesapeake Bay Entrance .................................. 51

6 Lower Chesapeake Bay................................................................................. 62

7 Upper Chesapeake Bay ................................................................................ 72

8 Chesapeake Entrance to James River .......................................................... 85

9 James River.................................................................................................. 102

10 Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Mobjack Bay........................................... 118

11 Rappahannock River .................................................................................... 132

12 Lower Potomac River .................................................................................... 145

13 Upper Potomac River.................................................................................... 157

14 St. Jerome Creek to Magothy River .............................................................. 167

15 Approaches to Baltimore Harbor .................................................................. 180

16 Chesapeake Entrance to Tangier Sound....................................................... 189

17 Tangier Sound to Little Choptank River ....................................................... 201

18 Little Choptank River to Chester River ......................................................... 215

19 Chester River to Head of the Chesapeake Bay.............................................. 228

20 Oregon Inlet NC to New River ....................................................................... 241

21 New River and Cape Fear River .................................................................... 255

22 Currituck Sound to Pamlico Sound.............................................................. 269

23 Pamlico River, Neuse River, and Core Sound ............................................... 286

24 Intracoastal Waterway – New Jersey............................................................. 303

25 Intracoastal Waterway – Virginia to Neuse River, NC ................................... 316

26 Intracoastal Waterway – Neuse River, NC to Myrtle Grove Sound, NC.......... 327

27 Intracoastal Waterway – Myrtle Grove Sound, NC to Little River, SC ........... 337


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iv

PREFACE

Lights and other marine aids to navigation,maintained by or under authority of theU.S. Coast Guard and located on waters5used by general navigation, are describedin the Light List. This volume includesaids located between Shrewsbury River,New Jersey and Little River, South Caro-lina.10

Included are all Coast Guard aids to navi-gation used for general navigation. Not in-cluded are Coast Guard mooring buoysand some buoys having no lateral signifi-cance, such as special purpose, anchorage,15fish net, and dredging.

PRIVATE AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Included: Class I aids to navigation on ma-

rine structures or other works which theowners are legally obligated to establish,20maintain, and operate as prescribed by theCoast Guard.

Included: Class II aids to navigation exclu-sive of Class I, located in waters used by general navigation.25

Not included: Class III aids to navigationexclusive of Class I and Class II, located inwaters not ordinarily used by general navi-gation.

This Light List is published annually and is30

intended to furnish more complete infor-mation concerning aids to navigation thancan be conveniently shown on charts. It isnot intended to be used during navigationin place of charts or Coast Pilots. Charts35should be consulted for the location of allaids to navigation. It may be dangerous touse aids to navigation without reference tocharts.

This list is corrected to the date of the no-40tices to mariners shown on the title page.Changes made to aids to navigation duringthe year are published in U.S. Coast GuardLocal Notices to Mariners and National Im-

agery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Notices45to Mariners. Important changes to aids tonavigation are also broadcast throughCoast Guard or Naval radio stations. Mari-ners should keep their Light Lists, chartsand other nautical publications corrected50from these notices and should consult allnotices issued after the date of publicationof this Light List.

IMPORTANT: A summary of corrections for 55this publication, which includes corrections from the dates shown on the title page to the date of availability, is published in the Local Notices to Mariners and the Notices to Mari- ners. These corrections must be applied, in 60order to bring the Light List up-to-date. Addi- tionally, this publication should be corrected weekly from the Local Notices to Mariners or the Notices to Mariners, as appropriate.

Mariners and others are requested to bring65to the attention of the District Commander(see pg. v) or Commandant (G-OPN-2), U.S.Coast Guard, 2100 Second St., S.W.,Washington, DC 20593-0001, any apparenterrors or omissions in these lists.70

The 2000 edition supersedes the 1999

edition.

RECORD OF CORRECTIONS PUBLISHEDIN LOCAL/NOTICES TO MARINERS

YEAR 20___ 75

1 ............ 12 ...........23...........33........... 43 ...........

2 ............ 13 ...........24...........34........... 44 ...........

3 ............ 14 ...........25...........35........... 45 ...........

4 ............ 15 ...........26...........36........... 46 ...........

5 ............ 16 ...........27...........37........... 47 ...........80

6 ............ 17 ...........28...........38........... 48 ...........

7 ............ 18 ...........29...........39........... 49 ...........

8 ............ 19 ...........30...........40........... 50 ...........9 ............ 20 ...........31...........41........... 51 ...........

10...........21 ...........32...........42........... 52 ...........85

11 .......... 22 ...........

YEAR 20___

1 ............ 12 ...........23...........33........... 43 ...........

2 ............ 13 ...........24...........34........... 44 ...........

3 ............ 14 ...........25...........35........... 45 ...........90

4 ............ 15 ...........26...........36........... 46 ...........

5 ............ 16 ...........27...........37........... 47 ...........

6 ............ 17 ...........28...........38........... 48 ...........

7 ............ 18 ...........29...........39........... 49 ...........

8 ............ 19 ...........30...........40........... 50 ...........95

9 ............ 20 ...........31...........41........... 51 ...........

10...........21 ...........32...........42........... 52 ...........

11...........22 ...........


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v

COAST GUARD DISTRICT COMMANDERS

DISTRICT ADDRESS WATERS OF JURISDICTION

FIRST 408 Atlantic AvenueBoston, MA 02110-3350

PHONE: DAY 617-223-8338PHONE: NIGHT 617-223-8558

Maine, New Hampshire, Massachu-setts, Vermont (Lake Champlain),

Rhode Island, Connecticut, NewYork, to Shrewsbury River, New Jer-sey.

FIFTH Federal Building; 431CrawfordStreet; Portsmouth, VA 23704-5004PHONE: DAY 757-398-6486PHONE: NIGHT 757-398-6231

Shrewsbury River, New Jersey toDelaware, Maryland, Virginia, Dis-trict of Columbia and North Carolina.

SEVENTH Brickell Plaza Federal Building909 SE 1st Avenue; Rm: 406Miami, FL 33131-3050PHONE: DAY 305-415-6730PHONE: NIGHT 305-415-6800

South Carolina, Georgia, Florida to83° 50'W, and Puerto Rico and adja-cent islands of the United States.

EIGHTH Hale Boggs Federal Building501 Magazine StreetNew Orleans LA 70130-3396PHONE: DAY 504-589-6277PHONE: NIGHT 504-589-6225

Florida westward from 83°50'W, Ala-bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,the Mississippi River System exceptthat portion of the Illinois Rivernorth of Joliet, Illinois.

NINTH 1240 East 9th StreetCleveland, OH 44199-2060PHONE: DAY 216-902-6060PHONE: NIGHT 216-902-6117

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Riverabove St. Regis River.

ELEVENTH Coast Guard IslandBuilding 50-6Alameda, CA 94501-5100

PHONE: DAY 510-437-2976

California.

THIRTEENTH Federal Building915 Second AvenueSeattle, WA 98174-1067PHONE: DAY 206-220-7270PHONE: NIGHT 206-220-7004

Oregon, Washington, Idaho, andMontana.

FOURTEENTH Prince Kalanianaole Federal Bldg.300 Ala Moana Blvd9th Floor, Room 9139Honolulu, HI 96850-4982PHONE: DAY 808-541-2315PHONE: NIGHT 808-541-2500

Hawaiian, American Samoa, Mar-shall, Marianas, and Caroline Is-lands.

SEVENTEENTH P.O. Box 25517 Juneau, AK 99802-5517PHONE: DAY 907-463-2262PHONE: NIGHT 907-463-2004

Alaska.


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vi

INTRODUCTION5

Arrangement. Aids to navigation on theAtlantic coast from Shrewsbury River, NJ toLittle River, SC are listed in this volume.

Aids to navigation are arranged in geo-10

graphic order from north to south along theAtlantic coast. Seacoast aids to navigationare listed first, followed by entrance andharbor aids to navigation, listed from sea-ward to the head of navigation15

Names of aids to navigation are printed asfollows to help distinguish at a glance thetype of aid to navigation listed:

Seacoast Lights and Secondary Lights

Radiobeacons20

RACONS

Sound Signals

RIVER, HARBOR, AND OTHER LIGHTSLighted Buoys

Daybeacons and Unlighted Buoys25

Light List numbers are assigned to all aidsto navigation in order to facilitate referencein the Light List and to resolve ambiguity when referencing aids to navigation. Aids tonavigation are numbered by fives in accor-30dance with their order of appearance ineach volume of the Light List. Other num-bers and decimal fractions are assignedwhere newly established aids to navigationare listed between previously numbered35aids to navigation. The Light Lists are re-

numbered periodically to assign wholenumbers to all aids to navigation.

International numbers are assigned tocertain aids to navigation in cooperation40with the International Hydrographic Or-ganization. They consist of an alphabeticcharacter followed by three or four numericcharacters. A cross reference listing appearsafter the index.45

DESCRIPTION OF COLUMNS

Column (1): Light List number.

Column (2): Name of the aid to navigation.

A dash (–) is used to indicate the boldheading is part of the name of the aid to50navigation. When reporting defects ormaking reference to such aids to naviga-tion in correspondence, the full name of the aid, including the geographic heading,should be given.55

Bearings are in degrees true, read clock-

wise from 000° through 359°.

Bearings on rangelines are given in de-grees and tenths of minutes.

Column (3): Geographic position of the aid60to navigation in latitude and longitude.

NOTE: Latitude and longitude is approxi-mate, to the nearest second, and is in-tended only to facilitate locating the aid onthe chart.65

Column (4): Light characteristic for a lightedaid to navigation. Morse code characteristicfor a radiobeacon.

Column (5): Height above water from thefocal plane of the fixed light to mean high70water, listed in feet. For metric conversion,see table inside rear cover.

Column (6): Nominal range of lighted aids tonavigation, in nautical miles, listed by colorfor alternating sector and passing lights.75Not listed for ranges, directional lights orprivate aids to navigation.

Column (7): Structural characteristic of theaid to navigation, including; dayboard (if any), description of fixed structure, color80and type of buoy, height of structure aboveground.

Column (8): General remarks, including; fogsignal characteristic, RACON characteristic,light sector's arc of visibility, radar reflector85if installed on fixed structure, emergency lights, seasonal remarks, and private aid to

navigation identification.

Abbreviations used in the Light Lists.

Al – Alternating Mo - Morse Code90bl - blast Oc - OccultingC - Canadian ODAS - Anchoredec - Eclipse Oceanographicev - Every Data Buoy F – Fixed Q - Quick (Flash-95fl - flash ing)Fl - Flashing Ra ref - RadarFS - Fog Signal reflectorFl(2) - Group flashing RBN - Radiobeacon

G - Green R - Red100I - Interrupted s - secondsIso - Isophase (Equal si - silent interval) SPM - Single PointkHz - Kilohertz Mooring Buoy LFl - Long Flash W - White105lt - Lighted Y – YellowMHz - Megahertz


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vii

RELATED PUBLICATIONS5

OTHER LIGHT LISTS PUBLISHED BY THEU.S. COAST GUARD

VOLUME I, ATLANTIC COAST, describesaids to navigation from St. Croix River,10

Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey.

VOLUME III, ATLANTIC and GULF COASTS,describes aids to navigation from LittleRiver, South Carolina to Econfina River,Florida (includes Puerto Rico and U.S. Vir-15gin Islands).

VOLUME IV, GULF OF MEXICO, describesaids to navigation from Econfina River,Florida to the Rio Grande, Texas.

VOLUME V, MISSISSIPPI RIVER SYSTEM,20describes aids to navigation on the Missis-sippi River and its navigable tributaries.

VOLUME VI, PACIFIC COAST AND PACIFICISLANDS, describes aids to navigation onthe Pacific coast and outlying Pacific is-25lands.

VOLUME VII, GREAT LAKES, describes aidsto navigation on the Great Lakes and the St.Lawrence River above the St. Regis River.

Coast Guard Light Lists are sold by the Su-30perintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern-ment Printing Office (GPO) and can be or-dered by phone: (202) 512-1800; FAX: (202)512-2250; or mail: Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh,35PA 15250-7954. Light Lists are also avail-able at GPO Bookstores and from GPOSales Agents.

NOTICES TO MARINERS

Broadcast Notices to Mariners are made40by the Coast Guard through Coast Guardand Navy radio stations. These broadcastnotices, which are broadcast on VHF-FM,NAVTEX, and other maritime frequencies,are navigational warnings that contain in-45formation of importance to the safety of navigation. Included are reports of deficien-cies and changes to aids to navigation, the

positions of ice and derelicts, and other im-portant hydrographic information.50

Radio stations broadcasting Notices toMariners are listed in the National OceanService Coast Pilots and in the National Im-agery and Mapping Agency publication Ra-dio Navigational Aids (RAPUB 117).55

Local Notices to Mariners (U.S. regionalcoverage) are another means by which the

Coast Guard disseminates navigation in-formation for the United States, its territo-ries, and possessions. A Local Notice to60Mariners is issued by each Coast Guarddistrict and is used to report changes to,and deficiencies in, aids to navigationmaintained by and under the authority of

the Coast Guard. Local Notices to Mariners65

contain other marine information such aschannel depths, naval operations, regattas,etc., which may affect vessels and water-ways within the jurisdiction of each CoastGuard district. Reports of channel condi-70tions, obstructions, menaces to navigation,danger areas, new chart editions, etc., arealso included in the Local Notice to Mari-ners.

These notices are essential to all navigators75for the purposes of keeping their charts,Lights Lists, Coast Pilots and other nauticalpublications up-to-date. These notices arepublished as often as required, but usually weekly. They may be obtained, free of 80charge, by making application to the appro-priate Coast Guard district commander (seepg. v). Vessels operating in ports and wa-terways in several districts will have to ob-tain the Local Notice to Mariners from each85district in order to be fully informed.

Weekly Notices to Mariners (worldwidecoverage) are prepared jointly by the Na-tional Imagery and Mapping Agency, theU.S. Coast Guard, and the National Ocean90Service, and are published weekly by Na-tional Imagery and Mapping Agency.

The Weekly Notices to Mariners advisemariners of important matters affectingnavigational safety including new hydro-95graphic discoveries, changes in channelsand aids to navigation. Also included arecorrections to Light Lists, Coast Pilots, andSailing Directions. Foreign marine informa-tion is also included. This notice is intended100for mariners and others who have a need forinformation related to oceangoing opera-tions. Because it is intended for use by oceangoing vessels, many corrections thataffect small craft navigation and waters are105not included. Information concerning smallcraft is contained in the Coast Guard Local

Notices to Mariners only. The Weekly No-tices to Mariners may be obtained, free of charge, upon request to: National Ocean110Service (NOS): phone: (301) 436-8301/(800)638-8972; FAX: (301) 436-6829; or mail:National Ocean Service/NOAA, DistributionDivision N/ACC3, Riverdale, MD 20737-1199.115

Change of Address. Persons receiving theLocal Notices to Mariners or the Weekly


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Notices to Mariners are requested to notify 5the appropriate agency of a change of ad-dress, or when the Notices to Mariners areno longer needed. Both the old and new ad-dress should be given in the case of an ad-dress change.10

NAUTICAL CHARTS AND PUBLICATIONSCharts and Coast Pilots covering theUnited States and its territories are pub-lished by the National Ocean Service (NOS),Silver Spring, MD 20910, and are for sale by 15NOS and authorized NOS Sales Agents.

Sailing Directions covering the waters out-side of the U.S. and its territories are pub-lished by the National Imagery and MappingAgency and are sold through National20Ocean Service/NOAA.

Radio Navigational Aids (RAPUB 117) ispublished by the National Imagery andMapping Agency. This publication lists se-lected radio stations (worldwide) that pro-25vide services to mariners. Included are sta-tions transmitting radio navigation warn-ings, radio time signals, medical advice;chapters on distress, emergency and safety traffic; AMVER, and miscellaneous naviga-30tional instructions and procedures. Alsoincluded are descriptions of long range aidsto navigation such as Loran. Discussionsand instructions for use of radio naviga-tional aids are also provided. RAPUB 117 is35available from the National Ocean Serv-ice/NOAA.

A free catalog of available NOS/NOAAand/or NIMA products can be obtainedfrom NOS by phone: (301) 436-6990/(800)40638-8972; FAX: (301) 436-6829; or mail:National Ocean Service/NOAA, DistributionDivision N/ACC3, Riverdale, MD 20737-1199.

Maps for the Mississippi River System are45published by the various District Engineers,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Tide Tables and Tidal Current Tables areno longer printed or distributed by NOS.Private publishing companies are printing50the tables using data provided by NOS.

These products may be obtained from localstores that carry marine publications.

DEFECTS IN AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Mariners should realize the Coast Guard55cannot keep the thousands of aids to navi-gation comprising the U.S. Aids to Naviga-tion System under simultaneous and con-tinuous observation and that it is impossi-ble to maintain every aid to navigation op-60

erating properly and on its assigned posi-tion at all times. Therefore, for the safety of all mariners, any person who discovers anaid to navigation that is either off station orexhibiting characteristics other than those65listed in the Light Lists should promptly notify the nearest Coast Guard unit. Radio

messages should be prefixed "COAST GUARD" and transmitted directly to one of the U.S. Government radio stations listed in70Chapter 3, Section 300L, Radio Navigational Aids (RAPUB 117).

Recommendations and requests for aidsto navigation and to report aids to navi-gation that are no longer needed should75be mailed to the Coast Guard districtconcerned (see pg. v).

U.S. AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM

The waters of the United States and its ter-ritories are marked to assist navigation by 80the U.S. Aids to Navigation System. Thissystem encompasses buoys and beacons,conforming to the International Associationof Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) buoyageguidelines, and other short range aids to85navigation.

The U.S. Aids to Navigation System is in-tended for use with nautical charts. The ex-act meaning of a particular aid to navigationmay not be clear to the mariner unless the90appropriate nautical chart is consulted. In-formation supplementing that shown oncharts is contained in the Light List, CoastPilots, and Sailing Directions.

TYPES OF MARKS95

Lateral marks are buoys or beacons indi-cating the port and starboard sides of aroute to be followed, and are used in con-

junction with a conventional direction of buoyage.100

Generally, lateral aids to navigation indicatewhich side of an aid to navigation a vesselshould pass when channels are enteredfrom seaward and a vessel proceeds in theconventional direction of buoyage. Since all105channels do not lead from seaward, certainassumptions must be made so the system

can be consistently applied. In the absenceof a route leading from seaward, the con-ventional direction of buoyage generally 110follows a clockwise direction around landmasses.

Virtually all U.S. lateral marks are locatedin IALA Region B and follow the traditional3R rule of red, right, returning. In U.S.115waters, returning from seaward and pro-ceeding toward the head of navigation is


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generally considered as moving southerly 5along the Atlantic coast, westerly along theGulf coast and northerly along the Pacificcoast. In the Great Lakes, the conventionaldirection of buoyage is generally consideredwesterly and northerly, except on Lake10Michigan, where southerly movement is

considered as returning from sea. A sum-mary of the port and starboard hand lateralmark characteristics is contained in thefollowing table.15

Characteristic Port Hand Starboard Hand

Marks Marks

Color Green Red

Shape (buoys) Cylindrical Conical (nun)

(can) or pillar or pillar

Dayboard Green square Red triangle

Topmark (if Cylinder Cone, point

fitted) upward

Light Color Green Red

(if lighted)

Reflector Color Green RedNumber Odd Even

Preferred channel marks are aids to navi-gation which mark channel junctions orbifurcations and often mark wrecks or ob-structions. Preferred channel marks may 20normally be passed on either side by a ves-sel, but indicate to the mariner the pre-ferred channel. Preferred channel marks arecolored with red and green bands.

At a point where a channel divides, when25proceeding in the "conventional direction of buoyage", a preferred channel in IALA Re-gion B may be indicated by a modified portor starboard lateral mark as follows:

Characteristic Preferred Preferred

channel to channel to

starboard port

Color Green with one Red with one

broad red band broad green band

Shape (buoys) Cylindrical

(can) or pillar

Conical (nun) or

pillar

Dayboard Green square, Red triangle,

lower half red lower half green

Topmark Green square Red triangular

(when fitted) or cylinder cone, point upward

Light Color Green Red

(if lighted)

Rhythm Composite Composite

group flashing group flashing

(2+1) (2+1)

Reflector color Green Red

30

NOTE: U.S. lateral aids to navigation atcertain Pacific islands are located withinIALA Region A and thus exhibit opposite

color significance. Port hand marks are redwith square or cylindrical shapes while35starboard hand marks are green with trian-gular or conical shapes.

CAUTION: It may not always be possible topass on either side of preferred channel

aids to navigation. The appropriate nautical40

chart should always be consulted.

Non-lateral marks have no lateral signifi-cance, but may be used to supplement thelateral aids to navigation specified above.Occasionally, daybeacons or minor lights45outside of the normal channel will not havelateral significance since they do not definelimits to navigable waters. These aids tonavigation will utilize diamond-shaped day-boards and are divided into four diamond-50shaped sectors. The side sectors of thesedayboards are colored white, and the topand bottom sectors are colored black, red,or green as the situation dictates.

Safe water marks are used to mark fair-55ways, mid-channels, and offshore approachpoints, and have unobstructed water on allsides. They can also be used by the marinertransiting offshore waters to identify theproximity of intended landfall. Safe water60marks are red and white striped and have ared spherical topmark to further aid inidentification. If lighted, they display awhite light with the characteristic Morsecode "A".65

Isolated danger marks are erected on, ormoored above or near, an isolated danger,

which has navigable water all around it. These marks should not be approachedclosely without special caution.70

Isolated danger marks are colored withblack and red bands, and if lighted, display a group flashing (2) white light. A topmarkconsisting of two black spheres, one abovethe other, is fitted for both lighted and un-75lighted marks.

Special marks are not intended to assist innavigation, but rather to alert the marinerto a special feature or area. The featureshould be described in a nautical document80

such as a chart, Light List, Coast Pilot orNotice to Mariner. Some areas which may be marked by these aids to navigation arespoil areas, pipelines, traffic separationschemes, jetties, or military exercise areas.85Special marks are yellow in color and, if lighted, display a yellow light.

Information and regulatory marks areused to alert the mariner to various warn-ings or regulatory matters. These marks90


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have orange geometric shapes against a5white background. The meanings associ-ated with the orange shapes are as follows:

1) An open-faced diamond signifies dan-ger.

2) A diamond shape having a cross cen-10

tered within indicates that vessels areexcluded from the marked area.

3) A circular shape indicates that certainoperating restrictions are in effectwithin the marked area.15

BUOYS AND BEACONS

The IALA maritime buoyage guidelines ap-ply to buoys and beacons that indicate thelateral limits of navigable channels, ob-structions, other dangers such as wrecks,20and other areas or features of importance tothe mariner. This system provides five typesof marks: lateral marks, safe water marks,special marks, isolated danger marks andcardinal marks. (Cardinal marks are not25presently used in the United States.) Eachtype of mark is differentiated from othertypes by distinctive colors, shapes and lightrhythms. Examples are provided on the en-closed color illustrations.30

Buoys are floating aids to navigation usedextensively throughout U.S. waters. They are moored to the seabed by concrete sink-ers with chain or synthetic rope moorings of various lengths connected to the buoy 35body. Buoy positions represented on nautical

charts are approximate positions only, due tothe practical limitations of positioning andmaintaining buoys and their sinkers in pre-cise geographical locations. Buoy positions40are normally verified during periodic main-tenance visits. Between visits, atmosphericand sea conditions, seabed slope and com-position, and collisions or other accidentsmay cause buoys to shift from their charted45locations, or cause buoys to be sunk orcapsized.

Buoy moorings vary in length. The mooringlengths define a watch circle, and buoys canbe expected to move within this circle. Ac-50

tual watch circles do not coincide with thesymbols representing them on charts.

CAUTION: Mariners attempting to pass abuoy close aboard risk collision with a

yawing buoy or with the obstruction which55the buoy marks. Mariners must not rely onbuoys alone for determining their positionsdue to factors limiting buoy reliability. Pru-dent mariners will use bearings or anglesfrom fixed aids to navigation and shore ob-60

jects, soundings and various methods of electronic navigation to positively fix theirposition.

Beacons are aids to navigation which arepermanently fixed to the earth's surface.65

These structures range from lighthouses to

small unlighted daybeacons, and exhibit adaymark to make these aids to navigationreadily visible and easily identifiable againstbackground conditions. The daymark con-70veys to the mariner, during daylight hours,the same significance as does the aid tonavigation's light at night.

CAUTION: Vessels should not pass fixedaids to navigation close aboard due to the75danger of collision with rip-rap or structurefoundations, or with the obstruction ordanger being marked.

LIGHTED AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Most lighted aids to navigation are80equipped with controls which automatically cause the light to operate during darknessand to be extinguished during daylight.

These devices are not of equal sensitivity,therefore all lights do not come on or go off 85at the same time. (Mariners should ensurecorrect identification of aids to navigationduring twilight periods when some lightedaids to navigation are lit while others arenot.)90

The lighting apparatus is serviced at peri-odic intervals to assure reliable operation,but there is always the possibility of a light

being extinguished or operating improperly. The condition of the atmosphere has a con-95siderable effect upon the distance at whichlights can be seen. Sometimes lights areobscured by fog, haze, dust, smoke, or pre-cipitation which may be present at the light,or between the light and the observer, and100which is possibly unknown by the observer.Atmospheric refraction may cause a light tobe seen farther than under ordinary cir-cumstances.

A light of low intensity will be easily ob-105scured by unfavorable conditions of the at-mosphere and little dependence can be

placed on it being seen. For this reason, theintensity of a light should always be consid-ered when expecting to sight it in thick110weather. Haze and distance may reduce theapparent duration of the flash of a light. Insome atmospheric conditions, white lightsmay have a reddish hue. Lights placed athigh elevations are more frequently ob-115scured by clouds, mist, and fog than thoselights located at or near sea level.


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In regions where ice conditions prevail in5the winter, the lantern panes of unattendedlights may become covered with ice orsnow, which will greatly reduce the visibil-ity of the lights and may also cause coloredlights to appear white.10

The increasing use of brilliant shore lightsfor advertising, illuminating bridges, andother purposes, may cause marine naviga-tional lights, particularly those in densely inhabited areas, to be outshone and diffi-15cult to distinguish from the backgroundlighting. Mariners are requested to reportsuch cases in order that steps may be takento improve the conditions.

The "loom" (glow) of a powerful light is often20seen beyond the limit of visibility of theactual rays of the light. The loom may sometimes appear sufficiently sharp enoughto obtain a bearing. At short distances,some flashing lights may show a faint con-25tinuous light between flashes.

The distance of an observer from a lightcannot be estimated by its apparent inten-sity. Always check the characteristics of lights so powerful lights, visible in the dis-30tance, are not mistaken for nearby lights(such as those on lighted buoys) showingsimilar characteristics of low intensity. If lights are not sighted within a reasonabletime after prediction, a dangerous situation35may exist requiring prompt resolution oraction in order to ensure the safety of thevessel.

The apparent characteristic of a complexlight may change with the distance of the40observer. For example, a light which actu-ally displays a characteristic of fixed whitevaried by flashes of alternating white andred (the rhythms having a decreasing rangeof visibility in the order: flashing white,45flashing red, fixed white) may, when firstsighted in clear weather, show as a simpleflashing white light. As the vessel drawsnearer, the red flash will become visible andthe characteristics will apparently be alter-50nating flashing white and red. Later, thefixed white light will be seen between theflashes and the true characteristic of the

light will finally be recognized as fixedwhite, alternating flashing white and red (F55W Al WR).

If a vessel has considerable vertical motiondue to pitching in heavy seas, a lightsighted on the horizon may alternately ap-pear and disappear. This may lead the un-60wary to assign a false characteristic andhence, to err in its identification. The truecharacteristic will be evident after the dis-

tance has been sufficiently decreased or by increasing the height of eye of the observer.65

Similarly, the effects of wave motion onlighted buoys may produce the appearanceof incorrect light phase characteristicswhen certain flashes occur, but are not

viewed by the mariner. In addition, buoy 70

motion can reduce the distance at whichbuoy lights are detected.

Sectors of colored glass are placed in thelanterns of some lights in order to producea system of light sectors of different colors.75In general, red sectors are used to markshoals or to warn the mariner of other ob-structions to navigation or of nearby land.Such lights provide approximate bearinginformation, since observers may note the80change of color as they cross the boundary between sectors. These boundaries are in-dicated in the Light List (Col. 8) and by dotted lines on charts. These bearings, asall bearings referring to lights, are given in85true degrees from 000° to 359°, as observedfrom a vessel toward the light.

Altering course on the changing sectors of alight or using the boundaries between lightsectors to determine the bearing for any 90purpose is not recommended. Be guidedinstead by the correct compass bearing tothe light and do not rely on being able toaccurately observe the point at which thecolor changes. This is difficult to determine95because the edges of a colored sector can-not be cut off sharply. On either side of theline of demarcation between white, red, or

green sectors, there is always a small arc of uncertain color. Moreover, when haze or100smoke are present in the intervening at-mosphere, a white sector might have a red-dish hue.

The area in which a light can be observed isnormally an arc with the light as the center105and the range of visibility as the radius.However, on some bearings the range may be reduced by obstructions. In such cases,the obstructed arc might differ with heightof eye and distance. When a light is cut off 110by adjoining land and the arc of visibility isgiven, the bearing on which the light disap-

pears may vary with the distance of the ves-sel from which observed and with theheight of eye. When the light is cut off by a115sloping hill or point of land, the light may be seen over a wider arc by a vessel fartheraway than by one closer to the light.

The arc drawn on charts around a light isnot intended to give information as to the120distance at which it can be seen, but solely to indicate, in the case of lights which do


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not show equally in all directions, the5bearings between which the variation of visibility or obstruction of the light occurs.

OIL WELL STRUCTURES

Oil well structures in navigable waters are

not listed in the Light List. The structures10

are shown on the appropriate nauticalcharts. Information concerning the locationand characteristics of those structureswhich display lights and sound signals notlocated in obstruction areas are published15in Local and/or Weekly Notices to Mariners.

In general, during the nighttime, a series of white lights are displayed extending fromthe platform to the top of the derrick whendrilling operations are in progress. At other20times, structures are usually marked withone or more fixed or quick flashing white orred lights, visible for at least one nauticalmile during clear weather. Obstructionswhich are a part of the appurtenances to25the main structure, such as mooring piles,anchor and mooring buoys, etc., normally are not lighted. In addition, some of thestructures are equipped with sound signals(bell, siren, whistle, or horn). When operat-30ing, bells sound one stroke every 15 sec-onds, while sirens, whistles, or horns sounda single two-second blast every 20 seconds.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AIDS TONAVIGATION35

LIGHT COLORS

Only aids to navigation with green or redlights have lateral significance. When pro-ceeding in the conventional direction of buoyage, the mariner in IALA Region B,40may see the following lighted aids to navi-gation:

Green lights on aids to navigation mark portsides of channels and locations of wrecks orobstructions which must be passed by 45keeping these lighted aids to navigation onthe port hand of a vessel. Green lights arealso used on preferred channel markswhere the preferred channel is to starboard(i.e., aid to navigation left to port when pro-50

ceeding in the conventional direction of buoyage).

Red lights on aids to navigation mark star-board sides of channels and locations of

wrecks or obstructions which must be55passed by keeping these lighted aids tonavigation on the starboard hand of a ves-sel. Red lights are also used on preferredchannel marks where the preferred channelis to port (i.e., aid to navigation left to star-60board when proceeding in the conventional

direction of buoyage).White and yellow lights have no lateral sig-nificance. The purpose of aids to navigationexhibiting white or yellow lights may be65determined by the shapes, colors, letters,and light rhythms.

Most aids to navigation are fitted with retro-reflective material to increase their visibility in darkness. Red or green retroreflective70material is used on lateral aids to naviga-tion which, if lighted, will display lights of the same color.

LIGHT RHYTHMS

Light rhythms have no lateral significance.75Aids to navigation with lateral significanceexhibit flashing, quick, occulting orisophase light rhythms. Ordinarily, flashinglights (frequency not exceeding 30 flashesper minute) will be used.80

Preferred channel marks exhibit a compos-ite group-flashing light rhythm of twoflashes followed by a single flash.

Safe water marks show a white Morse code"A" rhythm (a short flash followed by a long85flash).

Isolated danger marks show a white flash-ing (2) rhythm (two flashes repeated regu-larly).

Special marks show yellow lights and ex-90hibit a flashing or fixed rhythm; however, aflashing rhythm is preferred.

Information and regulatory marks, whenlighted, display a white light with any lightrhythm except quick flashing, flashing (2)95and Morse code "A".

For situations where lights require a dis-

tinct cautionary significance, as at sharpturns, sudden channel constrictions,wrecks or obstructions, a quick flashing100light rhythm will be used.


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CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHTS

1. Fixed. A light showing continuously and steadily.

Type Description AbbreviationIllustration

F

2.1 Single-occulting.

An occulting light in which an eclipse is regularly repeated.

2. Occult ing. A light in which the total duration of light in a period is longer

than the total duration of darkness and the intervals of darkness

(eclipses) are usually of equal duration.

Oc

period

2.2 Group-occult ing. An occulting light in which a group of eclipses, specified in

numbers, is regularly repeated.

Oc (2)

period

2.3 Composite group-occul ting. A light, similar to a group-occulting light, except that

successive groups in a period have different numbers of eclipses.

Oc (2+1)

period

3. Isophase. A light in which all durations of light and darkness are equal.

4. Flashing. A light in which the total duration of light in a period is shorter

than the total duration of darkness and the appearances of

light (flashes) are usually of equal duration.

Is o

period

4.1 Single-flashing. A flashing light in which a flash is regularly repeated

(frequency not exceeding 30 flashes per minute).

FI

period

xiii


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CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHTS (continued)

4.2 Group-flashing. A flashing light in which a group of flashes, specified

in number, is regularly repeated.

Type Description AbbreviationIllustration

FI (2)

4.3 Composite group-flashing. A light similar to a group flashing light except that successive

groups in the period have different numbers of flashes.

5. Quick.

A light in which flashes are produced ata rate of 60 flashes per minute.

FI (2+1)

5.1 Continuous quick. A quick light in which a flash is regularly repeated.

Q

5.2 Interrupted quick. A quick light in which the sequence of flashes is interrupted

by regularly repeated eclipses of constant and long duration.

IQ

6. MORSE CODE. A light in which appearances of light of two clearly different

durations (dots and dashes) are grouped to represent a

character or characters in the Morse code.

Mo (A)

period

period

period

7. Fixed and flashing. A light in which a fixed light is combined with a flashing

light of higher luminous intensity.

FFI

period

8. ALTERNATING. A light showing different colors alternately

AI RW

period

R W R W R W R W R W

xiv


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SHAPES5

In order to provide easy identification,certain unlighted buoys and dayboards onbeacons are differentiated by shape. Theseshapes are laterally significant only whenassociated with laterally significant colors.10

Cylindrical buoys (referred to as "canbuoys") and square dayboards mark theleft side of a channel when proceeding fromseaward. These aids to navigation are as-sociated with solid green or green and red15banded marks where the topmost band isgreen.

Conical buoys (referred to as "nun buoys")and triangular dayboards mark the rightside of the channel when proceeding from20seaward. These aids to navigation are as-sociated with solid red or red and greenbanded marks where the topmost band isred.

Unless fitted with topmarks; lighted,25sound, pillar, and spar buoys have noshape significance. Their meanings areconveyed by their numbers, colors, andlight characteristics.

NUMBERS30

All solid red and solid green aids to navi-gation are numbered, with red aids tonavigation bearing even numbers andgreen aids to navigation bearing odd num-bers. The numbers for each increase from35seaward, proceeding in the conventional

direction of buoyage. Numbers are kept inapproximate sequence on both sides of thechannel by omitting numbers where nec-essary.40

Letters may be used to augment numberswhen lateral aids to navigation are addedto channels with previously completednumerical sequences. Letters will increasein alphabetical order from seaward, pro-45ceeding in the conventional direction of buoyage and are added to numbers as suf-fixes.

No other aids to navigation are numbered.

Preferred channel, safe water, isolated50danger, special marks, and informationand regulatory aids to navigation may belettered, but not numbered.

DAYBOARDS

In order to describe the appearance and55purpose of each dayboard used in the U.S.System, standard designations have beenformulated. A brief explanation of the des-

ignations and of the purpose of each typeof dayboard in the system is given below,60followed by a verbal description of the ap-pearance of each dayboard type.

Designations:

1. First Letter - Shape or PurposeS: Square used to mark the port (left)65side of channels when proceeding fromseaward.

T: Triangle used to mark the starboard(right) side of channels when pro-ceeding from seaward.70

J: Junction (square or triangle) usedto mark (preferred channel) junctionsor bifurcations in the channel, orwrecks or obstructions which may bepassed on either side; color of top75band has lateral significance for thepreferred channel.

M: Safe water (octagonal) used to markthe fairway or middle of the channel.

C: Crossing (western rivers only) dia-80mond-shaped, used to indicate thepoints at which the channel crossesthe river.

K: Range (rectangular) when both thefront and rear range dayboards are85aligned on the same bearing, the ob-server is on the azimuth of the range,usually used to mark the center of the

channel.

N: No lateral significance (diamond or90rectangular-shaped) used for specialpurpose, warning, distance, or locationmarkers.

2. Second letter - Key color

G - Green R - Red95B - Black W - WhiteY - Yellow

3. Third letter (color of center stripe; rangedayboards only)100

4. Additional information after a (-)

-I: Intracoastal Waterway; a yellow re-flective horizontal strip on a dayboard;indicates the aid to navigation marksthe Intracoastal Waterway.105

-SY: Intracoastal Waterway; a yellowreflective square on a dayboard; indi-cates the aid to navigation is a port


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hand mark for vessels traversing the5Intracoastal Waterway. May appear ona triangular daymark where the Intra-coastal Waterway coincides with a wa-terway having opposite conventional di-rection of buoyage.10

-TY: Intracoastal Waterway; a yellowreflective triangle on a dayboard; indi-cates the aid to navigation is a star-board hand mark for vessels traversingthe Intracoastal Waterway. May appear15on a square daymark where the Intra-coastal Waterway coincides with a wa-terway having opposite conventional di-rection of buoyage.

Example: The designation KRW-I indicates20a range dayboard (K); key color red (R);with a white stripe (W); in the IntracoastalWaterway (-I).

Descriptions:

SG: Square green dayboard with a green25reflective border.

SG-I: Square green dayboard with a greenreflective border and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

SG-SY: Square green dayboard with a30green reflective border and a yellow reflec-tive square.

SG-TY: Square green dayboard with agreen reflective border and a yellow reflec-tive triangle.35

SR: Square red dayboard with a red reflec-tive border. (IALA Region "A")

TG: Triangular green dayboard with a greenreflective border. (IALA Region "A")

TR: Triangular red dayboard with a red re-40flective border.

TR-I: Triangular red dayboard with a redreflective border and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

TR-SY: Triangular red dayboard with a red45

reflective border and a yellow reflectivesquare.

TR-TY: Triangular red dayboard with a redreflective border and a yellow reflective tri-angle.50

JG: Dayboard bearing horizontal bands of green and red, green band topmost, with agreen reflective border.

JG-I: Square dayboard bearing horizontalbands of green and red, green band top-55most, with a green reflective border and a

yellow reflective horizontal strip.

JG-SY: Square dayboard bearing horizontalbands of green and red, green band top-

most, with a green reflective border and a60

yellow reflective square.

JG-TY: Square dayboard bearing horizontalbands of green and red, green band top-most, with a green reflective border and a

yellow reflective triangle.65

JR: Dayboard bearing horizontal bands of red and green, red band topmost, with ared reflective border.

JR-I: Triangular dayboard bearing hori-zontal bands of red and green, red band70topmost, with a red reflective border and a

yellow horizontal strip.

JR-SY: Triangular dayboard bearing hori-zontal bands of red and green, red bandtopmost, with a red reflective border and a75

yellow reflective square.

JR-TY: Triangular dayboard bearing hori-zontal bands of red and green, red bandtopmost, with a red reflective border and a

yellow reflective triangle.80

MR: Octagonal dayboard bearing stripes of white and red, with a white reflective bor-der.

MR-I: Octagonal dayboard bearing stripesof white and red, with a white reflective85border and a yellow reflective horizontalstrip.

CG: Diamond-shaped dayboard dividedinto four diamond-shaped colored sectorswith the sectors at the side corners white90and the sectors at the top and bottom cor-ners green, with a white reflective border.

CR: Diamond-shaped dayboard dividedinto four diamond-shaped colored sectorswith the sectors at the side corners white95and the sectors at the top and bottom cor-

ners red, with a white reflective border.

KBG: Rectangular black dayboard bearinga central green stripe.

KBG-I: Rectangular black dayboard bearing100a central green stripe and a yellow reflec-tive horizontal strip.

KBR: Rectangular black dayboard bearing acentral red stripe.


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KBR-I: Rectangular black dayboard bearing5a central red stripe and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

KBW: Rectangular black dayboard bearinga central white stripe.

KBW-I: Rectangular black dayboard bear-10

ing a central white stripe and a yellow re-flective horizontal strip.

KGB: Rectangular green dayboard bearinga central black stripe.

KGB-I: Rectangular green dayboard bear-15ing a central black stripe and a yellow re-flective horizontal strip.

KGR: Rectangular green dayboard bearinga central red stripe.

KGR-I: Rectangular green dayboard bear-20ing a central red stripe and a yellow reflec-tive horizontal strip.

KGW: Rectangular green dayboard bearinga central white stripe.

KGW-I: Rectangular green dayboard bear-25ing a central white stripe and a yellow re-flective horizontal strip.

KRB: Rectangular red dayboard bearing acentral black stripe.

KRB-I: Rectangular red dayboard bearing a30central black stripe and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

KRG: Rectangular red dayboard bearing acentral green stripe.

KRG-I: Rectangular red dayboard bearing a35central green stripe and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

KRW: Rectangular red dayboard bearing acentral white stripe.

KRW-I: Rectangular red dayboard bearing a40central white stripe and a yellow reflectivehorizontal strip.

KWB: Rectangular white dayboard bearinga central black stripe.

KWB-I: Rectangular white dayboard bear-45ing a central black stripe and a yellow re-flective horizontal strip.

KWG: Rectangular white dayboard bearinga central green stripe.

KWG-I: Rectangular white dayboard bear-50

ing a central green stripe and a yellow re-flective horizontal strip.

KWR: Rectangular white dayboard bearinga central red stripe.

KWR-I: Rectangular white dayboard bear-55ing a central red stripe and a yellow reflec-tive horizontal strip.

NB: Diamond-shaped dayboard dividedinto four diamond-shaped colored sectorswith the sectors at the side corners white60and the sectors at the top and bottom cor-ners black, with a white reflective border.

NG: Diamond-shaped dayboard dividedinto four diamond-shaped colored sectorswith the sectors at the side corners white65and the sectors at the top and bottom cor-ners green, with a white reflective border.

NR: Diamond-shaped dayboard dividedinto four diamond-shaped colored sectorswith the sectors at the side corners white70and the sectors at the top and bottom cor-ners red, with a white reflective border.

NW: Diamond-shaped white dayboard withan orange reflective border and black let-

ters describing the information or regula-75tory nature of the mark.

ND: Rectangular white mileage markerwith black numerals indicating the milenumber (western rivers only).

NL: Rectangular white location marker with80an orange reflective border and black let-ters indicating the location.

NY: Diamond-shaped yellow dayboard with yellow reflective border.

These abbreviated descriptions are used in85

column (7) and may also be found on theillustration of U.S. Aids to Navigation Sys-tem.


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OTHER SHORT RANGE AIDS TO NAVI-5GATION

Lighthouses are placed on shore or on ma-rine sites and most often do not show lat-eral markings. They assist the mariner indetermining his position or safe course, or10

warn of obstructions or dangers to naviga-tion. Lighthouses with no lateral signifi-cance usually exhibit a white light.

Occasionally, lighthouses use sectoredlights to mark shoals or warn mariners of 15other dangers. Lights so equipped show onecolor from most directions and a differentcolor or colors over definite arcs of the hori-zon as indicated on the appropriate nauticalchart. These sectors provide approximate20bearing information and the observershould note a change of color as theboundary between the sectors is crossed.Since sector bearings are not precise, they should be considered as a warning only,25and used in conjunction with a nauticalchart.

Seasonal aids to navigation are placedinto service or changed at specified times of the year. The dates shown in the Light List30(Col. 8) are approximate and may vary dueto adverse weather or other conditions.

Ranges are non-lateral aids to navigationsystems employing dual beacons whichwhen the structures appear to be in line,35assist the mariner in maintaining a safecourse. The appropriate nautical chart mustbe consulted when using ranges to deter-

mine whether the range marks the center-line of the navigable channel and also what40section of the range may be safely trav-ersed. Ranges display rectangular day-boards of various colors and are generally,but not always lighted. When lighted,ranges may display lights of any color.45

Sound signal is a generic term used to de-scribe aids to navigation that produce anaudible signal designed to assist the mari-ner in fog or other periods of reduced visi-bility. These aids to navigation can be acti-50vated by several means (e.g., manually, re-motely, or fog detector). In cases where a

fog detector is in use, there may be a delay in the automatic activation of the signal.Additionally, fog detectors may not be capa-55ble of detecting patchy fog conditions.Sound signals are distinguished by theirtone and phase characteristics.

Tones are determined by the devices pro-ducing the sound, e.g., diaphones, dia-60phragm horns, sirens, whistles, bells, andgongs.

Phase characteristics are defined by thesignal's sound pattern, i.e., the number of blasts and silent periods per minute and65their durations. Sound signals soundedfrom fixed structures generally produce aspecific number of blasts and silent periodseach minute when operating. Buoy sound

signals are generally activated by the mo-70

tion of the sea and therefore do not emit aregular signal characteristic. It is common,in fact, for a buoy to produce no sound sig-nal when seas are calm. Mariners are re-minded that buoy positions are not always75reliable.

The characteristic of a sound signal can belocated in column (8) of the Light List. Un-less it is specifically stated that a soundsignal "Operates continuously", or the sig-80nal is a bell, gong, or whistle on a buoy, itcan be assumed that the sound signal only operates during times of fog, reduced visi-bility, or adverse weather.

An emergency sound signal is sounded at85some locations when the main and standby signals are inoperative. If the emergency signal is of a different type or characteristicthan the main signal, its characteristic islisted in column (8) of this publication.90

CAUTION: Mariners should not rely onsound signals to determine their position.Distance cannot be accurately determinedby sound intensity. Occasionally, soundsignals may not be heard in areas close to95their location. Signals may not sound incases where fog exists close to, but not at,

the location of the sound signal.

VARIATIONS TO THE U.S. SYSTEM

Intracoastal Waterway aids to navigation:100 The Intracoastal Waterway runs parallel tothe Atlantic and Gulf coasts fromManasquan Inlet, New Jersey to the Mexi-can border. Aids to navigation markingthese waters have some portion of them105marked with yellow. Otherwise, the coloringand numbering of the aids to navigationfollow the same system as that in other U.S.waterways.

In order that vessels may readily follow the110Intracoastal Waterway route, special mark-ings are employed. These marks consist of a

yellow square and yellow triangle and indi-cate which side the aid to navigation shouldbe passed when following the conventional115direction of buoyage. The yellow square in-dicates that the aid to navigation should bekept on the left side and the yellow triangleindicates that the aid to navigation shouldbe kept on the right side.120


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NOTE: The conventional direction of 5buoyage in the Intracoastal Waterway isgenerally southerly along the Atlantic coastand generally westerly along the Gulf coast.

The Western Rivers System, a variation of the standard U.S. Aids to Navigation System10

described in the preceding sections, is em-ployed on the Mississippi River and itstributaries above Baton Rouge, LA and oncertain other rivers which flow toward theGulf of Mexico.15

The Western Rivers System varies from thestandard U.S. system as follows:

1) Aids to navigation are not num-bered.

2) Numbers on aids to navigation do20not have lateral significance, but ratherindicate mileage from a fixed point(normally the river mouth).

3) Diamond shaped crossing day-boards, red and white or green and25white as appropriate, and are used toindicate where the river channel crossesfrom one bank to the other.

4) Lights on green aids to navigationshow a single-flash characteristic which30may be green or white.

5) Lights on red aids to navigationshow a group-flash characteristic whichmay be red or white.

6) Isolated danger marks are not used.35

Uniform State Waterway Marking System(USWMS): This system was developed in1966 to provide an easily understood sys-tem for operators of small boats. While de-signed for use on lakes and other inland40waterways that are not portrayed on nauti-cal charts, the USWMS was authorized foruse on other waters as well. It supplementsthe existing Federal marking system and isgenerally compatible with it.45

The conventional direction of buoyage isconsidered upstream or towards the head of

navigation.

The USWMS varies from the standard U.S.system as follows:50

1) The color black is used instead of green.

2) There are three aids to navigationwhich reflect cardinal significance:

a. A white buoy with a red top indi-55cates an obstruction and the buoy should be passed to the south orwest.

b. A white buoy with a black topindicates an obstruction and the60

buoy should be passed to the northor east.

c. A red and white vertically stripedbuoy indicates that an obstructionexists between that buoy and the65nearest shore.

3) Mooring buoys are white buoys witha horizontal blue band midway betweenthe water line and the top of the buoy.

This buoy may be lighted and will gen-70erally show a slow flashing light.

BRIDGE MARKINGS

Bridges across navigable waters are gener-ally marked with red, green and/or white75lights for nighttime navigation. Red lightsmark piers and other parts of the bridge.Red lights are also used on drawbridges toshow when they are in the closed position.

Green lights are used on drawbridges to80show when they are in the open position.

The location of these lights will vary ac-cording to the bridge structure. Green lightsare also used to mark the centerline of navigable channels through fixed bridges. If 85

there are two or more channels through thebridge, the preferred channel is also markedby three white lights in a vertical line abovethe green light.

Red and green retroreflective panels may be90used to mark bridge piers and may also beused on bridges not required to display lights.

Main channels through bridges may bemarked by lateral red and green lights and95dayboards. Adjacent piers should bemarked with fixed yellow lights when themain channel is marked with lateral aids to

navigation.

Centerlines of channels through fixed100bridges may be marked with a safe watermark and an occulting white light when lat-eral marks are used to mark main channels.

The centerline of the navigable channelthrough the draw span of floating bridges105may be marked with a special mark. Themark will be a yellow diamond with yellowretroreflective panels and may exhibit a


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yellow light that displays a Morse code "B"(-5...).

Clearance gauges may be installed to en-hance navigation safety. The gauges are lo-cated on the right channel pier or pier pro-tective structure facing approaching ves-10

sels. They indicate the vertical clearanceavailable under the span.

Drawbridges equipped with radiotelephonesdisplay a blue and white sign which indi-cates what VHF radiotelephone channels15should be used to request bridge openings.

ELECTRONIC AIDS TO NAVIGATION

RACONS

Aids to navigation may be enhanced by theuse of RAdar beaCONS (RACONS).20RACONS, when triggered by pulses from avessel's radar, will transmit a coded reply to the vessel's radar. This reply serves toidentify the RACON station by exhibiting aseries of dots and dashes which appear on25the radar display emanating radially fromthe RACON. This display will represent theapproximate range and bearing to theRACON. Although RACONS may be used onboth laterally significant and non-laterally 30significant aids to navigation, the RACONsignal itself is for identification purposesonly, and therefore carries no lateral signifi-cance. RACONS are also used as bridgemarks to mark the point of best passage.35

All RACONS operate in the marine radar X-

band from 9,300 to 9,500 MHz. Some fre-quency-agile RACONS also operate in the2,900 to 3,000 MHz marine radar S-band.

RACONS have a typical output of 100 to40300 milliwatts and are considered a shortrange aid to navigation. Reception variesfrom a nominal range of 6 to 8 nauticalmiles when mounted on a buoy to as muchas 17 nautical miles for a RACON with a45directional antenna mounted at a height of 50 feet on a fixed structure. It must be un-derstood that these are nominal ranges andare dependent upon many factors.

The beginning of the RACON presentation50occurs about 50 yards beyond the RACONposition and will persist for a number of revolutions of the radar antenna (dependingon its rotation rate). Distance to the RACONcan be measured to the point at which the55RACON flash begins, but the figure ob-tained will be greater than the ship's dis-tance from the RACON. This is due to theslight response delay in the RACON appa-ratus.60

Radar operators may notice some broaden-ing or spoking of the RACON presentationwhen their vessel approaches closely to thesource of the RACON. This effect can beminimized by adjustment of the IF gain or65sweep gain control of the radar. If desired,the RACON presentation can be virtually

eliminated by operation of the FTC (fasttime constant) controls of the radar.

Radar Reflectors70

Many aids to navigation incorporate specialfixtures designed to enhance the reflectionof radar energy. These fixtures, called radarreflectors, help radar equipped vessels todetect buoys and beacons which are so75equipped. They do not however, positively identify a radar target as an aid to naviga-tion.

Radiobeacons

As the first electronic system of navigation,80radiobeacons provided offshore coverageand also became the first all-weather elec-tronic aid to navigation. As of January 2000, only 2 Coast Guard operated tradi-tional marine radiobeacons remain, these85are located at (1) Ediz Hook, WA and (2)Barbers Point, HI. These remaining beaconsare scheduled to be discontinued in the

year 2000. To use this system, the marinerneeds a radio direction finder, which is a90specifically designed radio receiver with adirectional antenna. This antenna is usedto determine the direction of the signal be-ing emitted by the shore station, relative to

the vessel.95

The basic value of the radiobeacon systemlies in its simplicity of operation and itsrelatively low user costs, even though theresults obtained may be somewhat limited.

The general problems and practices of navi-100gation when using radiobeacons are very similar to those encountered when usingvisual bearings of lighthouses or othercharted objects.

A radiobeacon is basically a short range105navigational aid, with ranges from 5 to 65nautical miles. Although bearings can be

obtained at greater ranges, they will be of doubtful accuracy and should be used withcaution. When the distance to a radiobea-110con is greater than 50 miles, a correction isusually applied to the bearing before plot-ting on a Mercator chart. These corrections,as well as information on accuracy of bear-ings, plotting, and other matters are con-115tained in the National Imagery and MappingAgency publication, Radio Navigational Aids(RAPUB 117).


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All radiobeacons operated and maintained5by the U.S. Coast Guard are classified ascontinuous radiobeacons. Continuous ra-diobeacons operate continuously throughevery minute of the hour.

All Coast Guard-operated radiobeacons are10

assigned Morse code characteristics forease in station identification.

The accuracy to be expected from radiobea-cons depends to a large extent on the skillof the operator, the condition and type of 15equipment being used, the range from thestations, and the accuracy of the ship’scalibration curve.

The range at which a particular marine ra-diobeacon signal will be received depends20on atmospheric conditions and on the re-ceiver sensitivity. The advertised servicerange of marine radiobeacons is expressedin nautical miles.

In general, the better the sensitivity of a re-25ceiver (i.e., the lower the signal strengthrequired to obtain satisfactory bearings)the better the receiver is for direction-finding purposes. Unless the receiver andantenna combination is capable of obtain-30ing a radio bearing on a signal as low as 50microvolts per meter, full benefit will not beobtained from the system.

The selectivity of a receiver is important be-cause it allows the direction finder to re-35ceive a desired signal on a particular fre-quency, while rejecting any undesired sig-

nals which may be present on adjacent fre-quencies.

Since the bandwidth of the transmitted ra-40diobeacon signal is relatively narrow, beingonly 2.1 kilohertz, a narrow-band receiver,having good selectivity is well suited for di-rection finding purposes. The narrow-bandreceiver should extract all of the useful in-45formation from the transmitted marine ra-diobeacon signal.

Although a wider-band receiver may alsoextract all of the useful information fromthe transmitted signal, it will also admit50

more noise and more undesired signals, if these signals are present on adjacent fre-quencies. The additional noise and unde-sired signal interference may reduce theusefulness of the desired signal and effec-55tively reduce the service range of the radio-beacon below its advertised value. This is areceiver defect, not a system error.

LORAN-C

LORAN, an acronym for LOng RAnge Navi-60gation, is an electronic aid to navigationconsisting of shore-based radio transmit-ters. The LORAN system enables usersequipped with a LORAN receiver to deter-

mine their position quickly and accurately,65

day or night, in practically any weather.

A LORAN-C chain consists of three to sixtransmitting stations separated by severalhundred miles. Within a chain, one stationis designated as master while the other sta-70tions are designated as secondary. Eachsecondary station is identified as eitherVictor (V), Whiskey (W), X-ray (X), Yankee(Y), or Zulu (Z).

The master station is always the first sta-75tion to transmit. It transmits a series of nine pulses. The secondary stations thenfollow in turn, transmit eight pulses each,at precisely timed intervals. This cycle con-tinuously repeats itself. The length of the80cycle is measured in microseconds and iscalled a Group Repetition Interval (GRI).

LORAN-C chains are designated by the fourmost significant digits of their GRI. For ex-ample, a chain with a GRI of 89,700 micro-85seconds is referred to as 8970. A differentGRI is used for each chain because allLORAN-C stations broadcast in the same 90to 110 kilohertz frequency band and wouldotherwise interfere with one another.90

The LORAN-C system can be used in either

a hyperbolic or range mode. In the widely used hyperbolic mode, a LORAN-C line of position is determined by measuring thetime difference between synchronized95pulses received from two separate trans-mitting stations. In the range mode, a lineof position is determined by measuring thetime required for LORAN-C pulses to travelfrom a transmitting station to the user’s re-100ceiver.

A user’s position is determined by locatingthe crossing point of two lines of position ona LORAN-C chart. Many receivers havebuilt-in coordinate converters which will105

automatically display the receiver’s latitudeand longitude. With a coordinate converter,a position can be determined using a chartthat is not overprinted with LORAN-C linesof position.110

CAUTION: The latitude/longitude compu-tation in some receivers is based upon anall seawater propagation path. This may lead to error if the LORAN-C signals fromthe various stations involve appreciable115


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overland propagation paths. These errors5may put the mariner at risk in areas re-quiring precise positioning, if the propercorrectors (ASF) are not applied. Therefore,it is recommended that mariners using Coor- dinate Converters check the manufacturer’s 10operating manual to determine if and how

corrections are to be applied to compensate for timing variations caused by the overland paths.

There are two types of LORAN-C accuracy;15absolute and repeatable. Absolute accuracy is a measure of the navigator’s ability todetermine latitude and longitude positionfrom the LORAN-C time differences meas-ured. Repeatable accuracy is a measure of 20the LORAN-C navigator’s ability to return toa position where reading have been takenbefore.

The absolute accuracy of LORAN-C is 0.25nautical miles, 95% confidence within the25published coverage area using standardLORAN-C charts and tables. Repeatable ac-curacy depends on many factors, so meas-urements must be taken to determine therepeatable accuracy in any given area.30Coast Guard surveys have found repeatableaccuracies between 30 and 170 meters inmost ground wave coverage areas.

If the timing or pulse shape of a master-secondary pair deviates from specified tol-35erances, the first two pulses of secondary station’s pulse train will blink on and off.

The LORAN-C receiver sees this blinkingsignal and indicates a warning to the user.

This warning will continue until the signals40are once again in tolerance. A blinking sig-nal is not exhibited during off-air periods,so a separate receiver alarm indicates any loss of signal. Never use a blinking secon-dary signal for navigation.45

Although LORAN-C signal availability nor-mally exceeds 99.9% and scheduled off-airperiods are broadcast to the mariners,LORAN-C should not be relied upon as theonly aid to navigation. A prudent navigator50will use radar, radio direction finder,fathometer and any other aid to navigation,in addition to the LORAN-C receiver.

LORAN-C interference

Interference to LORAN-C may result from55radio transmissions by public or privatesources operating near the LORAN-C bandof 90-110kHz. Anyone using the LORAN-Csystem, who observes interference toLORAN-C, should promptly report it to the60Coast Guard command listed below. In-clude, in such reports, information regard-

ing the date, time, identifying characteris-tics, strength of the interfering signals and

your own vessel’s position. These interfer-65ence reports are very important and coop-eration from users of LORAN-C will assistthe Coast Guard in improving LORAN-Cservice.

Commanding Officer70U.S. Coast GuardNAVCEN7323 Telegraph RoadAlexandria, VA 22310-3998

75

Phone: (703) 313-5900FAX: (703) 313-5920Internet: http://www.navcen.uscg.mil

LORAN-C Charts and Publications

Navigational charts overprinted with80LORAN-C lines of position are published by the National Ocean Service and the Na-tional Imagery and Mapping Agency and aresold through National Ocean Serv-ice/NOAA. A free catalog of available prod-85ucts can be obtained from NOS by phone:(301) 436-6990/(800) 638-8972; FAX: (301)436-6829; or mail: National Ocean Serv-ice/NOAA, Distribution Division N/ACC3,Riverdale, MD 20737-1199.90

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is asatellite-based Radionavigation System pro-viding continuous worldwide coverage. GPSprovides navigation, position, and timing95

information to air, marine, and land users. The GPS System has reached Full Operat-ing Capability (FOC). FOC status signifiesthat the system meets specific requirementsof performance. The GPS is operated and100controlled by the Department of Defense(DOD) under U.S. Air Force management.

GPS consists of a constellation of 24 satel-lites, orbiting Earth in six planes of 4 satel-lites each, at an altitude of 10,900 nautical105miles. The orbit period of each satellite is 12hours. Mariners can expect 7-9 satellitesavailable for use with unrestricted view of the sky. In areas where portions of the sky

are blocked by mountains, buildings, or110vegetation, fewer satellites can be expected.A minimum of three satellites are requiredfor a two-dimensional solution. The De-partment of Defense has reduced the accu-racy available to civilian users for national115security reasons; users can expect positionsolutions accurate to within +/- 100 me-ters. The GPS system does not provide in-tegrity information and mariners should


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exercise extreme caution when using GPS5in restricted waterways.

Although originally intended for military use only, Federal radionavigation policy hasestablished that GPS will be available forcivil use. Whenever possible, advance no-10

tice of when the GPS satellites should notbe used will be provided by the DOD andmade available by the U.S. Coast Guard.

DIFFERENTIAL GPS (DGPS)

The Coast Guard has implemented a new15system for marine navigation called Differ-ential GPS (DGPS). As the newest electronicsystem of navigation, DGPS transmittersprovide offshore coverage and an allweather electronic aid to navigation capa-20bility. The Coast Guard DGPS transmittingsites provide DGPS coverage to the GreatLakes, and coastal areas of the continentalUnited States as well as selected portions of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the inland25river system.

The Coast Guard’s DGPS system achievedFull Operational Capability (FOC) on March15, 1999. The network now meets the highstandards of accuracy, integrity, reliabili

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