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Getting a USCG license
It's kind of intimidating walking into the Federal Building in Oakland,
going through the security screen, and presenting oneself to the Chief
Warrant Officer in charge of the examination center to request a U.S.
Merchant Marine Officer license.
The first thing they do is examine your paperwork to see if it's
generally in order. This can take about an hour, while you sit and
answer questions. They diligently go over the 1/2" or thicker folder
of information you've likely gathered.
Then, assuming there are no obvious omissions, like missing
information on the application, they send you away with the fond
hope that they will issue a positive "finding" and the license will be
issued in the coming weeks. If they find omissions upon closer
examination, they're happy to call you and/or send a letter explaining
the problem.
If you want things to go smoothly, treat them with the respect they
deserve. While you don't have to dress up, it's probably not a good
idea to show up in dirty or torn clothes. Also, if you're requesting
an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel license, call it an OUPV,
not a 6-Pack. If they use the latter term, that's fine, but don't
initiate it. Some in the Coast Guard find it offensive.
They will probably fingerprint you on the spot, besides asking for
identification, such as a US passport.
Expect the visit to the office to last one to two hours, depending on
how busy they are, how together your paperwork is, and how many
questions you or they ask. They love being asked questions, so don't
hesitate if you're unsure about something. If you're taking the exams
in the office, expect to be there for at least one day, possibly two.
Minimum requirements
The minimum requirements for the OUPV (6-Pack) USCG license are:
- Age 18 or over
- 360 days underway experience
- 90 of those days in the last 3 years
- Physical, drug test and eye exam
- Valid CPR/First Aid card
- Completion of the USCG on-site exam or completion of an approved course
The minimum requirements for a 50/100 GT Masters license are:
- all OUPV requirements, plus
- additional testing requirements, plus
- additional sea time, depending on the tonnage license requested
Naturally, it's a bit more complicated than those simple-sounding
requirements. And, if you want a higher-level license, the
requirements are more demanding.
The first few requirements are straightforward. However, the exam for
the regular OUPV and Master licenses consists of several parts and typically takes
one or two days to complete.
Although there's a sea time requirement, there is no on-the-water test
required by the Coast Guard.
There's a slightly lower-level license that might be of interest to
some instructors. It's called a Limited OUPV. The exam consists
of just 40 questions. The requirements for this license are:
- Age 17 or over
- 90 days underway experience in the last 3 years
- Physical, drug test and eye exam
- Valid CPR/First Aid card
- Letter from prospective employer at a yacht club, marina, or
educational institution
- Boating Safety Certificate or USCG exam
Why do you need a license?
If you carry paying passengers aboard a vessel, you need a Coast
Guard license. The license is good for five years from the date of issue.
The fees are less than $400 for just about everything you'll need.
From the Code of Federal Regulations, CFR 24.10:
"Consideration means an economic benefit, inducement, right, or
profit, including pecuniary payment accruing to an individual, person,
or entity but not including a voluntary sharing of the actual expenses
of the voyage by monetary contribution or donation of fuel, bard,
beverage, or other supplies...."
In order to get a license, you need to know.
Rules of the Road There are 38 rules and 5 annexes to the rules.
This is an extensive exam on the right-of-way rules, passing signals,
lights, day shapes, special purpose vessels, towing identification,
fog signals, etc. There are 30 questions, the exam is "closed book," and
you must get 90% to pass.
Plotting You will need to be able to draw course lines, measure
distances, determine your latitude and longitude to the tenth of a
minute for position determination, compute deduced reckoning based
on time, speed, and distance. You need to take and plot two and
three bearings fixes, along with computing and determining a course
to overcome set and drift. You must have a good understanding of
chart reading, Coast Pilots, and Light Lists. There are 10 questions
and you must get 70% to pass.
Navigation General This covers the buoy system, weather, tide and
current tables, Coast Pilots, Light Lists, Chart numbering system,
Notice to Mariners, keeping your charts current, government
publications, etc. There are 20 questions, it is open book, and you
must get 70% to pass.
Deck General/Deck Safety You need to know about fire fighting,
lines, knots, ship construction, code of federal regulations,
pollution laws, safety equipment, life rafts, emergency signals, survival, ship
handling, heavy weather operations, docking, mooring, anchoring,
etc. There are 60 questions, it is open book, and you must get 70% to
pass.
Visit the USCG website at https://www.uscg.mil/nmc/ to get started.
How tough is it?
These are not easy tests. Well, they're not that bad. You'll
need to do some studying, especially regarding the Rules of the Road,
and you'll need to be able to do accurate plotting. Many people take
classes at a school and then take the exams through the school. Others
study at home and take the tests at one of the Coast Guard examination
centers. (The one closest to San Francisco is at the Oakland Federal
Building. The other one in California is in Long Beach.)
You can take the tests at the examination office all in one day
(although they recommend allowing two days), and if you don't pass a
section, you can retake just that section at a later time, up to two
additional times in a couple of month period. Except for the Rules of
the Road section, you have available to you all of the documents in
the exam room (e.g., the entire set of Code of Federal Regulations,
the Coast Pilot, Chart One, etc.). The trick is to be able to find the
information you need.
Generally, schools have similar requirements, but you'll get a lot
more help understanding what to study and how to look up the answers.
What are the benefits?
The main benefit is to you. You'll know that you're among a select group who took the time and made the effort to
learn and be recognized by the US Coast Guard. Additionally, you have the ability to accept paying customers.
What are the negatives?
- cost, including equipment costs, insurance, and Coast Guard fees
- liability, including the requirement of knowing the rules, having
the right insurance
- staying current with the requirements, including CPR and First
Aid, Local Notice to Mariners
What's Next?
When you've finally received your license, you're not quite done with
the paperwork. You'll need to get a Federal identification card called
TWIC, which stands for Transportation Worker Identification
Credential. It's a relatively new Department of Homeland Security
requirement for all Merchant Marine Officers. The cost is $132.50.
You'll need to make an appointment and show up at one of their
offices (not at the Examination Center) for additional fingerprinting,
photo taking, and form filling. (FYI, this is no longer a requirement for teaching sailing, but I'm leaving it here in case you're interested.)
For more information, visit their
website at https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/.
The TWIC is good for five years from the date of issue.
How to study
For navigation software, I'd recommend OpenCPN. It's freeware. It seems
slightly better than SeaClear II in that it runs on a Mac also. You
can download the raster and vector charts for free from NOAA (https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/charts.htm).
Here are some helpful links:
https://www.bigdumboat.com/cpnfaq.html
https://www.sping.com/seaclear/
There's a cool (free) program that can help you study the rules:
https://www.navrules.com/
Here are additional links that might be useful:
www.boatharborslocator.com/local_notice_to_mariners.htm
https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/default.asp
https://www.deepcreekyachtclub.com/WebPage/NauticalQuiz.html
https://demo.geogarage.com/noaa/
https://www.uscg.mil/nmc/
https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/TWICWebApp/
https://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml
https://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/home.do
https://www.thefederalregister.com/
https://www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm
https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/IGRFWMM.jsp?defaultModel=WMM
https://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=licensing_2&id=amateur
https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d11/default.htm
https://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
https://sailorsworld.tripod.com/captain.htm
https://www.boats.com/reeds/jsp/rn_ch_1_l_a.jsp
href="https://www.arrl.org/fcc/morse/
