Knowledge of celestial navigation is required for any license endorsed for with
oceans route; meaning more than 200 nautical miles from shore.

USCG approved courses for Celestial Navigation are designed to meet the exam
requirements and rarely contain any practical sextant use. These courses focus
on use of the Nautical Almanac, sight reduction tables and position fixing using
running fixes on universal plot sheets. For licenses over 200 tons the course
should include instruction in the sailings, time zones, route planning and star
identification.

The course length indicated is considered to be the minimum amount of time
required to complete the course. Few students are capable of completing a
celestial navigation course successfully in the minimum time frame unless they
have spent time preparing for the course. Successful students should have:

  1. Have good basic math skills.
  2. Have the ability to read and interpolate numbers from tables.
  3. Have good plotting skills and understand concepts for DR plotting and
    running fixes.
  4. Have the ability to keep information in a neat and orderly manner.
  5. Understand the basic concepts and terminology used in celestial
    navigation.

The best study material for any Celestial Navigation course is to get a copy of
PUB 9 - American Practical Navigator (BOWDITCH) and the version of the
Nautical Almanac used in the USCG exam questions. Both of these references
can be downloaded from the Internet for free.


The Celestial Navigation course taught at Columbia Pacific Maritime is a self-
paced course; meaning the student completes workbook lessons at their own
pace under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

Celestial Navigation (200 TONS) Course ($1,200)

    Any applicant who has successfully completed
    your 60-hour Celestial Navigation (200 Tons)
    course and who presents your Certificate of
    Training at a Regional Exam Center WITHIN ONE
    YEAR of the completion of training, will satisfy the
    celestial navigation examination requirements of
    46 CFR 10.215(c) and 10.401(d) for adding an
    “Upon Oceans” endorsement to any deck license
    up to Master Not More Than 200 Gross Tons, or to
    a license as Master or Mate of Uninspected Fishing
    Industry Vessels.
Columbia Pacific Maritime Information
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Celestial Navigation for adding an
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Documenting the qualifying sea service experience is the first step to qualifying for a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential
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Columbia Pacific Maritime provides USCG approved courses for Merchant Mariner Credentials.
Celestial Navigation
Click here to view the Celestial Navigation Course Schedule
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