Coast Guard Exams
Question 4009Deck General70% to pass

You have arrived at your anchorage location. You have put the engines astern prior to letting go the anchor. How will you know when the vessel has stopped making way?

AI Explanation
The correct answer is C) The backwash of the propeller reaches amidships. When a vessel is coming to a stop after putting the engines astern, the backwash or turbulence generated by the propeller will eventually reach amidships, indicating that the vessel has stopped making way. This is a reliable visual cue that the vessel has come to a complete stop. The other options are not as reliable indicators. A) An azimuth bearing on the beam may remain steady even if the vessel is still drifting, and B) The ship's Doppler log reading zero does not necessarily mean the vessel has stopped - it could be reading zero due to the reversal of water flow over the sensor. Option D) is incorrect since not all the choices are appropriate indicators of the vessel coming to a stop.

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