Lesson 13a: Precise Piloting

and Anchoring

03/20/24
Lesson 13a: Precise Piloting and
Anchoring
• AGENDA:
– Ship’s Handling Characteristics
– Advance, Transfer and Turn Bearings
– Precision Anchoring
• Applicable reading: Hobbs pp. 234-241.
 Ship’s Handling
Characteristics
• Advance - the distance gained in the original direction
until a ship steadies on its final course.
• Transfer - the distance gained at a right angles to the
direction of the original course until the
ship steadies on on its final course.
• Turning Circle - the path followed by a ship’s pivot
point when executing a 360° turn.
• Tactical Diameter - the transfer involved in the
execution of a single turn of 180°.
• Final Diameter - the diameter of the turning circle that
a ship would scribe when turning 360°
 Transfer
Final Course

End
Advance

of
Turn

Start
of
Original Course

Turn

Advance & Transfer

Tactical Diameter, Final Diameter, and Turning Circle

E
C me te r
Dia
Final
Tactical Diameter
D B

Wheel Over

Original
Course
000
 Example on plotting advance and transfer:
Speed: 15 kts
Standard Rudder Angle

Start with the ship’s characteristics:

Angle of Turn Transfer Advance
15o 18 180
30o 30 230
45o 60 270
60o 110 310

Calculate advance and transfer for a 50 o turn.

Example (cont.)
Transfer: = 60 + [5 * (110-60) /15]
= 60 + [5 * (50/15)]
= 60 + (5 * 3.33)
= 60 + 16.7
= 77 yards
Advance: = 270 + [5 * (310-270)/15]
= 270 + [5 * (40/15)]
= 270 + (5 * 2.67)
= 270 + 13.33
= 283 yards
Now, let’s look at how to plot this…
 Advance and Transfer Table
Angle of
Turn Advance Transfer
15 180 18
30 230 30
45 270 60
60 310 110
75 330 170
For a 50 degree turn:
Advance = 283 yds Transfer = 77 yds
 Use of Advance/Transfer
During Piloting
• STEP #1 - Calculate advance/transfer from tactical
data folder.

• STEP #2 - Plot “transfer” line perpendicular to

original course.

• STEP #3 - Plot “advance” by parallel to original

course.

• STEP #4 - Draw the turning point.

• STEP #5 - Select a NavAid for a Turn Bearing (TB)/

 T
50
-0
TR
N
50

A
TR - 000 T

TR 100 0 100 200 300

Scale in Yards
 T
50
-0
TR
N
B

77
TR - 000 T

TR 100 0 100 200 300

Scale in Yards
 T
50
-0
TR
N
B

A
TR - 000 T

281

77

TR 90
100 0 100 200 300
D C Scale in Yards
 Turn Bearings

Turn Bearings - In order to plot the position at

which the ship must put the rudder over (to
turn onto a planned track), you must select a
suitable Navaid as a turn bearing.
• Select a Navaid closest to the beam
 T
50
-0
TR
N
B

A
TR - 000 T

Select a suitable
281

NAVAID as a
77 turn bearing.
TR 90
100 0 100 200 300
TB 270
D C Scale in Yards
 Danger Bearings

Danger Bearings - Are drawn on the chart,

displaced from the shoal water by a distance
that will keep the ship in safe water even when
the pelorus is on the danger bearing.
- The displaced distance will be the equivalent
of the distance from the pelorus to either the
bow or the stern, whichever is greater.
 Tank Danger Bearings / Ranges
Light
FL 6s 58ft 9M

Lon
g
9 Po
5 int 5 9
12 9 5
9 12 12 9
12 5 9 12
13 13 9 9
12 13 13 15
15 pa
13 15
19 12 17
NMT 070 96 17 19 19
17 19 17
20
NLT 200 yds 20
20 20 21
20 20
21 21
21 21
21 21 20

23 23 23 23
23 23
 Danger Bearings

Tr a
ck
of the
Bridge
NLT 090
30
1/2 l

Tank
Light
FL 6s 58ft 9M