The segment then teaches how to lay a track, pilot the ship and prepare for anchoring. Students will have the basic skills needed to navigate during the summer and succeed in NN204, Advanced Piloting, in the fall. The lesson on electronic navigational charts and digital navigation software has also been expanded to allow students a greater familiarization with U.S. Navy policies and latest developments on this important area. A full four week segment of the course is devoted to these rules, to ensure all graduates of the Naval Academy have a firm grasp of the concepts needed to ensure safe navigation in the vicinity of other vessels. The Rules of the Road cover such concepts as right of way, navigational lights, sound signals, and operating in reduced visibility.
Maneuvering boards allow a shiphandler to plot and track the relative motion of another vessel.
Mo-boards are used to determine risk of collision, ascertain another vessel's course and speed based on data taken from a radar scope, calculate the maneuvers needed to intercept or take station on another vessel, and provide the course and speed needed to generate specific winds over a ship's flight deck for aircraft operations. Any good ship handler needs to know how to plot on a maneuvering board, and the NS100 students will have a solid knowledge base by the end of this course. The last part of this course concentrates on deck seamanship and the basics of engineering and damage control. Students learn the fundamentals of ship design and construction, deck equipment, ship handling, small boats, and underway replenishment. A lesson on marine propulsion systems is included to acquaint students with the most common fleet powerplants.