General Information
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19 SEP 2021 U.S. Coast Pilot 2, Chapter 1 ¢ 1 General Information (1) much as possible, the coastal description is in geographic UNITED STATES COAST PILOT® sequence, north to south on the east coast, east to west on the gulf coast, clockwise around each of the Great Lakes (2) The United States Coast Pilot, published by the and south to north on the west coast and Alaskan coast. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Features are described as they appear on the largest scale (NOAA), is a series of ten nautical books (volumes) that chart, with that chart number prominently shown in blue. encompasses a wide variety of information important to (11) Appendix A contains contact information regarding navigators of U.S. coastal/intracoastal waters and the the various products, services and agencies detailed waters of the Great Lakes. The Coast Pilot is intended to throughout the volume. be used as a supplement to NOAA nautical charts. Much (12) Navigation Rules— preceding Appendix A, of the content cannot be shown graphically on the charts contains the International (72 COLREGS) and Inland and is not readily available elsewhere. Topics which are Navigation Rules, technical Annexes, and associated covered include environmental factors of weather, climate, Federal rules and regulations. ice conditions, tides, water levels, currents, prominent (13) The Weekly Record of Updates is intended as a log coastal features and landmarks. Specific information for critical updates applied to this volume. on vertical clearances, wharf descriptions, small-craft (14) The Index contains geographic names mentioned facilities, hazards, dredged channels and depths are also throughout a Coast Pilot volume. These names are provided. Navigation services and regulations are also boldfaced and indexed along with the number of the identified including pilotage, towing, anchorages, routes largest scale chart on which the entire feature appears. and traffic separation schemes, environmental protection, Asterisks preceding a chart number in the index of and other Federal laws. Coast Pilot 5 indicate charts published by the National (3) New editions of each volume are issued annually. Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and in the index of Coast Fully updated files are posted weekly on the Internet, and Pilot 6, charts published by the Canadian Hydrographic are also available through NOAA Certified Chart Agents Service. at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov. (15) (4) Amendments to this publication are available at Bearings nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index. (16) Bearings and courses are in degrees true and are html. measured clockwise from 000° (north) to 359°. The (5) <Deleted Paragraph> bearings of an aid to navigation (e.g., directional light, (6) light sector, range) are given as viewed from the bridge Using the Coast Pilot of a vessel toward the light. (7) Chapter 1 contains definitions of general and (17) standard terms used throughout the volume, discussions Bridges and Cables of NOAA charting products and services, descriptions of (18) Vertical clearances of bridges and overhead cables maritime services by various U.S. Government agencies, are in feet above mean high water unless otherwise stated; Notices to Mariners and other information pertinent to clearances in Coast Pilot 6 are in feet above Low Water safe navigation. Datum unless otherwise stated. When the water level (8) Chapter 2 contains selected extracts from the Code is above Low Water Datum, the bridge and overhead of Federal Regulations (CFR) that affect mariners. cable clearances given in the Coast Pilot and shown on (9) Chapter 3 contains general information that is the charts should be reduced accordingly. Clearances peculiar to the region covered by a particular Coast Pilot of drawbridges are for the closed position, although the volume. For example, practical information regarding open clearances are also given for vertical-lift bridges. offshore currents and dangers, coastal aids to navigation, Whenever a bridge span over a channel does not open fully prominent landmarks and the general character of the to an unlimited clearance position, a minimum clearance coast and depths helpful in approaching the region. for the sections over the channel is given; the same applies (10) In Chapter 4 and the remaining numbered to swing and pontoon bridges with openings less than 50 chapters, the detailed description of the region begins. feet horizontally. Clearances given in the Coast Pilot are A map precedes each chapter and outlines the nautical those approved for nautical charting and are supplied by charts used in the area to be discussed. In these chapters, as the U.S. Coast Guard (bridges) and U.S. Army Corps of 2 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 2, Chapter 1 19 SEP 2021 Engineers (cables). See charts for horizontal clearances recent information on the latest known surveys. Depths of bridges, as these are generally given in the Coast Pilot may vary considerably between maintenance dredging. only when they are less than 50 feet (15 meters). Tables (28) listing structures across waterways, found in some Coast Under-keel clearances Pilots, show both horizontal and vertical clearances. (29) It is becoming increasingly evident that economic Submarine cables are rarely mentioned. pressures are causing mariners to navigate through waters (19) of barely adequate depth, with under-keel clearances Cable ferries being finely assessed from the charted depths, predicted (20) Cable ferries are guided by cables fastened to tide levels and depths recorded by echo sounders. shore and sometimes propelled by a cable rig attached (30) It cannot be too strongly emphasized that even to the shore. Generally, the cables are suspended during charts based on modern surveys may not show all sea- crossings and dropped to the bottom when the ferries dock. bed obstructions or the shoalest depths, and actual tide Where specific operating procedures are known they are levels may be appreciably lower than those predicted. mentioned in the text. Since operating procedures vary, (31) In many ships an appreciable correction must be mariners are advised to exercise extreme caution and applied to shoal soundings recorded by echo sounders seek local knowledge. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PASS due to the horizontal distance between the transducers. A MOVING CABLE FERRY. This separation correction, which is the amount by which (21) recorded depths therefore exceed true depths, increases Courses with decreasing depths to a maximum equal to half the (22) These are true and are given in degrees clockwise distance apart of the transducers; at this maximum the from 000° (north) to 359°. The courses given are the transducers are aground. Ships whose transducers are courses to be made good. more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart should construct a table of true and recorded depths using the Traverse (23) Tables. (Refer to the topic on echo soundings elsewhere Currents in chapter 1.) (24) Stated current velocities are the averages at strength. (32) Other appreciable corrections, which must be Velocities are in knots, which are nautical miles per hour. applied to many ships, are for settlement and squat. These Directions are the true directions to which the currents set corrections depend on the depth of water below the keel, (see chapter 3, this book). the hull form and the speed of the ship. (25) (33) Settlement causes the water level around the ship Depths to be lower than would otherwise be the case. It will (26) Depth is the vertical distance from the chart datum always cause echo soundings to be less than they would to the bottom and is expressed in the same units (feet, otherwise be. Settlement is appreciable when the depth is meters or fathoms) as those soundings found on the chart. less than seven times the draft of the ship and increases (See Chart Datum, this chapter, for further detail.) The as the depth decreases and the speed increases. controlling depth is the least known depth of a channel. (34) Squat denotes a change in trim of a ship underway, This depth is determined by periodic hydrographic relative to her trim when stopped. It usually causes the surveys and restricts use of the channel to drafts less stern of a vessel to sit deeper in the water. However, it is than that depth. The centerline controlling depth applies reported that in the case of mammoth ships, squat causes only to the channel centerline or close proximity; lesser the bow to sit deeper. Depending on the location of the depths may exist in the remainder of the channel. The echo sounding transducers, this may cause the recorded midchannel controlling depth is the controlling depth depth to be greater or less than it ought to be. Caution of only the middle half of the channel. Federal project and common sense are continuing requirements for depth is the original design dredging depth of a channel safe navigation. planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) (35) and may be deeper than current conditions. For this reason, Distances project depth must not be confused with controlling depth. (36) These are in nautical miles unless otherwise stated. A Depths alongside wharves usually have been reported by nautical mile is one minute of latitude, or approximately owners and/or operators of the waterfront facilities and 2,000 yards, and is about 1.15 statute miles. have not been verified by Government surveys. Since (37) Coast Pilot 6 is in statute miles unless otherwise these depths may be subject to change, local authorities stated. A statute mile is 5,280 feet or about 0.87 nautical should be consulted for the latest controlling depths. mile. (27) For all maintained channels with controlling depths detailed on charts in tabular form, the Coast Pilot usually (38) states only the project depths. For all other channels which Geographic Coordinates may be depicted on charts with depth legends, notes or (39) Geographic coordinates listed in the Coast Pilot are soundings, the Coast Pilot will list where to find the most referred to North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) 19 SEP 2021 U.S.