On 10 June your vessel's 0519 zone time DR position is LAT 27°07.0'N, LONG 92°10.0'W, when an amplitude of the Sun is observed. The Sun's center is on the visible horizon and bears 063.6° per standard magnetic compass. The variation in the area is 4.8°E. The chronometer reads 11h 17m 32s and is 01m 18s slow. What is the deviation of the compass?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option B: 4.8°W. Using the Nautical Almanac and latitude/time data, compute the Sun's true amplitude. The resulting true bearing compared against the magnetic bearing of 03.6°psc and corrected for 4.8°E variation establishes the compass error, isolating the deviation value to 4.8°W.