A Critical Review of the Fix Accuracy and Reliability of Electronic Marine Navigation Systems

Abstract

The Merchant Marine Deck Officer's navigational responsibility is to guide his vessel safely from port to port. He is not trained to be an electronics specialist, nor can he be expected to be a computer expert. Above all, the navigator cannot be required to be familiar with the formidable number of publications which address the subject of Electronic Navigation Systems and their fix accuracies. These publications have been generated around a fundamentally straightforward task, which a few years ago was very effectually accomplished by celestial navigation and prudence on the part of the Deck Officer. Successful navigation then and now is the direct result of the accuracy of the fix. This paper reviews and summarizes operational data as to the accuracy of positions obtainable from Global Navigational Systems (Celestial, Omega, Transit, integrated Transit/Omega and NAVSTAR) and Coastal Navigation Systems (LORAN-C and Decca).