(a) Officers are required to acquaint themselves with the latest information published by the Coast Guard and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency regarding aids to navigation, and neglect to do so is evidence of neglect of duty. It is desirable that nautical school ships navigating oceans and coastwise and Great Lakes waters shall have available in the pilothouse for convenient reference at all times a file of the applicable Notice to Mariners.

(b) Local Notices to Mariners, published by each U.S. Coast Guard District, contain announcements and information on changes in aids to navigation and other marine information affecting the safety of navigation on oceans and coastwise and the Great Lakes. These notices may be obtained free of charge from the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center Web site found at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName = lnmMain.

(c) Weekly Notices to Mariners (Worldwide coverage) are prepared jointly by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Ocean Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard. They include changes in aids to navigation and other important navigation safety information in assembled form for U.S. waters. Foreign marine information is also included in these notices. These notices are available without charge from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Web site found at http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal.

(d) As appropriate for the intended voyage, all nautical school ships must carry adequate and up-to-date—

(1) Charts;

(2) Sailing directions;

(3) Coast pilots;

(4) Light lists;

(5) Notices to mariners;

(6) Tide tables;

(7) Current tables; and

(8) All other nautical publications necessary. 1