Question 195 Deck General

The correct answer is A) switch to hand steering. When a vessel's course is slowly changing on its own while the gyro-pilot is engaged, this likely indicates a failure or malfunction in the autopilot or steering system. The first and most important action is to take direct manual control of the vessel's steering to regain control and prevent further unintended course changes. Switching to hand steering allows the operator to immediately steer the ship back on course and assess the issue, which is more critical than notifying the engine room or contacting the master at this stage. The other options, while potentially appropriate later, do not address the immediate need to take direct control of the steering.