(AP) — Naval students at Southern University now have a tool that can teach them how to maneuver through mine-filled waters or identify threatening vessels in the dark.

The Advocate reports the mariner skills simulator unveiled this week by Southern’s Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps Unit is one of six in the nation. It’s a $90,000 gift from the Navy.

Lt. Erik Gardner runs Southern’s simulator program. He can load maps depicting any part of the world into the program to give his students a realistic, three-dimensional look at any waterway they may find themselves navigating.

The simulator can mimic situations such as high winds and rough seas as midshipmen learn how to operate using radar or sonar to meet a variety of threats.

A few situations Gardner will put his students through involve navigating at night when it’s difficult to tell the difference between sky and water and how to use sounds and available light to identify commercial ships passing by that could be mistaken for warships.

The simulator is equipped to mimic the exact look of a warship control room with the instruments to manipulate the ship’s rudder and regulate its speed.

In a demonstration, officers-in-training were given quick lessons on controlling warships through a narrow channel.

“It’s a very up-to-date piece of equipment. It’s encouraging to young men and women thinking about pursuing careers in the military to know they have this state-of-the art-tool available here for them,” Southern Chancellor James Llorens said.

Capt. Alton Ross Jr., commander of the Southern unit, said the Navy will rely on students from Southern, LSU and other schools to check the system for glitches as more simulators are rolled out to Navy ROTC units around the country.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com