Answer: 38.81 nautical miles from its starting point.

To find the distance from the ship's starting point, using the Pythagorean theorem.

In this case, the ship has sailed 32 nautical miles due north (which represents the vertical side) and 22 nautical miles due east (which represents the horizontal side). Let's denote the distance from the starting point to the ending point as 'd'.

Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can calculate 'd' as follows:

d^2 = (32^2) + (22^2)
d^2 = 1024 + 484
d^2 = 1508

Taking the square root of both sides, we get:

d 1508
d 38.81

Therefore, the ship is approximately 38.81 nautical miles from its starting point.