NUN BUOY—A navigational buoy, conical in shape, that marks the starboard side of a channel from seaward. Even numbered and painted red. OAKUM—Tarred hemp fiber used to caulk seams in wooden decks and boats. OOD—Officer of the deck. OFFSHORE—Some distance off the shore, as contrasted to inshore. ON THE BEACH—Ashore; also applied to a Sailor who is assigned to shore duty or is unemployed, retired, or otherwise detached from sea duty. OUTBOARD—Away from the centerline. OVERBOARD—Over the side. OVERHAND KNOT—Simplest of all knots; made by passing one end of a line once around its standing part. OVERHAUL—(1) To repair or recondition. (2) To overtake another vessel. OVERHEAD—The underside of a deck forming the ceiling of the compartment below. Never called a ceiling. PAINTER—Line used to make a boat fast by its bow. When used under way, the painter causes the boat to swing out from the side of the loop. PARCEL—The act of wrapping a line with narrow canvas strips to provide waterproofing or to build up a symmetrical shape for further covering. PARTY—A group having a common temporary assignment or purpose, as a working  party, a line-handling party, or a liberty party. PASSAGEWAY—A  corridor  used  for  interior horizontal movement aboard ship. PAY—Monthly salary. PAY OUT—To feed out, or lengthen, a line. PELORUS—A gyrocompass repeater used to take bearings. PIER—A structure extending from land out into the water to provide a mooring for vessels. PIER HEAD—Seaward end of a pier. PIGSTICK—Small staff from which the commission pennant is flown. PILOTHOUSE—Enclosure on the bridge housing the main steering controls. PILOTING—Branch of the science of navigation in which positions are determined by reference to visible objects on the surface or by soundings. PIPE—The act of sounding a particular call on the boatswain’s pipe. PITCH—Vertical rise and fall of a ship’s bow caused by head or following seas. PLAIN WHIPPING—A whipping made without using a palm and needle. POLLIWOG—A person who has never crossed the equator. PORT—To the left of the centerline when facing forward. PROTECTIVE DECK—See ARMORED DECK. PROW—That part of the stem (bow) above the waterline. PURCHASE—A machine that’s a combination of one or more blocks rove with a line or wire. When rove with chain, called a chain fall. PYROTECHNICS—Ammunition  containing chemicals that produce smoke or a brilliant light when  burning;  used  for  signaling  or  for illumination. QUARTER—Area between dead astern and either beam. QUARTERDECK—Deck area designated by the commanding officer as the place to carry out official functions; the station of the OOD in port. QUARTERMASTER—An enlisted assistant to the navigator. QUARTERS—(1) Stations for shipboard evolutions, as general  quarter, fire  quarters,  quarters  for muster. (2) Living spaces. QUAY—(Pronounced key.) A solid structure along a bank used for loading and off-loading vessels. RADAR—A device that uses reflected radio waves to detect objects. RANGE—(1) The distance of an object from an observer. (2) An aid to navigation consisting of two objects in line. (3) A water area designated for a particular purpose, as a gunnery range. RAT GUARD—A hinged metal disk that can be secured to a mooring line to prevent rats from using the line to gain access to the ship. AI-9