Question 316Navigation General

The correct answer is D. No light characteristic is associated with a buoy having red and white vertical stripes in United States waters. This type of buoy is known as a "special purpose buoy" and is used to mark objects or locations that do not fall under the standard color-coding scheme for navigational aids. Special purpose buoys do not have a prescribed light characteristic, as their purpose is to simply mark a specific location or feature, rather than to convey information about the waterway. The other answer choices (A, B, and C) describe various light characteristics that are associated with other types of navigational buoys, but they do not apply to special purpose buoys with red and white vertical stripes.