The word is "Peacoat"
But I don't know what that means either.
I hated the Navy too, especially the military nonsense and the discipline, but being at sea made up for it and I really loved my job.
I would have gladly gone into the Merchant Marine, except in the late sixties American companies were registering their ships under foreign flags to avoid safety regulations and paying their crews decent wages. I couldn't find a ship.