LonesomeEJ-

Sea chanties were uniformly prohibited about Royal Navy vessels, not to mention U.S. Navy vessels of the period. Such vessels had huge crews and the need for coordination was lessened. The officers generally viewed sea chanties as subversive, which they generally were.

The songs we'd expect the officers to sing were naval ballads and drinking songs. The sailors might sing some ballads and drinking songs when they were off-watch, and most certainly when they were "kicking up Bob's-a-dying" ashore.

O'Brian was not clear on this point in his earliest books in this series. He would occasionally make reference to "Adieu, Spanish Ladies" and songs of that type.

But I'll be curious to hear what the sailors are singing when I finally get a chance to see this film.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, still having fun in OZ and greedy for more