I can only go along with you Tom. I did make enquiries via The Greenwich Maritime Museum and The Royal Navy Museum some time back without any reponse to the positive. Whistling was banned ('said to be unlucky but I think it was because whistling could be confused with Bosuns Pipes) and for much the same reasons; orders could be drowned out by song. Why would you need worksongs when you had several hundred men working the gear compared to a Merchant ships 40 or so? It should also be stated that RN ships were much better equipped with capstans etc with which to work the gear as well.

Although as it has already been pointed out, it is nearly impossible to prove a negative, I heard this rumour many years ago and disagreed with it then...

Tony