To say "The Royal Navy banned sea shanties" is less than accurate . . but as Susan pointed out, it's difficult to define "banned" here.The BBC "decined to broadcast" the Hard Cash TV series (about the world of work from the worker's perspective) because they felt Margaret Thatcher wouldn't approve (yes, others would claim that statment was "less than accurate", too) . . however the CD of the never-broadcast programmes is well worth locating.
G.