“The sailor does not lack for singing. He sings at certain parts of his work;—indeed, he must sing, if he would work. On vessels of war, the drum and fife or boatswain's whistle furnish the necessary movement regulator. There, where the strength of one or two hundred men can be applied to one and the same effort, the labor is not intermittent, but continuous. The men form on either side of the rope to be hauled, and walk away with it like fire men marching with their engine. When the headmost pair bring up at the stern or bow, they part, and the two streams flow back to the starting-point, outside the following files. Thus in this perpetual "follow-my-leader" way the work is done, with more precision and steadiness than in the merchant-service.”
[Lowell, James Russell, ed., Songs of the Sea, The Atlantic Monthly, vol. II, (Boston: Phillips, Sampson and Co., 1858, p.153)]

Anybody own a copy of: The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain 1649–1815? “The Royal Navy banned singing during work...,” isn't supported by the two online wiki sources.