>At the height of chantying British whaling was on its last legs.

This is neither here nor there in terms of settling these questions— it's merely fodder for speculation of my own, no better than Hugill's speculation based on the "crews were too large" rationale—but:

As I point out in my movie, it was whalers, into the 1920s, that continued most to rely on the brake windlass as a device (whereas merchant ships had replaced it with other devices decades earlier). Whalermen needed to use the brake windlass A LOT, and for heavier labor than raising anchor. Does that mean they were inspired (I won't say "compelled") to sing chanties? I don't know, but it's a possible (though ultimately unprovable) theory.

What was the proportion of whalers to other commercial ships, at any time? I have no clue how to put a number on it, but I assume it was far less. So, if we compare circa 20 good accounts of chanty singing being mentioned on whalers to x-number of such accounts (direct accounts—exclude general discussions. which are highly biased) from other kinds of vessels, do the proportions match up? In other words, if the number of whalers compared to shipping vessels was, say, 1 to 5 (a random number I just made up), and we have 20 accounts from whalers and (say) 100 from others... then I don't think there is great cause to suppose chanty singing aboard whalers was *proportionately* less.

For me, the evidence of chanty singing on whalers, though less than we might like, is *enough* such that I don't find compelling reason to assert a claim that there is something special to be noted along the lines of "chanty singing was absent / far less in whalers." I, at least currently, suppose that idea was "put on the table" by the likes of Hugill and spread as a conventional wisdom that I don't feel strongly compelled to address it one way or the other just *because* it was put on the table (by someone who didn't make a real study of it).

People develop talking points for their presentations to audiences. I suggest that one of Hugill's things was to emphasize the factor of crew size in relationship to chanty singing. His "point" about the whalers nicely accompanied that as a talking point. (I'm certainly "guilty" of my own talking points!)

Steve, I appreciate your points about Bullen's Cachalot. Will have a look if I get a chance.