Masato quoth:

"
One more puzzling thing: why the first captain's name was deleted in stanza 5.

"There is Capt.— , and likewise Capt. Townsend."

Sure, but you couldn't SING the the song with a zilched name (try singing a zero):

How about:

    There is Captain [Bucksend] , and likewise Capt. Townsend.

For all of me, damned if I'm going to bother with the obliterated zeroed Cptn before I lock onto Cptn Townsend.

Whatever the zero was, it has to scan as a trochiac foot.

    BUCKsend

For all the good that does us ...

Robin