Why the "myth?" Let's see... Lusty men and young boys packed together cheek to jowl --so to speak-- for long "cruises" without female companionship, sharing hammocks in hot holds, bathing together... you got me! :)

But then there was French Adm. Pierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez (1729-1788), who while on "cruise" liked to surround himself with handsome young sailors known as "Suffren's mignons," declared that, "Men married to each other will behave the best in combat. They will help each other. They are always in good spirits."

Or read Melville's "Billy Budd."