One factor could be that industrial might quite likely correlates with crew performance. The job of a sailor is essentially to maintain and operate a large floa

One factor could be that industrial might quite likely correlates with crew performance. The job of a sailor is essentially to maintain and operate a large floating industrial complex. Engineering skills are not always necessary, but experience working on a factory floor would directly translate to the psychological conditions and technical problems a sailor would encounter within a warship. For an example of the opposite dynamic in action, look at the largely agrarian Russia's naval performance in the Russo-Japanese war, where the incompetence of the officers was almost matched by the incompetence of the sailors. If you've grown up working on a farm, you're unlikely to adjust smoothly to working in an engine room.