The sailing-era institution worth restoring

Which practice from the age of sail should a modern navy bring back?

Restore Royal Dockyards, with the daily rum ration offered as the humorous alternative.

Royal Dockyards are the clearest sailing-era practice to restore. They provided direct public capacity to build and repair warships, a need that also arises in the discussion of modern naval yards. The daily rum ration gets a joking second-place vote.