Ancestry adds UK, Naval Officer and Rating Service Records, 1802-1919

Nearly 90,000 records, sourced from ADM 29/1–32, 34–96, 105–130 at The (UK) National Archives, comprise:

... musters and pay registers, which were compiled by the Navy Pay Office. 

Besides pension applications, you may find applications and supporting service records relating to the admittance of orphaned children into Greenwich Hospital School, applications to remove erroneous mentions of desertion, and applications for discharge by foreigners or apprentices who were impressed into service in the British Navy. 

While the records vary in format, details you may find include the name of the sailor, dates and ships he served on, rank or rating, nature of work on the ship, and remarks.

If you're lucky you'll find detailed comments, from drunkenness to high commendation, to enliven the basic record of when he served on which ship.