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(SSV Oliver Hazard Perry). Don't we have enough Class B tall ships already? As far as I understand it, we have not been able to support the ones that already exist. How many non-profit sail training organizations are barely keeping afloat (pun intended) ? How many historic ships desperately need attention and funds? There always seems to be momentum to build them and keep them going the first few years, but then these ships seem to be tied to a pier somewhere because money and interest dies out. Need we name names? Ir would be great if we could take care of the ships we already have before we add more to the fleet. BRIAN SKELLEY

Norfolk, Virginia Patriotic Songs and American Tradition When I was a young girl, my grandmother would say that there wasn't a subject in the world she didn't know a song about. We made games of trying to stump h er and, in the process, learned a good many American fo lk songs. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about the patriotic songs and music of the 19th century in the last issue ("War Reporting in 1812, Through Song") . Dr. Hildebrand's article brought me back to a time and a family tradition I had not thought about in a very long time. If I can tear my own grandchildren away from their iPods, I will try to share som e with them . Perhaps I should hunt down some recordings and put them on their iPods when they aren't looking. I am not so sure I'll have success, but thanks for reminding me of a treasured time from my youth just the same. GLORIA MITCHELL

Danvers, Massachusetts Chilling Photo I am always drawn to Titanic stories, even the romanticized ones, but the photo you ran in the last issue of the boot and coat lying on the shipwreck site was somehow very sobering and disturbing. Ir was a good reminder that after the blockbuster movie has gone to DVD and the stories of the whole saga have been told, that individual people by the hundreds died a horrible death that night. Let's leave them alone. ]OHN BELK

Manhasset, New York

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SEA HISTORY 140, AUTUMN 2012