I respectfully disagree with Mr. Heinonen’s assessment of the value of in-person contact with historic artifacts as mentioned in his letter regarding the rehabilitation of the USS Nautilus, "Scrap the USS Nautilus," (Nov. 2). As the creator and former teacher of the Local History course at The Williams School in New London, it was my honor and privilege to escort my sixth-grade students on a tour through the Nautilus as part of the curriculum. They had studied extensively the impressive history of the boat before their tours, but nothing could compare with the experience of actually being on it and moving through its narrow interior spaces. History came alive for those students, and they gained a deeper respect for the significance of the Nautilus and what its crews accomplished. There is a singular value in being able to touch and, to paraphrase Mr. Heinonen, sometimes bump into history that no virtual tour could ever replicate. It is through such close, hands-on encounters that we gain an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the places in which we live.

Peter J. Emanuel, Jr.

Waterford