They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships | Introduction: 'As I was searching through our family's Samsonite suitcase full of photographs, I came across a small black and white print, no larger than a baseball card, with two red lipstick prints smeared across the back. Besides these marks made by some once-supple lips, there were no names, dates or messages inscribed. I flipped the picture over to find the soft, dark eyes of a sailor staring back at me. He had full lips curved in a slight smile to rival La Gioconda, a small, handsome nose, and a neck as thick as a young oak. His hair glistened with pomade, as black and shiny as our Steinway, and at his collar, above his neckerchief, you could see a bit of his dark chest hair. His skin was smooth and unblemished; he looked no older than 19. The picture was battered, and the edges worn soft from handling. The photograph must have been taken in the 1940's or early 1950's, given the paper's amber hue and his coiffure'.