Manmaru

Choshi Second Junior High School (Choshi, Japan) with Naselle Elementary School (WA, USA) & Columbia River Maritime Museum

Updates:

1st Voyage - Quiet after 57 days at sea

 

 

  • October 2018 - Preparations

    ABOUT THE CLASS

    This is Naselle Elementary School in Naselle, Washington.

    Teachers- Kendall Ford and Sandra Smith

    Some pictures of the students preparing their miniboat:

  • November 2018 - Launched

    We got permission from Marine Safety Agency and secure the boat to get out of the coast. The boat Flipper is for watching whales and dolphins.  The capacity is 40 people. On 21st November the Flipper will take us 30km (15miles) off the coast, because we want to place the miniboat on the ocean currents. The captain of the Flipper advised us that if we do not place the miniboat further than 30km offshore, it will increase the possibility of it coming back to Choshi or being crushed by cargo ships.​

  • December 28, 2018 - Quiet after 38 days at sea

    The M/B Manmaru stopped sending a signal on December 28 after 38 days at sea. With the GPS battery high, perhaps she was hit in the very busy shipping lane. What do you think may have happened?

  • January 15, 2019 - Another ping

    On January 15 she sent another signal, Happy New Year! Perhaps she was flipped over, or something was covering the GPS? She certainly traveled far though…

  • July 20, 2019 - ANOTHER PING!

    The Manmaru reported today after 6 months of quiet – south from where we last heard in January (and 817 km/441 nm away!).

    VOYAGE STATS

    The Manmaru miniboat sailed for a total of 248 days while the GPS was reporting, but was last heard on July 26, 2019. It traveled at least 4,605 km (2,486 nm) and in a straight line the start to finish distance was only 1,560 km (852 nm)!


Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Miniboat Program celebrates 10 years! Over this first decade, the program has provided a global, multidisciplinary STEAM learning experience for 4th through 7th grade classes. Students work in teams to design, assemble, launch, and track GPS-equipped boats. Each classroom learns about maritime history and culture of the Pacific Northwest and across the Pacific Ocean. In 2027, we will also plan to launch our 50th miniboat!

The program is in partnership with Educational Passages and has been supported by numerous organizations and private donors, including Consular Office of Japan in Portland, Pacific Power, NWSTEM Hub, West Marine BlueFuture Fund®, Northwest Oregon Works, and U.S. Coast Guard.