Titanic Unsinkabear

1st Voyage

• About Us: Barnes Elementary Miniboat Crew

  
  Our crew is from Mrs. Nigh and Mr. Scattergood’s 4th grade class from Barnes Elementary School. We live in Kelso, Washington, U.S.A. When creating our miniboat’s name, we started by each of us coming up with a name and then chose M/B Titanic Unsinkabear based on a democratic vote all together.
  
  We hope to learn maritime basics through science, art, math, and history. Our teachers use Washington learning standards to provide us with an educational experience that enhances our learning. Beginning the miniboat program, in partnership with the Columbia River Maritime Museum (CRMM), we were unfamiliar with the maritime world. We are already learning so much and by the time we are finished, we hope to know a lot more about maritime terms, science, and careers.
  
  Each and every week, we are very excited to learn more about boats and sailing! We hope our miniboat travels to Japan.

  Special thanks goes to Norton Lilly International for spearheading our deployment process! We also have many donors who make this program possible.

• December 18, 2025: Christening Ceremony

  On December 18th, CRMM hosted their Fall 2025 Christening ceremony! Both Wallace and Barnes Elementary schools attended and presented their work to other students, teachers and admin from each school, as well as elected officials, friends, family, and museum staff. Each student team from both schools shortly shared about how they prepared the miniboat, selected its design and name, what they learned, and wished their miniboat good luck on its journey. The ceremony concluded with a bottle break and toast.
  
  Check out the article “Students Christen Two Miniboats at Maritime Museum” written by The Astorian or Kelso School District’s article: Built by Elementary Students, Bound for the Pacific, highlighting all the fun:
  
  Barnes wrote an acrostic poem to wish the miniboat good luck:
  “Bring good luck to our boat
  Oh, we hope it stays afloat!
  And we break a bottle on the side,
  To send it good luck and life!”

  Our deployer for both the M/B Titanic Unsinkabear and her sister ship the M/B Survivor is Norton Lilly International. They are a maritime logistics company. The vessel that will launching our boats is the Buena Ventura, a bulk carrier bound for Mexico.
  
  We want to thank Norton Lilly International and the Captain and crew of the Buena Ventura for being our deployers! We also want to thank all our supporters who make this program happen.

  Stay tuned for more updates as launch day gets closer!

• December 2025: Update

  Titanic Unsinkabear and sister ship Survivor are out on deck soaking in the sun and views aboard the Buena Ventura.
  
  Stay tuned for more updates as launch day gets closer come the new year!

• January 5, 2026: First Launch of the New Year!

  On January 5, 2026, Norton Lilly’s M/V Bueno Ventura launched M/B Titanic Unsinkabear with her sister-ship the M/B Survivor!

  With calm waters, waves around 1 meter in height moving west, winds strong at 12.8 knots moving WSW, both miniboats left the “not-so miniboat” quickly excited to get under way on their journey.

  

  Track her, along with all miniboats at sea, using our Path Analysis Tool and stay tuned for more updates!

• May 31, 2026: Recovered in the Marshall Islands!

  In January, both Titanic Unsinkabear (northwest miniboat pictured) and its sister ship Survivor (southwest miniboat pictured) were smooth sailing. Steady winds were pushing them southwest, as they head out into the Pacific after spending sometime near the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

  For 55 days, the Titanic Unsinkabear traveled before the GPS transmitter all of a sudden stopped reporting.

  Then, on May 31, we received a message from our friend Lokjen (who has M/B Panda Express) that another miniboat had been found in Eneko, another island in the Marshall Islands. Looking closer at the video, we could easily tell it was the Titanic Unsinkabear!

  

  

   

  PRESS RELEASE June 3, 2026

  Barnes Elementary built Miniboat recovered in Marshall Islands

  After three quiet months, M/B Titanic Unsinkabear is recovered over 4,700 kilometers west of its last known location. Its last report was March 1, 2026 east of the Hawaiian islands, and while many feared the worst, this miniboat lived up to its name – unsinkabear. Found by local fishers, the miniboat is headed to Wotje Elementary School for repairs and oversight by principal, Lokjen Emos.

  “When our students launched Titanic Unsinkabear, they knew they were sending a small boat on a big adventure. Seeing it travel thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and reach the Marshall Islands is an incredible reminder that learning can take students farther than they ever imagined,” said Seth Peck, Principal of Barnes Elementary. “We are proud of our Bears and grateful to our partners who make these authentic, hands-on experiences possible.”

  Emos is not new to miniboat recovery and repairs. This recovery comes six months after M/B Panda Express grounded in a nearby location and was brought to Wotje. M/B Panda Express, another Oregon built miniboat facilitated by Oregon Coast STEM Hub, was launched in November and landed in December of 2025. It has been undergoing repairs and awaits relaunch. 

  M/B Titanic Unsinkabear was co-launched with M/B Survivor, another Kelso School District built miniboat, from Buena Ventura, a Bulk Carrier scheduled by Norton Lilly in December of 2025. M/B Survivor is still reporting in the Pacific Ocean about 500 kilometers to the east. 

  Many organizations and people are involved in the repair and relaunch endeavor. Students will get a chance to chat online about the exciting twist in the miniboat journey just before summer break. Emos plans to join Barnes Elementary students, Educational Passages, and Columbia River Maritime Museum on a video call next week. 

  To track M/B Titanic Unsinkabear visit: educationalpassages.org/boats/titanicunsinkabear

  Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Miniboat program is FREE to host schools. Please consider adonation to the program to continue the rich maritime learning of local schools. This program is presented in partnership with Educational Passages. 

  Contact Katy Menne, Education Director | Menne(at)crmm(dot)org | 503.741.7056; Nathan Yeh, Boat Educator | Yeh(at)crmm(dot)org | 503.791.8665