N.B. teacher builds miniature Titanic model

A New Brunswick high school teacher is building a roughly three-foot-long replica of the ship at the centre of one of history’s worst maritime disasters, the Titanic.

Jeff Scott, who teaches at Simonds High School in east Saint John, says his fascination with the luxury ocean liner began in 1985 when the wreck was discovered hundreds of kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland.

“Being a Newfoundlander, I was quite interested in the story,” Scott says. “So I then started to take out some books from the library and read up on it – and of course, all those pictures from that expedition came out.”

Scott says he’s spent hundreds of hours so far making the model. With the exception of the glue — he says it’s entirely made of salvaged materials, like scrap wood and pop cans.

The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic the night of April 14, 1912 – 110 years ago last Thursday – still, the story of the ‘unsinkable ship’ and its doomed maiden voyage, continues to spark the imagination.

There is still some work left to do to finish the model, including adding the masts, rigging, and lifeboats.

Scott says he hopes to be able to display it at his high school so his students can see the project in person.

“Maybe it will inspire some young people to start building something.”