OMSI brings story of shipwreck to life.

Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard

Will you be among the fortunate few to live, or will you go down with the ship?

Visitors to the new Titanic exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland can ponder their fate as they learn exactly how the 46,000-ton luxury steamer became the world's most famous shipwreck.

In a bit of a macabre twist, OMSI will issue each visitor a boarding pass bearing the name of an actual passenger or crew member on the ship's maiden voyage in 1912. At the end of the tour, a memorial wall will reveal who survived and who perished. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 on board died within hours after the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

"People can really connect with someone who was on board," OMSI spokeswoman Genevieve Marrin said.

"Titanic Science: The Real Artifacts, the True Stories," opening Saturday, also showcases almost two dozen of the more than 6,000 artifacts salvaged from the rusting remains of the ship 2 1/2 miles undersea. They include a gold fountain pen, an artist's paint brush, chinaware from first- and third-class dining rooms, luggage and a corked, half-full champagne bottle.

Covering 8,000 square feet of floor space, the story of the tragic accident is one of the largest exhibits ever hosted by OMSI. And it may prove to be one of the most popular. A blend of science, history and culture, the exhibit was designed to appeal to all ages.

Visitors can listen to audio accounts recorded over the years by witnesses to the disaster, and character actors will wander about portraying personalities from the ship, including Molly Brown, the aristocrat and activist who survived the sinking.

OMSI couldn't find local relatives of Titanic passengers, but visitors can read newspaper accounts of the fate of a few Portland people who were aboard the doomed ship.

At one interactive station, visitors can take the helm and try to steer the 882-foot-long ship away from a simulated iceberg on a display screen - in just 37 seconds.

"It's pretty hard to do," Marrin said.

The future of the Titanic also will be explored. Before the scientific expeditions of the late 1990s, no one knew how extensively the ship had corroded or how much time it had left. A giant, walk-through "rusticle" will help explain the natural cycle of underwater corrosion and bacterial decay that's eating away the ship.

Kids can operate a mini-submersible used to discover and visit the wreck. The exhibit also explains how artifacts are collected and the rigorous conservation process each must go through.

Other highlights include:

"Titanica," an OMNIMAX film opening at OMSI on Friday. Images of the ship as she now lies on the ocean floor are contrasted with well-preserved archival photographs. The film ends Sept. 6.

Bob Ballard, the scientist who discovered the Titanic's final resting place in 1985 off the coast of Newfoundland, will revisit the ship in June to conduct research. OMSI visitors can watch it live in half-hour satellite broadcasts to air June 4-9. Ballard and his team will study the effects of deterioration from natural and human forces on the shipwreck.

IF YOU GO

What: "Titanic Science: The Real Artifacts, the True Stories."

Where: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1945 S.E. Water Ave., Portland.

When: Exhibit opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 6. Regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through June 11; summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, June 12 through Labor Day.

Cost: Included with museum admission of $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for youth (3-13) and seniors (63 and older).

Information: www .omsi.edu or call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

A Titanic replica sinks in a tank of water at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland.