‘The Wreck of the Titan’ foretold the sinking of the Titanic

The RMS Titanic was a luxury steamship, that sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. This tragedy took place during the ship's maiden voyage in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland. The Titanic ran into an iceberg with 2,240 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in the disaster and countless articles, movies, and books, have been produced and written on the subject. There is one publication however that was penned 14 years prior to the Titanic sinking. Some believe this was a premonition of future events but the author has another explanation.

Perhaps you have heard of the movie The clash of the Titans but you might not know about the book titled, Futility or The Wreck of the Titan was written by Morgan Robertson in 1898. In addition to having a similar name to the fated luxury liner and both vessels having the same outcome, (sinking after crashing into an iceberg), there are a number of other truly bizarre similarities between art and real life. Both ships set sail in April and sank in the North Atlantic and each vessel was around 800 ft. long. Both ships were triple screw propellor, could hold up to 3,000 passengers, had an insufficient number of lifeboats and were considered to be unsinkable.

The speeds were similar with 22.5 knots for the Titanic and 25 for the Titan and each ship was British owned. Both were hit on their starboard bow, at the same time which was around midnight. Some people considered Robertson to be psychic and like Nostradamus who was able to predict future events. The author, however, attributed the coincidences to his personal background. He was born in 1861 the son of a ship captain and worked as a cabin boy from 1866-1899.

The author's father Andrews was a ship captain on the Great Lakes and during his 33 years on the sea Morgan Robertson eventually became a first mate on a merchant ship. When asked about the similarities between his tale and the actual Titanic he explained that they were based on two facts. Robertson said that it was due to his vast research related to maritime trends and also his extensive knowledge of shipbuilding. Still, the idea that he wrote about a possibility in 1898 that became a reality in 1912 is quite eerie.

The Titan and the Titanic taking the same route can be explained by the fact that this was the quickest and easiest route to travel. It might seem plausible that someone read Robertson's book and named the luxury liner in honor of it. Both the Titan and Titanic was indeed derived from the Titans of Greek mythology but the similarity stops there. There were actually 3 Olympic class luxury liners. The RMS Titanic was the second and built in Belfast, Ireland, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The first one was the RMS Olympic and the third ship was the HMHS Britannic.

Morgan Robertson tired of sea life and began working as a jeweler. When that did not satisfy him he began writing sea stories. On the afternoon of March 24, 1915, 3 weeks shy of the sinking of the Titanic, Robertson was found dead in Atlantic City, New Jersey, his room at the Alamac Hotel. He was 53 years old and it was believed that he died from an overdose of paraldehyde, which is a sedative. It's not known whether or not Robertson was dealing with any emotional issues but studies do indicate that those who are born as writers often deal with depression. If you are interested The wreck of the Titan can be purchased online at Amazon.com.