In 1898, a
novel called ‘Futility’ or ‘Wreck of the Titan’ was written by Morgan Robertson.
The novel told the story about a huge unsinkable ship named Titan, which
unfortunately sank killing a lot of people on board. The story’s protagonist,
John Rowland is shown as a disgraced former U.S Navy officer who works as a
deckhand on the ship. On an April night, the ship sinks by striking an iceberg.
John jumps onto the iceberg with the daughter of a former lover, saving her
life. The rest of the story follows how he overcomes adventures in the sea and
tries to lead a positive life after being rescued.
Exactly fourteen years later, a ship named ‘RMS Titanic’ (which was then the largest ship ever made) was sent on her maiden voyage from The Great Britain to the United States of America. The ship was believed to be unsinkable. She was designed to be the most luxurious with an on-board gymnasium, a swimming pool, libraries, high class restaurants and opulent cabins. Also she had decks meant for the poor third class people who wanted to make a new living in New York, USA. Just four days across the ocean, on the midnight of 14th April, 1912, the unsinkable ship hit an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Exactly fourteen years later, a ship named ‘RMS Titanic’ (which was then the largest ship ever made) was sent on her maiden voyage from The Great Britain to the United States of America. The ship was believed to be unsinkable. She was designed to be the most luxurious with an on-board gymnasium, a swimming pool, libraries, high class restaurants and opulent cabins. Also she had decks meant for the poor third class people who wanted to make a new living in New York, USA. Just four days across the ocean, on the midnight of 14th April, 1912, the unsinkable ship hit an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.
The sinking of the Titan and the Titanic bears so many similarities beyond their name. The design and the structure of the ship were almost the same too. The Titan was 800 feet, displacing about 75000 tonnes while the Titanic was 882 feet, displacing 63000 tonnes. Neither of these ships had enough lifeboats to save all the passengers. The capacity of the lifeboats was only about one third of the capacity of the whole ship. Both these ships were designed with three propellers and when the ships sank, they were moving at 25 and 22.5 knots respectively. Both these ships were struck by an iceberg on a night in April, 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland (which is the most shocking similarity of all).
So, can we call this a coincidence? I’d rather believe that Morgan Robertson had a wonderful premonition about the sinking ship, since fiction becoming fact is almost just impossible.
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