Wreck of the Titan: 1898 novel by Morgan Robertson.

This is a fairly well-known coincidence. In 1898, Morgan Robertson published a novel in which he described an ocean liner that collides with an iceberg and sinks.



The similarities with the future fate of the Titanic are eerie.

• Unsinkable
  • The Titanic was the world's largest luxury liner (882 feet, displacing 53,000 long tons), and was once described as being (nearly) "unsinkable".
  • The Titan was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men (800 feet, displacing 75,000 tons), and was considered "unsinkable".
• Lifeboats
  • The Titanic carried only 20 lifeboats, less than half the number required for her passenger capacity of 3000.
  • The Titan carried "as few as the law allowed", 24 lifeboats, less than half needed for her 3000 capacity.
• Struck an iceberg
  • Moving too fast at 23 knots, the Titanic struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic 400 miles away from Terranova.
  • Also on an April night in North Atlantic 400 miles from Newfoundland (Terranova) , the Titan hit an iceberg while traveling at 25 knots.
• The Unsinkable Sank
  • The unsinkable Titanic sank, and more than half of her 2208 passengers died.
  • The indestructible Titan also sank, more than half of her 2500 passengers drowning, their "voices raised in agonized screams."

The sad thing is that the designers of the Titanic were clearly not aware of this book, otherwise they probably would have considered either changing the name or increasing the number of lifeboats. Whatever felt right, I guess. Also, it appears that the author's knowledge of the industry was instrumental in his prediction. As for the name, it must truly be a remarcable coincidence.