The Titan

Picture generated with AI
Location: New Jersey, United States of America
Dates Active: 1898
Category: Prophecy and Precognition
Cause: Similarities
Status: Closed
Entry ID: 041124A-00091

Summery: 

A novella written in 1898 seemingly predicts a famous disaster.

In Depth:

When originally published in 1898, the novella by Morgan Robertson entitled "The Wreck of the Titan or, Futility" was not a huge hit. The plot was as follows: the main character John Rowland works as a deckhand on board a brand-new ocean liner the Titan. In the story, the ship was considered 'unsinkable', a claim that would prove to be false as the story went on. The Titan runs into an iceberg along its side while crossing the Atlantic, puncturing a large hole and causing it to sink. The ship does not have enough life boats for the passengers and crew, and while a large number of those aboard parish in the frigid waters, John Rowland manages to survive the sinking by jumping onto the iceberg.

While the remainder of the story tells of Rowland's fight for survival (including fighting off a polar bear), the book's major claim to fame is the almost uncanny comparison to a real-life event that happened 14 years later: the sinking of the RMS Titanic after it struck an iceberg.

After the sinking of the Titanic, the popularity of The Wreck of the Titan as an example of events being foretold of before they happened.

Similarities between the Titan and the Titanic:

  • The names were extremely similar.
  • Both ships were considered 'unsinkable' and marvels of modern technology.
  • Both ships had a triple screw propeller. 
  • The capacity of both ships was 3,000.
  • Actual passenger count was about 2,500 for the Titan and 2,200 for the Titanic.
  • Similar size: the Titan was listed as being 800 feet, while the Titanic was just over 882 feet.
  • Similar speeds: the Titan was capable of 25 knots while the Titanic was capable of 21.
  • Both ships ran into an iceberg.
  • Both ships would have survived a head-on collision with the iceberg, but were doomed by hitting the iceberg along the side of the boat.
  • The disasters happened in April.
  • The ships were exactly 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland when they sank.
  • Too few lifeboats to accommodate everyone onboard: 24 for the Titan and 20 for the Titanic.

Of course, there were differences as well. The most notable is that the Titan had only 13 survivors, which makes the Titanic's 705 seem much better than it actually was. There was also the matter of how the ships sank, as the Titan capsized in the book and the Titanic sank much slower and split in half. Still, the fact Robertson's book came so close to getting as many details correct seems mind-boggling.

However, there is an explanation about some of that: Robertson had spent a lot of his life onboard and around boats of all types, and had a lot of personal knowledge about how many different types of ships were constructed and how they operated. Many of the similarities between his story and the real-life Titanic could simply be due to Robertson's expertise and life experience. Still, the coincidence is still compelling, even after all these years.

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Last Update: April 11, 2024

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