Hey, Readers. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the story of the RMS Titanic. I vividly remember when Dr. Robert Ballard and his crew found the wreckage in 1985. One of the first videos my husband and I purchased was a National Geographic documentary of Ballard’s crew locating the ship.
Since then, I’ve read books including Titanic Voices – 63 Survivors Tell Their Extraordinary Stories by Hannah Holman, and The Truth About the Titanic written by Col. Archibald Gracie, one of the survivors. More recently I read Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember. It was while reading Lord’s book that I came upon what’s sure to be called a strange coincidence.
Morgan Robertson was a struggling author in the late nineteenth century. In 1898, he penned and published a novel originally titled Futility. The story was about a disgraced former US Navy officer named John Rowland. Now an alcoholic, Rowland works as a deckhand on an ocean liner called the Titan. On a cold April night, the ship hits an iceberg and sinks. Most of the passengers die.
Sound familiar? Fourteen years later, on April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the Atlantic. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, only 705 survived.
There are some eerie similarities between Robertson’s fictional ship and the real one.
- The real ship was named the Titanic; Robertson called his ship the Titan.
- The Titanic was 66,000 tons displacement; the Titan was 70,000 tons.
- The Titanic was 882.5 feet long; the Titan was 800 feet.
- Both ships could travel 24-25 knots.
- Both could carry around 3,000 passengers but both had lifeboats for only a handful of those passengers. It didn’t seem to matter because both were deemed unsinkable.
- Both ships were British owned, both hit the iceberg on their starboard bow around midnight, and both sank 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland.
There are a few differences. The fictional ship had only thirteen survivors as opposed to the Titanic’s 705. (At least one source states there were 706.) The Titan capsized before sinking, and the Titanic split into two pieces.
After the sinking in 1912, many believed Robertson was clairvoyant and foresaw the actual event. Scholars attribute the similarities to the author’s extensive knowledge of shipbuilding and maritime trends. I personally see too many similarities to fully believe the latter explanation. Even the cover photo reminds me of the real ship. What say you?
37 Responses
That is an amazing coincidence.
For real, Thomas. I certainly can’t explain it.
This is a pretty big coincidence!
It certainly is, Denise.
This kind of stuff fascinates me. Too many times I’ve seen fiction come true. Thanks for sharing, Joan 💕🙂
This is one of those things that prove truth is stranger than fiction.
Like Harmony, I’m fascinated by this. The similarities are unreal. Thanks for sharing, Joan.
Me too, Jill. A strange story, indeed.
I’ve heard this story before. I like to think there are still things we don’t understand completely. It’s easy to brush off psychic phenomena, but there are an awful lot of occurrences that leave room for a bit of reality.
I agree with you, Craig. There are too many things that we can’t comprehend that have no reasonable explanation.
Definitely an amazing coincidence. I can see how his experience in shipbuilding could play a role in crafting the story, but the other coincidences are very strange.
Me too, Jeanne. The similarities are so freaky, however. It does make one wonder.
Kinda freaky. I’m not saying it’s all just a coincidence because I think there are things in the universe we have yet to understand.
When I saw that book cover… I agree, there are things we don’t understand. Thanks, Priscilla.
Anything Titanic has always fascinated me, but I’ve never seen this before. Talk about a freaky coincidence – or not. A few weeks ago I even watched some of the newly released footage from the discovery.
The Titanic fascinates me as well. I’d like to see that newly released footage.
There’s a link in this article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-rare-new-footage-of-the-titanic-wreck-180981653/
Thank you, Teri!
I read about this before. I find it fascinating the coincidences between the two. It makes you think about precognition. The mistakes made when evacuating the Titanic cost so many people their lives in addition to not having enough life boats onboard.
The tragedy was so sad. I can’t imagine what those people who weren’t able to get on the lifeboats went through, knowing they were going to die.
I was fascinated by the real story of the Titanic until the movie came out, which I resisted watching for years, finally (accidentally) got stuck watching, and LOATHED. Now, the real story has lost its luster for me, too. Still, I hadn’t heard of these similarities and find them to be a little more than coincidental, too. Great post, Joan.
I didn’t care for the movie but I don’t allow it to dampen my interest in the real event. (Matter of fact, I rarely think of the movie unless someone mentions it.) This story just blew my mind.
I believe in clairvoyance, Joan… the whole Nostradamus phenomenon feels real to me. The details may be hazy and inaccurate here and there, but there are enough ties to make the premonition plausible. Very creepy.
It certainly is, Diana. Robertson did have a knowledge of ships, but there are a few too many similarities to chalk it up to that alone.
Creepy, isn’t it? Eeek.
The similarities between Robertson’s Titan and the Titanic are amazing. I tend to believe that his knowledge base and research led him to be predictive, but who knows. Great share, Joan!
His knowledge certainly was a factor. Still, the similarities are eerie. I wonder if we’d think that if he hadn’t named his fictional ship the Titan.
Good point about the name Titan, Joan. I’ve often thought of George Orwell and other writers whose novels were scarily accurate about the future. Most writers are intuitive and draw conclusions from the clues around them. I guess that can be seen as psychic–or maybe very observant and alert. 😊
I never heard of the fictional Titan before, Joan. That’s an awful lot of similiarities to rack up as pure coincidence—especially where both ships were struck by the icebergs and where they sank.
I wonder how many people in 1912 started reading the Titan after the sinking of the Titanic!
I think the book’s name changed shortly after the Titanic sank. I can’t recall if the writer was still alive at that time but he may have become a best-selling author!
I had never heard of the Titan before, Joan, but the similarities are way too close to ignore. My vote is that Morgan Robertson had a vision of what would be a real disaster. Such amazing “coincidences.” Thank you for sharing, Joan!
I think that is a very real possibility, Jan. Coupled with his knowledge of ships, it certainly made an interesting premise for a book.
There were eerie similarities, Joan. Thanks for pointing them out. Great story.
Eerie is right, John!
😊
That is eerie! I’ll bet no one who had read Futility booked passage on the Titanic.
I know I wouldn’t have, Liz! 🙂