Futility.doc

Futility - The Wreck of the Titan
A Novel by Morgan Robertson
Published 1898

Fourteen years before Titanic was completed

Robertson's novel is about a ship, the Titan, '..which was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men'. No expense was spared on making the ship luxurious and the steward's cabin is described as being 'equal to that of a first class hotel.'

The latest technology was used in the building of the Titan including the addition of '..nineteen water-tight compartments.. With nine compartments flooded the ship would still float, and as no known incident of the sea could possibly fill this many, the steamship Titan was considered practically unsinkable.'

Because Titan was considered unsinkable she only carried the minimum number of lifeboats required by law - 24 - able to carry 500 people. This was not enough for the 2000 passengers on board.

Morgan Robertson's Titan hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank. 2987 people died in the disaster.

Morgan Robertson republished Futility after the sinking of the Titanic with some notable changes suggesting that he was trying to cash in on the Titanic disaster. Nevertheless, the similarities between The Titan and Titanic are striking: