<P> The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility (originally called Futility) is an 1898 novella written by Morgan Robertson . The story features the fictional ocean liner Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg . Titan and its sinking have been noted to be very similar to the real - life passenger ship RMS Titanic, which sank fourteen years later . Following the sinking of the Titanic, the novel was reissued with some changes, particularly in the ship's gross tonnage . </P> <P> The first half of Futility introduces the hero John Rowland . Rowland is a disgraced former US Navy officer . Now an alcoholic fallen to the lowest levels of society, he has been dismissed from the Navy and works as a deckhand on the Titan . One April night the ship hits an iceberg, sinking somewhat before the halfway point of the novel . </P>

When was the wreck of the titan written