Morgan Robertson (1861-1915) was the son of a Great Lakes captain, whose footsteps he followed in becoming a seaman, first on the Lakes then at sea on ocean liners. He spent ten years at sea, rising to become first mate. On leaving the sea, he studied to become a jeweller, but bad eyesight made him turn to writing as a full-time career. He had in fact sketched out the plot of his best known work, Futility, while still a seaman.