What Year Did the Poseidon Sink?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 16, 2020

The fictional ship Poseidon sank either in 1969 or 1972, depending on whether the novel or film version of the tale is considered. Paul Gallico’s novel “The Poseidon Adventure” was published in 1969; the film adaptation was released in 1972, according to the Internet Movie Database.

Both works focus on the Poseidon, an ocean liner that is struck by an enormous wave then turns over and capsizes. The novel and the film both tell the story of the passengers onboard the Poseidon and their desperate struggle to escape the ship. Although Gallico’s novel is well-known, the 1972 film version, starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Shelly Winters, is more popular and is celebrated as one of the finest disaster movies of the 1970s.