<P> Usually , a high prestige vessel like Titanic could expect to be fully booked on its maiden voyage . However , a national coal strike in the UK had caused considerable disruption to shipping schedules in the spring of 1912 , causing many crossings to be cancelled . Many would - be passengers chose to postpone their travel plans until the strike was over . The strike had finished a few days before Titanic sailed ; however , that was too late to have much of an effect . Titanic was able to sail on the scheduled date only because coal was transferred from other vessels which were tied up at Southampton , such as SS City of New York and RMS Oceanic , as well as coal Olympic had brought back from a previous voyage to New York , which had been stored at the White Star Dock . </P>
<P> Usually , a high prestige vessel like Titanic could expect to be fully booked on its maiden voyage . However , a national coal strike in the UK had caused considerable disruption to shipping schedules in the spring of 1912 , causing many crossings to be cancelled . Many would - be passengers chose to postpone their travel plans until the strike was over . The strike had finished a few days before Titanic sailed ; however , that was too late to have much of an effect . Titanic was able to sail on the scheduled date only because coal was transferred from other vessels which were tied up at Southampton , such as SS City of New York and RMS Oceanic , as well as coal Olympic had brought back from a previous voyage to New York , which had been stored at the White Star Dock . </P>
what type of strike was going on just before the titanic set sail
what type of strike was going on just before the titanic set sail
a national coal strike in the UK
a national coal strike in the UK