During the First World War, she served as a nurse aboard the British hospital ship HMHS Britannic, sister ship of the famous liner RMS Titanic. She survived the sinking of the ship after it struck a mine near the Greek island of Kea on 21 November 1916. Six decades later, at the age of 86, she was contacted by oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau who was exploring the wreck of the Britannic. She was able to visit the wreck in Cousteau's submersible.