Ramon Artagaveytia, a Uruguayan national, was among just 65 passengers to escape the sinking of the ship America on December 24, 1871, in which 164 perished.
It scarred him for life. Relatives said he would wake in the middle of the night, screaming that there was a fire.
Even during the shortest of trips on water, he would wear a lifebelt and shake with fear.
Finally, overcoming his trauma and confident modern passenger liners were safer than those from the previous century, on April 10, 1912, Ramon embarked on his first major voyage.