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The Michel C was built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1866 and was designed for coastal navigation. It was a small iron steam ship with a 285 ton capacity, a length of 39 metres, a width of nearly 6 metres and a depth of 3.5 metres. She was powered by two independent engines. Each of them was connected to a propeller. During the night between 26th and 27th November 1900 the Michel C was sailing from Marseilles and heading for Cannes. She sailed between the mainland and the Isles of Hy�res through a thick fog. There were twelve men on board. The ship was carrying beer and flour. Another ship, the Amphion of the same company was coming from the opposite direction travelling back to Marseilles. The Amphion was a slighter bigger iron ship built in 1887. Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning the Amphion hit the Michel C on the port side of her bow. An engineer immediately drowned. The Michel C with the stem of the other ship still sticking through her hull sank in less than two minutes. The crew had just enough time to jump ships. The Amphion despite a substantial leak at the front managed to get as far as Toulon. The Michel C now lies on rocks in 39 metres of water close to her neighbour the Ville de Grasse.
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