Built during World War II at the boatyard of La Ciotat, a town on the southern coast of France, the ship was first launched in June 1944 under the name Maréchal Pétain.

As fires broke out, approximately 700 passengers and crew scrambled to abandon the ship while Grenadian fishermen and boat owners, awakened by the noise of the explosion, near the harbor of St. George's rushed to help.

Because Grenada did not have the equipment to quench such a large fire, a call for help was sent and was received by the British frigate HMS Londonderry at Puerto Rico.

Thousands of Grenadians watched from the mountains as the tow progressed for six hours, but the Bianca C.. had only moved 6 km (3 nmi) when a squall started and the towline broke.

As the top of the ship is in only about 30 metres (100 ft) of water, scuba divers can reach it and in the late 1980s and early 1990s some removed parts of the boat for souvenirs.