[6] The Sicilia was a newly built steam yacht, on a transfer voyage from the shipyard to Italy when it struck the Ercolano.

[2] The Household Narrative of Current Events of May 1854 reported: A dreadful Shipwreck has taken place on the coast between Antibes and Nice.

On the night of the 24th of April, Mr. Sansom, a passenger, who had been supping with Sir Robert Peel, went upon deck to smoke a cigar; it was a dark night, and the ship rolled heavily: to his great surprise, he saw no man on deck but the man at the helm.

In a few minutes, the ship was struck on the larboard side, by a screw steamer, which proved to be the Sicilia.

Sir Robert Peel ran to the bow, stripped, plunged into the sea, and swam until he was picked up.A survivor of the sinking stated that the captains of neither vessel were on deck at the time of the collision and that the event was due to their negligence.