In a dramatic development off the coast of Sicily, the luxury superyacht bearing the British flag, which tragically sank last year, has reappeared above the water’s surface as recovery crews meticulously prepared it for a closer examination. This recovery operation comes after the ship’s sinking in August the previous year during a fierce storm, resulting in the tragic loss of University of the UK tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others. This tragic incident occurred as Lynch and his party were celebrating his recent legal victory in the U.S., where he had been acquitted on fraud charges just a couple of months earlier.
On Friday, the superyacht named Bayesian was spotted emerging from the depths within a designated area beside a robust yellow floating crane barge. The complex salvage operation, coordinated by the coast guard and specialized recovery teams, is set to commence in earnest by Saturday; however, proceed on the condition of favorable weather conditions. Over recent days, crew members and machinery have been working diligently to gradually elevate the yacht from the seabed, which lay 50 meters below the ocean’s surface.
TMC Maritime, the leading organization overseeing the recovery efforts, detailed the precise method of retrieval employed. Working over three days, teams methodically raised the vessel before strategically placing steel lifting straps, slings, and harnesses beneath the keel for support. Eight steel straps now stabilize the ship as part of a comprehensive steel wire system that will continue to lift the vessel to surface level. During the elevation process, seawater is systematically pumped from the hull.
This weekend is pivotal, as the intention is to keep the Bayesian suspended above water, allowing experts time for thorough examinations and operational preparations for the journey ahead. Anticipated movements will see the yacht transferred to Termini Imerese’s Sicilian port by Sunday, where a specially designed steel cradle awaits to accommodate the ship’s arrival.
As the Bayesian appeared on the water’s surface, observers witnessed the exposure of the passenger section, where accommodations were primarily located. Notably, the 72-meter mast, vital for the yacht’s structural integrity, remains absent, as it had been intentionally cut away during the recovery preparations to facilitate a shift into an almost vertical position for extraction. The mast remains on the seabed, scheduled for future retrieval.
An interim analysis released by British authorities highlighted that “extreme wind” conditions were pivotal in the tragedy involving the yacht, which was, at the time, anchored for refuge against anticipated thunderstorms. The report indicated wind velocities surpassing 70 knots, which forcefully tipped the vessel within moments to a precarious 90-degree angle, ultimately unable to recover.
Mike Lynch, widely recognized in tech circles for founding the software giant Autonomy, an enterprise he successfully sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion, had triumphantly secured his innocence in a high-stakes fraud trial by June 2024. His untimely demise, along with six others, has spurred an ongoing criminal investigation by Italian authorities to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding this fateful incident at sea.