Diver dies during operation to recover yacht that sank, killing 7
Work to raise a superyacht that sank in Sicily last year, killing a U.K. tech mogul and six others, was suspended Saturday after the death of a specialized diver, according to local news reports.
The diver was part of a team working to raise the 185-foot "Bayesian" yacht that was struck by a pre-dawn storm in August last year while anchored off Porticello, near Palermo.
The yacht sunk within minutes after being struck by something akin to a mini-tornado, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter and five others — Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy, U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, the BBC reported. Fifteen people managed to escape on a lifeboat, including a one-year-old child and Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares.
Authorities suspended work on raising the vessel after prosecutors opened an investigation Friday into the death of a 39-year-old diver, according to Italian media.
According to initial reports, the diver was part of a team working to cut and remove the 75-meter mast, a first step before recovery of the yacht itself, which is lying on its side on the seabed some 50 meters down.
TMC Marine, the British company working to raise the superyacht, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for more information.
In a statement Friday cited by news reports, TMC Marine said it was cooperating with the probe and that "the circumstances of the accident are currently being investigated by the authorities."
Work to bring up the yacht began last week, with Italy's coastguard saying it would take up to 25 days.
Inquests into the deaths of the four British victims of the yacht sinking are currently being held in Ipswich, in eastern England.
In Italy, prosecutors in Termini Imerese have opened investigations into the captain and three others on suspicion of manslaughter and the crime of negligent shipwreck.
Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy, had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a huge U.S. fraud case.
Who was Mike Lynch?
Lynch, once hailed as "Britain's Bill Gates," rose to prominence in the late 1990s with the development of his software company, Autonomy, which helped businesses quickly find information buried in email and other digital documents. In 2011, Lynch sold the business to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion, giving him a $800 million payday and cementing him as one of the U.K.'s richest people.
But the acquisition was later called one of the "most notorious failed mergers and acquisitions" after HP discovered alleged accounting issues, leading to Lynch's firing by HP's then-CEO, Meg Whitman. HP claimed that Autonomy had used accounting improprieties to bolster its underlying financials ahead of the acquisition, charges that Lynch steadfastly denied.
The case stretched into a 12-year legal fight that ended in June 2024 when a federal court jury in San Francisco delivered not-guilty verdicts.
Lynch, who earned a PhD in mathematical computing from the U.K.'s Cambridge University, first cofounded a company called Cambridge Neurodynamics, based on the cofounders' work with pattern recognition. The firm used the tech to match fingerprints and car license plates, according to a 1997 article in The Guardian.
From there, Lynch cofounded Autonomy in 1996, which relied on a statistical model called Bayesian inference, named after a theorem developed by the 18th century statistician Thomas Bayes. (Lynch's luxury yacht was christened the "Bayesian.")
The company tapped into the growing need of businesses to sort through and find information within the vast reams of data created by the increasing use of computers and digital documents.
Autonomy's steady growth during its first decade resulted in Lynch being awarded one of the U.K's highest honors, the Office of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2006.
Lynch told The Guardian in 1997 that people didn't quite believe that a growing tech business could emerge from the U.K.
"I have actually heard the comment, 'England, software? I thought you made bone china,'" he told the newspaper.
Did the conclave pick a front-runner to be new pope?
World awaits new pope after conclave's vote
Trump touts UK trade deal, but U.S. companies fear they won't survive China tariffs
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mike Lynch's superyacht fully raised above water for first time since it sank
Tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht has been fully raised above water for the first time since it sank off the coast of Sicily. Seven people died when the Bayesian sank off the Italian island on August 19, including billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18. The 56-metre (184ft) yacht was seen being held above the water by one of Europe's most powerful sea cranes near the fishing town of Porticello on Saturday afternoon. The yacht's propeller, rudder and keel all appeared to be intact. It was then lowered again slightly and salvage crews say that on Sunday it will be moved to Termini Imerese – where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based. On Saturday morning, workers could be seen on the vessel, which is covered in mud and algae, while the canopy and guard rails are mangled. The full word 'Bayesian' could be seen on the stern of the yacht and a ladder which Italian coastguard officials say was originally on the ship to allow passengers to disembark was seen cracked and pointed upwards on the starboard side. Also visible on the top deck was the stump of the mast. Salvage workers say there were 18,000 litres of fuel on board. Investigators in the UK and Italy say raising the vessel is crucial to fully understanding what happened. Balloon-like kit will be used to lift the Bayesian's mast, a project insider said. The yacht's 72-metre (236ft) mast was cut off on Tuesday using a remote-controlled tool and rested on the seabed. He told PA: 'Lifting bags will be used on the mast, but this will not start until Tuesday or Wednesday. 'In the interim, the salvors on-site not accompanying Bayesian to port will be conducting a full sweep of the seabed site for any potential debris.' Meanwhile, Michele Maltese, of the Italian coastguard, told reporters that thermal cameras were used to check for any potential fuel leaks. A local law investigator was also at the scene, he said. Marcus Cave of British firm TMC Marine, which is overseeing the salvage efforts, said: 'This was a complex and precise lifting operation to recover Bayesian, and followed a step-by-step programme of salvage work. 'The salvage team has progressed in a systematic way that prioritised the safety of all working on site and minimised any potential impact on the environment. 'This care for personnel and for the environment will continue as Bayesian is transported into port tomorrow.' The vessel was originally expected to be raised last month, but salvage efforts were delayed after a diver died during underwater work on May 9, prompting greater use of remote-controlled equipment. About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began last month. Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals. Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigators said in an interim report that the Bayesian was knocked over by 'extreme wind'. The yacht had a vulnerability to winds, but the owner and crew would not have known, the report said. US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel, also died in the sinking. Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent. The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sunken Bayesian superyacht lifted out of the water off Sicily as salvage operate completes
PORTICELLO, Italy (AP) — A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, was lifted fully out of the water on Saturday afternoon as salvage recovery crews completed the operation to bring it ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian, covered with algae and mud, was visible clear of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The local coast guard said the lifting operation will be followed by some technical tests on the hull. On Sunday, the vessel will be transported to the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese, where it will be made available for investigators to help determine the cause of the sinking. The Bayesian sank Aug. 19 off Porticello, near Palermo, during a violent storm as Lynch was treating friends to a cruise to celebrate his acquittal two months earlier in the U.S. on fraud charges. Lynch, his daughter and five others died. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. TMC Maritime, the company conducting the recovery operation, said the vessel has been slowly raised from the seabed, 50 meters (165-feet) down, over the past three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings and harnesses to be secured under the keel. Eight steel lifting straps were used to put the hull upright and to form part of a steel wire lifting system that began raising the vessel out of the water Saturday. As the superyacht was raised, sea water was pumped out of the hull. TMC Maritime said the vessel will be held upright, out of the water, for checks and preparations for its final journey. The floating crane platform will then move the Bayesian to Termini Imerese, where a special steel cradle is waiting for it. The Bayesian is missing its 72-meter (236-foot) mast, which was cut off and left on the seabed for future removal. The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be raised. British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report said the crew of the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph) at the time of the sinking and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds. Lynch, who sold Autonomy, a software maker he founded in 1996, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011, had been acquitted on fraud charges in June 2024 by a federal court jury in San Francisco. Salvatore Cavalli, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Sunken Bayesian superyacht lifted out of the water off Sicily as salvage operate completes
PORTICELLO, Italy (AP) — A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, was lifted fully out of the water on Saturday afternoon as salvage recovery crews completed the operation to bring it ashore for further investigation, the local coast guard said. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian, covered with algae and mud, was visible clear of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge, a witness said.
