Mike Lynch's superyacht seen on the surface for the first time since it sank
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 in an upright position by one of Europe's most powerful sea cranes near the fishing town of Porticello on Saturday morning.
A project insider told the PA news agency: 'The vessel is on surface, but not clear of the sea as yet.
'Pumping out of water will continue, and it will be lunchtime – following a series of lifting and resting procedures – before she will finally be fully and finally out of the water.'
Salvage workers could be seen on the vessel, which is covered in mud and algae, while the canopy and guard rails are mangled.
Investigators in the UK and Italy say raising the vessel is crucial to fully understanding what happened.
The yacht's 72-metre (236ft) mast was cut off on Tuesday using a remote-controlled tool and rested on the seabed to be picked up later.
Over the last few days, salvage teams have worked to ease the hull into an upright position and give access to the yacht's right side, which had previously been lying flat on the seabed 50 metres below the surface.
The vessel is expected to be brought to Termini Imerese – where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based, and on Monday it will be lifted on to a specially made steel cradle on the quayside.
It 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
31 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Iran-linked spy' arrested in Cyprus for ‘plotting terror attack on British military base'
Officials believe he had been monitoring a RAF base 'TERROR PLOT' 'Iran-linked spy' arrested in Cyprus for 'plotting terror attack on British military base' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN linked to Iran has been arrested on suspicion of spying and plotting a terror attack against a British military base in Cyprus. The suspect, from Azerbaijan, has been associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to local media. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The suspected is believed to have been monitoring the RAF Akrotiri base since mid-April Credit: Doug Seeburg 3 A man has been arrested in Cyprus for allegedly planning a terror attack on a British military base Credit: Getty 3 The arrest was made based on intelligence Credit: Getty He was arrested following intelligence that he was planning an attack, according to Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros. Officials believe he had been monitoring a British RAF military base in nearby Akrotiri since April, along with Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou Air Base. He has been charge with terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday. Police said no further details would be released on national security grounds. Cyprus lies very close to the Middle East, and has been used as a transport portal to the region since Iran and Israel began trading missiles. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
NBC News
43 minutes ago
- NBC News
Tech tycoon Lynch's doomed Bayesian yacht lifted to surface
Salvage experts lifted Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to the surface and began pumping seawater out of it on Saturday, 10 months after it sank off the coast of Sicily, killing the British tech tycoon, his teenage daughter and five others. Work resumed at first light, with one of the most powerful maritime cranes in Europe having been used to haul the 184-foot Bayesian from beneath the waves. The upper decks appeared badly damaged while the blue hull was encrusted with mud. The Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August last year when it sank during a sudden storm. The yacht was vulnerable to violent winds and was probably knocked over by gusts of more than 117 km (73 miles) per hour, an interim British report said last month. The vessel will be held in an elevated position over the weekend while checks and preparations are made, said TMC Marine, which has been leading the salvage operation, working with Dutch specialists Hebo Maritiemservice to lift the yacht 50 meters from the seabed over the past few days. It is then expected to be transported to the nearby port of Termini Imerese on Monday and handed over to the authorities who are investigating the sinking. The recovery process has been made easier after the vessel's 72-metre mast was detached using a remote-controlled cutting tool and placed on the seabed on Tuesday. In addition to Lynch, founder of the software company Autonomy, his daughter Hannah, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and chef Recaldo Thomas were killed when the yacht sank. Nine other crew members and six guests were rescued.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Salvage crews pump water from Mike Lynch's superyacht ahead of recovery
Water is being pumped out of the Bayesian superyacht as the British vessel is gradually lifted out of the sea off the coast of Sicily. The 56-metre (184ft) vessel is expected to be lifted clear of the water on Saturday as part of a 25 million euro (£21 million) operation to recover the wreck for investigators to examine. It is being cradled by eight steel cables which are attached to a giant crane on board a floating platform called the Hebo Lift 10, brought all the way from the Netherlands. The yacht sank in a violent storm last August with the loss of seven lives including Mike Lynch, the billionaire British tech businessman and his teenage daughter Hannah. Journalists and camera crews were taken out to the coast guard ship from the fishing port of Porticello, just half a mile from where the Bayesian capsized 10 months ago. Over the past few days, salvage teams have worked to ease the hull into an upright position and give access to the yacht's right side, which had previously been lying flat on the seabed 50 metres underwater. 'The Bayesian is on the surface but not clear of the sea as yet,' a spokesman for British salvage company TMC Marine told The Telegraph. 'Pumping out of sea water will continue and it will be lunchtime, following a series of lifting and resting procedures to satisfy the salvage team, before Bayesian is fully and finally out of the water.' Pumping out the water from the Bayesian will make the vessel lighter and easier to manoeuvre, a senior coast guard officer said. Speaking on the deck of the coast guard ship Diciotti, captain Michele Maltese said the yacht's fuel tanks remain intact, but that thermal cameras are being used to check for any potential fuel leaks. 'We are here to make sure there's no leakage or impact on the environment,' he said. 'Our job is to deliver the yacht to the judicial authorities in the best possible condition.' The yacht's 72-metre (236ft) mast, which was cut off earlier this week by a remote controlled sub, will be retrieved from the seabed next week. The battered Bayesian will be transported on Sunday to the port of Termini Imerese along the coast of Sicily. It 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, captain and crew would not have known of its inherent structural weaknesses, 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. 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 Mr Lynch's acquittal in the case in the US.
