First images of Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht brought to surface as investigation continues

Daily Record

20-05-2025

The main boom from the 56-metre superyacht Bayesian was recovered from the sea bed along with its anchor following the tragic sinking of the vessel off the coast of Sicily, Italy
The first images of the superyacht owned by the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch being raised from the depths have surfaced. The main boom from the Bayesian was retrieved from the sea bed along with its anchor after the tragic sinking of the vessel off the coast of Sicily, Italy, in August last year.
Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who tragically lost their lives when the 56-metre yacht sank. Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.
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Salvage crews used a diamond cutting wire on the boom, sail and furling gear near the mast and hoisted them onto Hebo Lift 2, a multi-purpose floating barge equipped with diving and remotely-operated underwater vehicle systems as well as a support tug.
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A remote-controlled submersible was then deployed to cut one of the yacht's anchor chains, enabling it to be raised. The recovered pieces will be transported to the nearby town of Termini Imerese, where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based.
Additional specialist equipment needed for the eventual lifting of the Bayesian will be loaded onto the 5,695-gross-tonne Hebo Lift 10, said to be one of the most powerful maritime cranes in Europe.
Salvage experts from Dutch firms Hebo and SMIT Salvage are ramping up the use of remote-controlled tools following the death of a diver during underwater work on May 9, reports the Mirror.
Extra equipment and personnel are being called in from across Europe, including an additional remote-controlled submersible, while strides had been made to secure the Bayesian's tank vents and openings to diminish pollution risks during upcoming salvage attempts. No pollution from the vessel has been detected thus far.
Progress is also underway to position steel lifting slings and other necessary gear under the shipwrecked Bayesian which will see salvage efforts commencing to remove intricate rigging, a towering 72-metre mast, spreaders, and remaining sails to ensure a secure lift.
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Marcus Cave from the UK's TMC Marine, leading the complex operations, commented on Tuesday: "Over the past 10 days, the team has developed alternate methods to undertake certain tasks for this project.
"This will minimise diving activity and increase the use of equipment that is controlled directly from the floating work platforms. Whilst this change will increase the time it will take to complete this project; it will continue to prioritise the safety of those working on this complex lifting and recovery operation."
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Some 70 specialist crew members have converged on the quaint fishing village Porticello from every corner of Europe to pitch in on the salvage operation that kickstarted earlier this month.
Concurrently, UK inquest proceedings are examining the tragic deaths of Mr Lynch, his daughter, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, all of whom were British nationals.
Among those tragically lost in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, along with Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was employed as a chef on the vessel. Mr Lynch and his daughter were believed to have resided near London, while the Bloomers were from Sevenoaks in Kent.
The business magnate established software behemoth Autonomy in 1996 and was exonerated last June of committing a colossal fraud related to the sale of the company to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.