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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Minutes Before Deadly Yacht Sinking, Deckhand Filmed Video of Looming Squall Before Alerting Skipper: Report
The U.K.'s Marine Accident Investigation Branch released their interim findings on Wednesday, May 14, which included a reconstruction of the final moments before the deadly Sicily yacht sinking The investigation alleged that minutes before the vessel began to sink, a deckhand filmed the storm and posted it on social media before closing the hatches and waking up the skipper When the yacht capsized, seven of the 22 people aboard diedMinutes before the luxury Bayesian yacht began sinking off the coast of Sicily, killing seven, a deckhand allegedly filmed the incoming storm and posted it on social media before closing the hatches and waking up the skipper, according to a new report. The U.K.'s Marine Accident Investigation Branch released the interim findings of their safety investigation on Wednesday, May 14, which included a reconstruction of the final minutes before the ship sank. The investigation found that at 3 a.m. local time on Aug. 19 — just over an hour before the ship tipped over and began to sink — a deckhand, identified as Matthew Griffiths by The New York Times, noticed that "thunderclouds and lightning" seemed to be coming in closer proximity to the yacht. Ahead of the incident, local weather forecasts had predicted 'intense and persistent rain" accompanied by "strong wind gusts," according to the report — so the skipper left instructions to be woken up if the wind exceeded 20 knots, or about 23 miles per hour. At the time the deckhand first noticed the approaching storm, the wind was still just 8 knots, or about 9 miles per hour. Around 3:55 a.m., the deckhand allegedly took a video of the advancing storm and posted the footage to social media before closing hatches and the cockpit windows. By this time, the wind had reached 30 knots, or about 34 miles per hour, and the ship was beginning to lean to one side — and the deckhand ran to wake the skipper, which happened around 4 a.m. At that point, the chief engineer had also woken up and went to the control room to try and maneuver the ship while the skipper attempted to steer from the fly bridge. But within minutes, the wind picked up and by 4:06 a.m., the ship "violently heeled over" to 90 degrees, then sank. Of the 12 passengers and 10 crew members who first set sail aboard the Bayesian on Aug. 14, seven were trapped and died when the boat sunk: British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch; New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and yacht chef Recaldo Thomas. The Italian manufacturer of the ship previously claimed that when run correctly, the Bayesian was 'unsinkable,' according to The New York Times. The investigation found that some of the ship's vulnerabilities to weather were not known to the owner or crew, so they were unaware of the danger they faced with the approaching storm. Although questions had been raised about whether the boat was properly secured, the new report stated weather was the primary risk. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Crew members all spoke with investigators in the weeks after the tragedy. In addition to the safety investigation, a parallel criminal investigation is being led by the local prosecutor's in Sicily. The deckhand as well as the ship's skipper and chief engineer are all reportedly under investigation for possible multiple manslaughter and negligent shipwreck charges, but have not yet been formally accused of any crime. Read the original article on People
15-05-2025
- Business
Extreme wind blamed for sinking of superyacht off Sicily last year, British probe says
LONDON -- The superyacht of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, which capsized last August off the coast of Sicily at the cost of seven lives, was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and could not recover, British investigators said Thursday. Billionaire entrepreneur Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the dead when the 56-meter (184 feet) Bayesian sank Aug. 19 last year. The boat trip was a celebration of Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in the U.S. in June. In an interim report on the disaster, Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the boat was 'vulnerable' to winds that were even lighter than the ones that tipped it over. The report was based on 'a limited amount of verified evidence' as a criminal investigation by Italian authorities has restricted its access to the wreck and other pieces of evidence, it said. The agency, which is investigating the disaster because the Bayesian was registered in the U.K, said the 'vulnerabilities' were 'unknown to either the owner or the crew,' as they were not included in the stability information book carried on board. The report stated that the Bayesian was sailed to the site where it sank the day before in order to 'shelter' from forecast thunderstorms. It said the disaster occurred at 4:06 a.m. local time, when wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph.), 'violently' knocking the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds, It said that at the time of the incident, the vessel was in a 'motoring condition' with its sails lowered, while the centerboard, which is used to help stabilize it, was in a 'raised' position. 'You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back up right again," said Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator. 'And what our studies found was that they show that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds and that these winds were likely to have been evident at the time of the accident.' Inquest proceedings in the U.K. are looking at the deaths of 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. The others who died in the sinking were U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel. Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. A project to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface has been paused since May 9 when a diver died during underwater work. Recovery work is set to resume from Thursday. Further details such as 'escape routes' will be included in the final report, according to Graves. 'Once we get access to the vessel we'll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events," he said.
Washington Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Extreme wind blamed for sinking of superyacht off Sicily last year, British probe says
LONDON — The superyacht of British tech magnate Mike Lynch , which capsized last August off the coast of Sicily at the cost of seven lives, was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and could not recover, British investigators said Thursday. Billionaire entrepreneur Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the dead when the 56-meter (184 feet) Bayesian sank Aug. 19 last year. The boat trip was a celebration of Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in the U.S. in June. In an interim report on the disaster, Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the boat was 'vulnerable' to winds that were even lighter than the ones that tipped it over. The report was based on 'a limited amount of verified evidence' as a criminal investigation by Italian authorities has restricted its access to the wreck and other pieces of evidence, it said. The agency, which is investigating the disaster because the Bayesian was registered in the U.K, said the 'vulnerabilities' were 'unknown to either the owner or the crew,' as they were not included in the stability information book carried on board. The report stated that the Bayesian was sailed to the site where it sank the day before in order to 'shelter' from forecast thunderstorms. It said the disaster occurred at 4:06 a.m. local time, when wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph.), 'violently' knocking the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds, It said that at the time of the incident, the vessel was in a 'motoring condition' with its sails lowered, while the centerboard, which is used to help stabilize it, was in a 'raised' position. 'You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back up right again,' said Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator. 'And what our studies found was that they show that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds and that these winds were likely to have been evident at the time of the accident.' Inquest proceedings in the U.K. are looking at the deaths of 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. The others who died in the sinking were U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel. Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. A project to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface has been paused since May 9 when a diver died during underwater work. Recovery work is set to resume from Thursday. Further details such as 'escape routes' will be included in the final report, according to Graves. 'Once we get access to the vessel we'll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events,' he said. No date has been set for when the final report will be published.
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Mike Lynch's yacht sank due to design flaws, crew unaware, UK report finds
The luxury yacht, which was fitted with a 72m-tall (236ft) mast, sank in just 16 minutes. Lynch, who was dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates', was among seven people who died, with his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who had just secured a place at Oxford University. The other victims included Recaldo Thomas, the ship's Antiguan-Canadian chef, Jonathan Bloomer, the Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, and his wife, Judy Bloomer. Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife, Neda Morvillo, also died. The MAIB's report comes after it dispatched four experts to Sicily in the days after the sinking. The chief executive of The Italian Sea Group, the parent company of the Perini Navi shipyard, which built the yacht in 2008, has insisted that it was unsinkable and that the incident must have been the fault of the skipper, New Zealander James Cutfield, and his crew, which included several British citizens. Giovanni Costantino blamed the disaster on a chain of 'indescribable, unreasonable errors' by the crew, and ruled out any design or construction flaws. He alleged that a hatch in the hull must have been left open. Wind speeds 'sufficient to knock yacht over' However, British investigators said that once the gale-force winds had pushed the yacht over to a certain angle, there was no hope for it. 'The investigation has established that … once Bayesian heeled over to an angle greater than 70.6 degrees (the angle of vanishing stability [AVS]) there was no chance of a return to an even keel,' the MAIB said in its report. The AVS is the angle of heel (lean or tilt) at which a vessel may capsize, rather than naturally righting itself. The report added: 'The investigation has also established that … wind speeds in excess of 63.4 knots on the beam were sufficient to knock Bayesian over. It is possible that Bayesian was similarly vulnerable to winds of less than 63.4 knots.' The alleged weaknesses in the design of the yacht were not included in its stability information booklet, a form of operating manual for a captain which sets out a vessel's physical limits, the British investigators said. They added: 'Consequently, these vulnerabilities were also unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.' The report said that a study by the UK's Met Office of the weather conditions on the night of the tragedy 'indicated the probable transient presence of hurricane force winds well in excess of 64 knots at the time of the accident'. It added: 'These winds were sufficient to knock Bayesian beyond its angle of vanishing stability.' Bayesian to be examined after salvage operation The investigators also described the terrifying ordeal of the passengers and crew as the Bayesian 'violently heeled over to 90 degrees to starboard, taking less than 15 seconds to do so. People, furniture, and loose items fell across the deck.' As well as those who died, several people were injured by flying debris while others were thrown into the sea. In addition to the MAIB report, Italian prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation. Those being investigated are Cutfield, the skipper, as well as two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, for potential manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. Under the Italian legal system, this does not imply guilt and does not necessarily mean charges will be brought. The vessel is due to be raised from the seabed by a consortium of salvage experts in the next few weeks. It is lying at a depth of nearly 50m, half a mile from the fishing town of Porticello. However, the operation has been delayed after the death last week of a 39-year-old Dutch diver during preparations for the recovery work. The consortium chosen to salvage the Bayesian, led by TMC Marine, a UK-based consultancy, and featuring a joint venture between Dutch companies HEBO Maritiemservice and Smit Salvage, plans to cut the mast before raising the vessel. Once they have done so, the Bayesian is expected to be examined by Italian prosecutors as a key piece of evidence. An underwater robot has already surveyed the yacht and its tanks, which contain 18,000 litres of diesel. The vessel is expected to be brought to the surface by HEBO Lift 10, one of Europe's most powerful floating cranes, and then taken to Termini Imerese, about 40km east of Palermo. Maritime experts said that while the Bayesian's design was approved by the relevant authorities, such as the American Bureau of Shipping, it appeared to be vulnerable to heeling and downflooding. They also fear that Italian prosecutors are bent on 'completely screwing the captain and the crew', as one sailing veteran put it. At least one photograph, which was taken shortly before the vessel sank, as well as underwater footage, appears to back up the crew's insistence that the main hatch was closed. The Italian Sea Group denies any structural weakness in the yacht's design and stresses that the vessel complied with UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency stability criteria. The company said the crew should have closed 'all openings' as soon as the weather deteriorated and should have summoned all passengers to the muster point above deck.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mike Lynch superyacht may have had 'unknown' vulnerability to extreme wind
A vulnerability to extreme wind that neither the owner nor the crew would have known about may have been behind the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian off Sicily last year, say British marine investigators. The vessel - in which Suffolk entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, and daughter Hannah 18, died along with five other people - was knocked over by "extreme wind" on August 19 and couldn't recover, they say. An interim report into the disaster by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) shows wind speeds of 63.4 knots (73.0mph) on the vessel's beam were sufficient to tip it over, and it may have been 'vulnerable' to lighter winds. SIGN UP HERE FOR YOUR DAILY BUSINESS BULLETIN It said 'vulnerabilities' were 'unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian' as they were not included in the stability information book carried on board the 56m vessel. The superyacht was in a 'motoring condition' with its sails lowered and the centreboard — which is used to help stabilise it — was in a 'raised' position, it said. MAIB investigator Simon Graves said: 'You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back up right again. 'And what our studies found was that they show that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds and that these winds were likely to have been evident at the time of the accident.' Mr Graves said the stability information book did not 'consider the effects of wind' because the sails were not raised and the vessel was 'running on its engine' before the sinking. 'That indicated a vulnerability that the owner and the crew would not have known about. That information wasn't included,' he said. At 4.06am local time, wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (80.6mph), 'violently' knocking the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds, investigators said, and 'people, furniture and loose items fell across the deck'. It went on: 'There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells.' Andrew Moll, chief inspector of marine accidents, said: 'The interim report presents a desktop study of the facts as we know them. 'The study has reviewed the yacht's stability, the likely local weather conditions at the time and the effect of that weather on the yacht. 'The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over. 'Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70° the situation was irrecoverable. 'The results will be refined as the investigation proceeds, and more information becomes available.' The MAIB is investigating as the Bayesian was registered in the UK. The date for a final report has not been set. An inquest in Ipswich is looking at the deaths of Dr 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. The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel. Fifteen people, including Dr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. The MAIB report stated that during the previous day, the Bayesian was sailed to the site where it later sank in order to 'shelter' from forecast thunderstorms. At 3am the following morning the wind speed was 'no more than eight knots (9mph)' but a deck hand thought 'thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer'. Some 55 minutes later the deck hand posted a video of the advancing storm on social media, then went onto the deck to close windows to protect the interior from rain. They noted that the wind had reached 30 knots (34.5mph) and thought the vessel was dragging its anchor. At 4am they woke the superyacht's skipper. Several crew members were working in response to the conditions when the vessel was knocked over six minutes later. Five people were injured 'either by falling or from things falling on them', while the deck hand was 'thrown into the sea', the report said. Two guests used furniture drawers 'as an improvised ladder' to escape their cabin. The skipper instructed guests and crew on an area of the deck to 'swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel was sinking'. Survivors later made their way onto a life raft released from the Bayesian. They went on to be rescued on a small boat dispatched by yacht Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was at anchor nearby. MAIB said its report was based on 'a limited amount of verified evidence' as a criminal investigation by Italian authorities has restricted its access to the wreck and other pieces of evidence. A salvage operation to recover the Bayesian is due to resume today (Thursday, May 15) subject to conditions. It was paused on May 9 after a diver died during underwater work so that investigations could take place and crew could mourn. Marcus Cave, who is heading up the operation as director of TMC Marine said: "Last week's tragedy affected all involved. However, everyone is still committed to complete this project." Mr Graves said: 'Once we get access to the vessel we'll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.' Dr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the company to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. The party on board was celebrating his acquittal by a US jury when the tragedy happened.
