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Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Epoch Times
Extreme Winds Likely Toppled Mike Lynch's Superyacht Off Sicily, Interim UK Report Finds
A superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, was likely knocked over by gusts of more than 117 km per hour in just 15 seconds, an interim UK report has said. The incident killed seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah, when his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily on Britain's Marine Accident Investigations Branch 'The interim report presents a desktop study of the facts as we know them,' He said that 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,' he said. 'The results will be refined as the investigation proceeds, and more information becomes available.' The Related Stories 8/30/2024 8/23/2024 Thunderstorms had been forecast, and those on board the Bayesian could see occasional flashes of lightning away to the west. But as the skipper prepared to manoeuvre the Bayesian up into the wind from their position on the flying bridge, the wind suddenly increased to more than 70 kts. The awning over the flying bridge then ripped from port to starboard. At 4:06 a.m., 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. The generators shut down immediately, and battery-supplied emergency lighting came on. The report said the 72-meter (79-yard) aluminum mast, the It said it's possible the Bayesian was similarly vulnerable to winds of less than 63.4 kts and that these vulnerabilities were not identified in the stability information book carried on board. Consequently, these vulnerabilities were also unknown to the owner and the crew of the Bayesian, it said. An Italian investigation into the sinking is ongoing. The vessel is still under sea. A salvage operation is scheduled to resume on Thursday after a diver was killed last Friday during preliminary operations to lift it. The Last year, Giovanni Costantino, CEO of Perini Navi's parent company, The Italian Sea Group, Lynch had invited some close friends and work colleagues on a boating trip to celebrate his June acquittal in a federal fraud case in California. He had been cleared of defrauding Hewlett-Packard when he sold Autonomy, a software company he co-founded, to the U.S. computer giant in an $11 billion deal in 2011. His co-defendant in the fraud trial, 52-year-old Stephen Chamberlain, who was also cleared of any wrongdoing, died after being hit by a vehicle while out running in Cambridgeshire, England, on Aug. 17. Among the guests on the Bayesian were Morgan Stanley International Bank Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo—who had been part of Lynch's defense team at the trial—and his wife, Neda. They all died, as did Lynch and the boat's chef, Recaldo Thomas, an Antiguan Canadian national. The Epoch Times contacted The Italian Sea Group for comment. Chris Summers contributed to this report.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Telegraph
Design of ‘unsinkable' Bayesian yacht ‘partly to blame' for capsizing
A superyacht owned by tech tycoon Mike Lynch capsized off the coast of Sicily because of design flaws and the captain and crew having no knowledge of its vulnerabilities, British investigators believe. A preliminary report published on Thursday by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) runs counter to claims by the builders of the Bayesian that it was 'unsinkable' and that the tragedy, in which seven people died, must have been caused by human error. Investigators said the design weaknesses combined with a freak storm of almost tornado intensity and 70-knot winds to capsize the 184ft-long (56-metre) vessel off the north coast of Sicily on the night of Aug 18 last year. It was hit by a meteorological phenomenon known as a downburst – a powerful downward column of wind and rain. The luxury yacht, which was fitted with a 236ft-tall (72 metre) mast, sank in just 16 minutes. Lynch, who was dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates', was among seven people who died, along 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 Mr Cutfield, the skipper, as well as two British crewmembers, 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 50 metres, half a mile from the fishing town of Porticello. However, the operation has been delayed following 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 40 kilometres 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.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The 'vulnerabilities' of the Bayesian superyacht and investigators' minute-by-minute timeline of the tragedy that killed seven
The crew of the doomed Bayesian superyacht were 'unaware' of its 'vulnerabilities' to extreme winds which caused it to 'violently' knock over and sink, British investigators have said. The 184ft vessel capsized off the coast of Sicily last August killing seven including its British billionaire owner Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the £30million yacht was fatally compromised when 80.6mph winds struck its beam, causing it to heel violently to a 90-degree angle. Preliminary investigations shows that wind speeds of 63.4 knots (73mph) directly on the vessel's beam would 'likely result in the vessel capsizing'. The interim report that '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. Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, said: '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 degree the situation was irrecoverable.' Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Bayesian's builders The Italian Sea Group, has previously said the sinking was 'down to human error' and insisted that it was 'unsinkable'. The detailed report provides an agonising breakdown of events, charting for the first time how the tragedy unfolded minute by minute off the coast near Porticello. The MAIB have said however that this is an interim report based on limited verified evidence. On the night of August 18, the Bayesian had anchored next to the Sir Robert Baden Powell -a boat which would later rescue survivors – to shelter from the forecast thunderstorm. At 3am, the deckhand on duty noted the wind as being at 8kts (9.2pmh) but thought that the thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer. Less than an hour later at 3.55am, the deckhand 'videoed the advancing storm and posted it to their social media feed' before closing hatches and cockpit windows. Within minutes the winds had picked up to 30kts (35mph) and the Bayesian was listing and dragging its anchor. At around 4am, the deckhand woke up the skipper and the crew leapt into action by starting the generators and preparing to manoeuvre the Bayesian. Meanwhile a British mother and her partner woke up and took their one-year-old daughter to the boat's saloon. The chef Recaldo Thomas, who would die in the tragedy, was in the galley securing the cutlery, pots and pans and called 'Good morning!' to the nearby stewards. But as disaster struck as the skipper prepared to manoeuvre, the wind suddenly increased to more than 70kts (80.5mph) ripping the awning away. At 4.06am the Bayesian 'violently heeled over' in less than 15 seconds to a 90-degree angle. The interim report found that the weather on the night of the sinking was enough to tip the Bayesian over This sent people as well as furniture flying across the deck leaving five people including the captain were injured while a deckhand was thrown into the sea. Two guests trapped in their cabin were forced to used furniture drawers as an improvised ladder to escape into the saloon area. The report said there was no indication of flooding inside the vessel until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the cabins down the stairwells. The yacht's crew were able to push four guests through the cascading water up to the skipper on the flying bridge. The Chief Officer who had been swept to the back of the saloon and into another air pocket, dived down to open the sliding doors at the end of the saloon and managed to swim clear of the vessel. The captain called for the guests and crew who managed to escape to swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel sank. In the water, a deckhand improvised a tourniquet for a one of the guest's gashed arms, while a baby was kept afloat on a cushion. In the darkness, some of survivors were treading water while others held on to some cushions that had floated free from the yacht. One of the guests frantically searched for other survivors in vain using the torch from their phone while the captain and chief officer frantically freed the life raft from the sinking wreck. At around 4.24am the liferaft was inflated and the survivors were able to get inside it where the crew began administering first aid. Desperate to raise the alarm with the nearby Sir Robert Baden Powell, the chief engineer fired several flares before they were spotted at 4.43am. The skipper of Sir Robert Baden Powell dispatched its tender towards the 15 survivors and despite searching the area no one else was found. The bodies were subsequently recovered after an agonising five-day search of the wreck on the seabed. Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were among the dead. The MAIB said its ongoing investigation is based on 'a limited amount of verified evidence' as a criminal investigation by Italian authorities has restricted access to the wreck and other evidence. A project to recover the Bayesian is set to resume on Thursday after a diver died during underwater work. How the Bayesian tragedy unfolded minute by minute: August 18 - PM - The Bayesian was anchored at Cefalù on the northern coast of Sicily to shelter from the forecast weather and to allow for easy disembarkation of guests the following day. August 19 - 00.30am – Having checked the weather the captain and the last guest had retired, leaving deckhand (DH1) and the evening steward (S1) on duty. 01.00am – The second deckhand (DH2) took over the watch. The wind at this time was noted as being no more than 8kts (9.2pmh). 03.00am - DH2 noted the wind as being at 8kts (9.2pmh) from the west but thought that the thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer. 03.55am - The deckhand 'videoed the advancing storm and posted it to their social media feed' before closing the hatches and cockpit windows. 03.57am - The winds had picked up to 30kts (35mph) and the Bayesian was listing and dragging its anchor. 04.00am - The deckhand ran to wake up the skipper and the crew leapt into action and began preparing to manoeuvre the Bayesian by starting the generators and steering pumps. The rest of the crew, woken by either the captain or the yacht's change of motion, got up and made their way out of the crew accommodation. Chef Recaldo Thomas was spotted in the galley stowing cutlery, pots and pan and called out 'Good morning!' to nearby stewards. The Bayesian was lying with the wind about 60 degree off the port bow and moving at 1.8kts south-south-east of its original position. Two guests – a British couple – had been woken by the movements and decided to head to the saloon with their baby. 4.06am - Disaster struck as the wind suddenly increased to more than 70kts (80.5mph) ripping the awning away. The Bayesian 'violently heeled over' in less than 15 seconds to a 90-degree angle. The sudden movement sent people as well as furniture flying across the deck leaving five people including the captain injured while a deckhand was thrown into the sea. Two guests trapped in their cabin were forced to used furniture drawers as an improvised ladder to escape into the saloon area. The yacht's crew were able to push four guests through the cascading water up to the skipper on the flying bridge. The captain called for the guests and crew to swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel sank. 04.22am – The crew had launched the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB). They noted that the wind had eased and that Bayesian was only a short distance from shore. In the water, a deckhand(DH2) improvised a tourniquet for one of the guest's gashed arm while a cushion was used as a flotation device foe the baby. Some of the survivors were treading water and others held on to some cushions that had floated free from Bayesian. One of the guests frantically searched for other survivors in vain using the torch from their phone - while the captain and chief officer frantically freed the life raft from the sinking wreck. 04.24am - The captain and chief officer frantically freed the life raft from the sinking wreck. It was was inflated and the survivors were able to get inside it where the crew began administering first aid. The skipper tried to raise the alarm by shouting at and then paddling towards the nearby vessel the Sir Robert Baden Powell. 04.34am - The Chief Engineer fired a red parachute flare from the liferaft. Despite the winds being calm at the surface, the flare was carried sideways. He then used the liferaft's torch to signal towards a hotel on the cliffs above them, passing cars, and Sir Robert Baden Powell. 04.43am - The Chief engineer fired a second parachute flare that was seen by the crew of Sir Robert Baden Powell. Responding to the flare, the skipper dispatched its tender towards the visible lights of the EPIRB and liferaft. 04.53am - The tender carrying the 15 survivors returned to Sir Robert Baden Powell and a brief search was look for the missing seven people who were also on board. 04.56am - the tender from Sir Robert Baden Powell returned to the scene with Bayesian's Chief Engineer and skipper on board to search for other survivors. The local coastguard was called to arrange to transfer the survivors to shore.
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Experts seen starting £20million operation to raise the doomed Bayesian almost a year after superyacht tragedy
Marine salvage experts have begun a £20million operation to recover the wreck of the sunken superyacht, Bayesian. The vessel sank in a freak storm off the fishing village of Porticello, Sicily, last August, killing seven - including billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18. The salvage mission, which will see the wreckage lifted 164ft from the seabed, will be conducted by two crane ships: Hebo Lift 2 and Hebo Lift 10. Hebo Lift 2's underwater technology will be combined with Hebo Lift 10, said to be one of the most powerful maritime structures in Europe, with the aim of raising Bayesian by mid-May. Lifting the £30million, 543-ton vessel is key to an investigation launched by Italian authorities, who want to know why the yacht – which makers The Italian Sea Group claim was unsinkable – sank in just 16 minutes. Prosecutors are said to be investigating the captain and two crew members for possible responsibility. The wreckage will be raised after a series of slings have been threaded under the hull, while booms have been set up to control any spillage from the 18,000 litres of fuel still in the yacht's tanks. The lifting is expected to take at least eight hours and the yacht will be sailed back to Termini Imerese once it is out of the water. Mr Lynch, the founder of Cambridge-based software firm Autonomy, had invited a group of friends, family and associates on to the yacht to celebrate being cleared by a US jury of fraud charges that could have seen him jailed for 20 years. In addition to Mr Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and wife Neda, and ship's cook Recaldo Thomas died in the shipwreck. With the help of nearby vessels, 15 of the 22 total people on board were rescued in the initial phase - with one body recovered and six others reported missing. The bodies of the six missing people were later found following search efforts which continued until August 23 last year. In the days after the tragedy, the CEO of the Italian Sea Group lay the blame at crew members on the yacht. Giovanni Costantino said: 'This was human error, the yacht sank because it took on water. 'From where exactly the investigators will tell us. The dynamic of the sinking is seen and read from AIS (Automatic Identification System) data and lasted sixteen minutes. 'We have given this data to the prosecutors at Termini Immerse. From the images it looks as if the yacht had been taking on water for four minutes. 'All it took was another gust of wind to turn her over, that meant more water coming in. She then straightened very briefly before going down.' Pictured: A fisherman with the backdrop of the Hebo Lift 2 earlier today Mr Constantino told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera there were a long list of errors; the stern hatch was 'clearly' open; the ship's keel should have been lowered; people shouldn't have been in their cabins' and the crew should have known about the storm. He said the tragedy was avoidable and added: 'Ask yourself - why were no fishermen from Porticello out that night? A fisherman reads the weather conditions and a ship doesn't? 'The storm was in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored.' Nick Barke, head of salvage operations at previously told MailOnline that the 'only real way of knowing' why the yacht sank would be to lift it to the surface.
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
£20m operation to raise doomed tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht begins - nearly a year after it sank in a freak storm, killing seven
A submersible will dive down onto the wreck of the sunken superyacht Bayesian this week in the first stage of a £20million operation to raise it. The yacht sank in a freak storm off the fishing village of Porticello, Sicily, last August, killing seven, including British billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18. The underwater vehicle will be the initial stage in a sequence of procedures to raise Bayesian to the surface, following the arrival of a floating crane, called Hebo Lift 10, at the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese near Palermo early yesterday morning. Once the 184ft yacht has been checked by the mini-sub, the crane will join support vessel Hebo Lift 2 for the delicate lifting work. Bayesian is expected to be raised by the crane from the seabed, 164ft underwater, by mid-May. Lifting the £30million, 543-ton vessel is key to an investigation launched by Italian authorities. They want to know why the yacht – which makers The Italian Sea Group claim was unsinkable – sank in just 16 minutes. It will be raised after a series of slings have been threaded under the hull. There are still 18,000 litres of fuel in the yacht's tanks, and booms have been set up to control any spillage. The lifting is expected to take at least eight hours. Once out of the water, the yacht will be sailed back to Termini Imerese. Mr Lynch, the founder of Cambridge-based software firm Autonomy, had invited a group of friends, family and associates on to the yacht to celebrate being cleared by a US jury of fraud charges that could have seen him jailed for 20 years.
