Superyacht is pulled from the seabed 10 months after sinking off Sicily
ROME (AP) — A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, partially resurfaced Saturday as salvage recovery crews finalized the complex operation to bring it ashore for further investigation.
The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian was visible on the surface but was not clear of the sea yet in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge.
'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,' said David Wilson, spokesman for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation.
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 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 are being used to support the hull upright and to form part of a steel wire lifting system that began raising the vessel out of the water Saturday. As it is lifted up, sea water is 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.
On Sunday, it is anticipated the floating crane platform will move the Bayesian to the Sicilian port of 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 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
31 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Sunken Superyacht Bayesian Is Raised Off Sicily
The wreck of the Bayesian, the luxury superyacht owned by the family of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, has been raised 10 months after it sank off Sicily, killing Lynch and six others. The yacht was lifted out of the water by a specialized platform on Saturday after it was brought to the surface by U.K.-based TMC Marine. It is expected to take up to two days before the Bayesian is brought to shore, where it will be placed in a hangar for further investigation.
2 hours ago
Superyacht pulled from seabed 10 months after sinking off Sicily
ROME -- A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, partially resurfaced Saturday as salvage recovery crews finalized the complex operation to bring it ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian was visible on the surface but was not clear of the sea yet in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. '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,' said David Wilson, spokesman for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation. 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 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 are being used to support the hull upright and to form part of a steel wire lifting system that began raising the vessel out of the water Saturday. As it is lifted up, sea water is 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. On Sunday, it is anticipated the floating crane platform will move the Bayesian to the Sicilian port of 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 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.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Colorado murder suspect arrested in Gilbert maintains his innocence
The Brief A Colorado murder suspect was arrested June 20 in Gilbert. Barry Morphew is accused of killing his wife Suzanne in 2020. Her remains were found three years later, about 40 miles from where she went missing. The original case made national headlines in 2020. Suzanne Morphew, a mother of two, was last seen near her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother's Day. She was reported missing after she didn't return home from a bike ride. The backstory Her husband, Barry, was initially charged with first-degree murder in the case, but the charges were dropped. Prosecutors at the time said they didn't have enough evidence to move forward and wanted more time to find her body. But the judge also accused the prosecution of withholding key evidence from the defense. The lead prosecutor in the case, Linda Stanley, was later disbarred, in part for her handling of the case. Suzanne's remains were found three years later, near the town of Moffat in Saguache County, Colorado, about 40 miles from where she went missing. An Associated Press report stated that an autopsy performed in 2024 found a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife was found in her system. A tranquilizer gun and accessories were found in Barry's home, according to investigators. That brings us to this week, when a Colorado grand jury indicted Barry on first-degree murder charges. What they're saying The Gilbert Police Department says Barry was arrested in Gilbert during the morning hours of June 20 by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. "Federal, State and local law enforcement have never stopped working toward justice for Suzanne." said Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly. "The Twelfth Judicial District Attorney's Office stands in solidarity with Suzanne's family and the citizens of Chaffee and Saguache Counties in pursuing the Grand Jury's indictment." Barry has maintained his innocence throughout. "Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," stated David Beller, Barry's attorney. "Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either." What's next Barry's bond was set at $3 million.
