Work to recover the sunken superyacht Bayesian, which tragically sank off the coast of Sicily nearly a year ago, has been suspended following the death of a diver involved in the operation. The diver, aged 39 and employed by the Dutch salvage company HEBO Maritiemservice, was part of a specialist team engaged in preliminary tasks to retrieve the yacht that sank during a powerful storm in August 2024. This storm, described as akin to a mini-tornado, led to the deaths of seven individuals, including prominent British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter, Hannah.
The Bayesian, measuring 56 metres in length, was struck by fierce winds of up to 110 km/h while anchored near Porticello, close to Palermo. The vessel sank rapidly, resulting in the unfortunate loss of Lynch, his daughter, and five others, including notable figures such as Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, alongside his wife, and U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda. Of the 22 people aboard, 15 were rescued from the water, including a one-year-old child and Lynch’s spouse, Angela Bacares. It was reported that the operation, which involved cutting the yacht's towering 75-metre aluminium mast as a key step, had commenced recently and was projected to take 20 to 25 days for completion.
In the wake of the diver’s tragic death, which occurred underwater during the operation, Italian prosecutors have initiated an investigation into possible negligence linked to the yacht’s sinking. Local authorities have sealed the area as they look into the incident, focusing particularly on the captain of the Bayesian and three other crew members on suspicion of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck. Initial findings have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the yacht’s abrupt descent into the sea; authorities are considering potential faults, including an open hatch that may have contributed to the disaster.
Lynch’s story is well-known within the tech world. Once hailed as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” he became a prominent figure in the late 1990s with his company Autonomy, which specialised in helping organisations manage and retrieve data from vast archives of digital information. The sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for an astounding $11 billion marked a significant pinnacle in his career. However, the acquisition later spiralled into controversy, with allegations of accounting improprieties that led to a protracted legal battle, culminating in Lynch's not-guilty verdict last year.
Lynch, who possessed a PhD in mathematical computing from Cambridge University, had conceptualised the Bayesian—a name derived from the statistical theorem formulated by Thomas Bayes—as a vessel for celebrating his recent acquittal from a high-profile U.S. fraud case. His aspirations were curtailed only weeks later by the tragic sinking, with investigations now underway to examine the malfunctions that precipitated the yacht’s failure.
As rescue and recovery operations continue to be monitored closely, the situation has drawn international attention. The salvage operation's findings hold the potential not only for shedding light on the circumstances of the sinking but also for influencing ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the tragedy. The inquest into the deaths of those aboard is set to unfold over several months, accounting for parallels in investigations across both the U.K. and Italy. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch in the U.K. and the Italian coastguard are both expected to play crucial roles in determining any culpability present within the crew and during the ill-fated voyage.
As the search for answers continues, the case serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent dangers associated with maritime travel, even for what was perceived as a state-of-the-art, unsinkable vessel. The world watches as the complexities of this tragedy unfold, with the families and associates of the victims left grappling with their grief amid an investigation that scrutinises both the human and technical failures involved.
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Source: Noah Wire Services