Mike Lynch’s tragic superyacht to be finally raised from Sicily seabed this weekend
The mast has been left on the seabed for future retrieval
A British superyacht, which tragically sank off Sicily last August claiming seven lives, including that of UK tech magnate Mike Lynch, is scheduled to be recovered from the seabed this weekend. The vessel, a British-flagged superyacht, has been submerged since the incident.
The complex salvage operation saw a significant breakthrough with the removal of the yacht's 72-metre (236-foot) mast. This crucial step allowed the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position, accelerating the overall recovery schedule by approximately a week. The mast itself has been left on the seabed for future retrieval.
TMC Marine, the salvage company overseeing the operation, confirmed that the vessel is set to be lifted from a depth of 50 metres (164 feet) by a powerful maritime floating crane barge on Saturday, weather permitting. The superyacht is then expected to be brought to port by Monday.
Lifting the 56-metre (184-foot) Bayesian requires the installation of eight main steel lifting straps, along with four previously installed, the company said.
During the recent operations, salvage crews removed a life raft and deck furniture, which were brought to the port. TMC has previously recovered suspected debris from the seabed using a remote-controlled submersible.
Marine salvage experts began the operation in early May to recover the superyacht, but the operation was temporarily halted after a diver’s death a few days later. A new recovery plan was approved last week.
British investigators in an interim report issued last month said that the yacht was knocked over by “extreme wind” and couldn’t recover. The report stated that 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 at 4:06 a.m. on Aug. 19 and “violently” knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds.
Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation.
Billionaire entrepreneur Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the dead when the Bayesian sank. Fifteen people survived. The boat trip was a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal in a fraud case in the U.S. in June. Fifteen people survived the accident.