Joe Inwood and Tom Gelken
BBC World Correspondent & Technology Reporter
Ian Aikman & Eve Webster
BBC News
EPA
A picture released by Perini Navi Manufactions, depicted sailing near Palermo
According to a preliminary report to the disaster, the gorgeous superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily and killed high-tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch fell into “extreme winds” and was unable to recover.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Division (MAIB), which led the international investigation, said more than 80 miles of winds hit the ship “hardly” and caused flooding within seconds.
Bayesian sank near the town of Portofino during the weather in Freak on August 19 last year, and there was a report of water gush.
Seven of the 22 people on board were killed, including Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
Investigators said the yacht was knocked at a 90-degree angle within 15 seconds at 4:06am local time, with people, furniture and loose items falling across the deck.
“There were no signs of flooding within the Bayesian, but water entered the rails on the right board and within seconds it entered the interior space under the stairs,” the report said.
Myve’s chief inspector for marine accidents, Andrew Mol said the situation was “irreversible” when the yacht tilts above 70 degrees.
According to the report, Bayesian was also “fragile” to light winds, and a speed of 73mph could tilt it.
The yacht owners and crew were unaware of this. It’s added as it wasn’t included in the onboard stability book.
Maib is investigating the incident as Bayesian has been registered in the UK. There is no date set for the final report to be published.
He said the report was based on “a limited amount of verified evidence” as criminal investigations by Italian authorities restrict access to shipwrecks.
Surgery to lift a ship 56 metres from the seabed was suspended over the weekend after a diver died while working on the wreck. Work is scheduled to resume on Thursday.
EPA
The recovery process is expected to take several weeks
This report provides details on how the sinking unfolded.
Investigators say the yacht set sail to a location that had sank the day before to “evacuate” from thunderstorm predictions. The sails were covered at the time.
The wind speed was “below 8 knots (9 mph)” at 3:00, about an hour before the incident. After about 55 minutes it increased to 30 knots (34.5 mph), and accelerated to 70 knots (80.6 mph) by 04:06 when the yacht capsizes.
As the storm intensified, several crew members were working on conditions. The deck’s hands went to the deck and closed the yacht’s window.
Five people were injured “from falling or falling on them,” and deck hands were “threwed into the sea,” the report says.
Two guests on the yacht used furniture drawers “as an improvised ladder” to escape the cabin.
Dr. Simon Boxal, a marine scientist at the University of Southampton, said Bayesian was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“The crew’s priorities would have been to close the hatches and doors,” he told the BBC.
This means speculation about water floods because everything was open and “obviously not.”
“The next priority was to start the engines, so they’ll have the maneuverability to place themselves in the storm.
“It’s not like a car you dive in and turn the key. It takes 5-10 minutes for you to be able to start the engine with a container of this size.”
The survivors escaped Bayesian’s liferaft and were rescued by a small boat sent from another nearby yacht, the report says.
Getty Images
Mike Lynch, painted in 2014
Mike Lynch is a prominent figure in the UK’s high-tech industry, and with the support of successful companies, he was named the British equivalent of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
However, the second half of his life was consumed by a long-term legal dispute, which left him to the controversial US.
The UK investigation process sees the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as the deaths of Jonathan Bloomer of Morgan Stanley Bank and his wife, Judy Bloomer.
US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Nida Morvillo also died in the sinking, along with Canada and the ridiculous citizen Ricardo Thomas, who worked as a yacht chef.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were able to escape on the lifeboat.
