Salvage crews have lifted the wreck of Mike Lynch’s superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off Sicily, ten months after it sank. The 56-metre yacht went down during a violent storm near Porticello last August, killing seven people, including Lynch and his teenage daughter, Hannah.
The wreck, covered in algae and mud, is now visible in a floating crane barge near Palermo. It will be taken to Termini Imerese for forensic analysis.
The recovery operation has cost $30 million and involved detaching the yacht’s 72-metre mast using a remote cutting tool. The operation paused in May after the death of Dutch diver Rob Cornelis Maria Huijben during underwater work.
Eight steel straps helped support and lift the hull, while pumps removed seawater during the procedure, said TMC Maritime.
The vessel will remain upright in a special cradle for inspection. The analysis may reveal whether an open hatch or a raised keel contributed to the sinking.
Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation. Captain James Cutfield, and two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, are under formal investigation.
Lynch celebrating fraud case win
The yacht had been anchored near Porticello when the storm struck before dawn on 19 August 2024.
Lynch, recently cleared of fraud charges in the US, was celebrating with family and friends on board. His wife, Angela Bacares, who owned the yacht, survived.
Also killed were lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and chef Recaldo Thomas. Nine crew and six guests were rescued.
A UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to wind when using its engine. This weakness was unknown to the crew.
A suspected tornadic waterspout diverted by the docks may have hit the vessel directly, causing it to sink in seconds.
In September, Italian authorities boosted security around the wreck, amid concerns that contents in onboard safes could interest foreign powers.
