The British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August, killing seven people, is being lifted from the seabed this weekend – nearly a year after the tragedy unfolded.
Billionaire tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on 19 August.
The boat’s manufacturers, Italian prosecutors, British marine investigators and survivors have all made different claims about why the boat sank so suddenly.
The boat’s captain and two crew members are currently under investigation for manslaughter.
The Independent looks at everything we know about the incident and how the boat may have sank.
What do we know about the incident?
The Bayesian sank off the coast of the Sicilian capital of Palermo in Italy in the early hours of 19 August last year, after it was hit by unexpected extreme weather. It took just 16 minutes to sink.
There were 22 people on board and seven were killed, including Mr Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah.
A coastguard official in Palermo said at the time that bad weather had been expected but not of the magnitude witnessed. Winds of up to 90mph were recorded on the day.
Subsequent investigations have identified that the boat was hit by a mesocyclone, which is a type of powerful rotating thunderstorm that can produce tornadoes or extreme wind bursts.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
Why did the Bayesian sink?
Sicilian prosecutors are have opened an inquiry into suspected manslaughter and have placed the captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, and two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, under investigation.
Experts have claimed that hatches and doors were left open overnight by the crew, causing the boat to sink.
The owner of the boat and the wife of Mr Lynch, Angela Bacares, has also accused the crew of making “questionable decisions” when she was up on deck with them on the night of the tragedy.
But an interim report by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that the vessel's design, particularly its raised centreboard and high mast, could also be responsible for the tragedy.
The report suggested the structure may have compromised the boat’s stability in “motoring mode,” vulnerabilities that were not included in the yacht’s stability manual.
The MAIB report also challenged claims made by yacht builder The Italian Sea Group, finding that the Bayesian would capsize at a 70.6-degree heel, contrary to the builder’s assertion it could recover from 73 degrees.
While TISG said 80-knot winds would tilt the yacht only 28 degrees, investigators found that winds exceeding 63 knots were enough to knock it over.
Giovanni Costantino, the Chief of TISG, has described the yacht as “unsinkable” and claimed the crew must have left doors or hatches open, allowing water in.
How investigators plan to rescue the boat
The Bayesian is being recovered this weekend as part of a multimillion pound rescue operation.
About 70 specialist personnel have been mobilised to Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began last month.
The yacht has sat on the seafloor for 10 months and efforts to recover it were stifled first by difficult weather conditions and later by the death of a Dutch diver helping with the rescue mission.
Water was being pumped from the superyacht near the fishing town of Porticello on Saturday morning as it was seen upright on the surface for the first time since it sank.
Salvage workers could be seen on the vessel, which is covered in mud and algae, while the canopy and guard rails are mangled.
The full word “Bayesian” could be seen on the stern of the yacht, and a ladder which Italian Coastguard officials say was originally on the yacht to allow passengers to disembark was seen cracked and pointed upwards on the starboard side.
Also visible on the top deck was the stump of the mast. Salvage workers say there was 18,000 litres of fuel on board.
The 56-metre (184ft) yacht was spotted being held in an upright position by the Hebo Lift 10 barge, which features one of Europe’s most powerful maritime cranes. A steel sling has been fitted by undersea drones beneath the Bayesian to facilitate the lift.
The hard clay sea bed had initially made fitting four of the eight cables needed to lift the yacht difficult, but on Tuesday, a remote-controlled diamond wire precision cutting tool was used to sever the mast, allowing the boat to partially right.
The Hebo barge then lifted the boat enough to fit the remaining four cables beneath the Bayesian’s stern.
Balloon-like kit will be used to lift the yacht’s mast, a project insider said.
The Bayesian’s insurer, British Marine, tasked the London-based marine consultancy group TMC Marine with raising the yacht.
Investigators in the UK and Italy say raising the vessel is crucial to fully understanding what happened.
Michele Maltese, of the Italian Coastguard, told reporters on Saturday that thermal cameras are being used to check for any potential fuel leaks, while a local law investigator is also at the scene.
The vessel is expected to be brought to Termini Imerese – where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based, and on Monday it will be lifted on to a specially made steel cradle on the quayside.
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