Superyacht pulled from seabed 10 months after sinking off Sicily

ROME -- A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank disconnected Sicily past year, sidesplitting U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, partially resurfaced Saturday arsenic salvage betterment crews finalized the analyzable cognition to bring it ashore for further investigation.

The achromatic apical and bluish hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian was disposable connected the aboveground but was not wide of the oversea yet successful a holding country of a yellowish floating crane barge.

“Pumping retired of oversea h2o volition proceed and it volition beryllium lunchtime, pursuing a bid of lifting and resting procedures to fulfill the salvage team, earlier Bayesian is afloat and yet retired of the water,” said David Wilson, spokesperson for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the betterment operation.

The Bayesian sank Aug. 19 disconnected Porticello, adjacent Palermo, during a convulsive tempest arsenic Lynch was treating friends to a cruise to observe his acquittal 2 months earlier successful the U.S. connected fraud charges. Lynch, his girl and 5 others died. Fifteen radical survived, including the skipper and each unit members but the chef.

Italian authorities are conducting a full transgression investigation.

TMC Maritime said the vas has been dilatory raised from the seabed, 50 meters (165-feet) down, implicit the past 3 days to let the alloy lifting straps, slings and harnesses to beryllium secured nether the keel.

Eight alloy lifting straps are being utilized to enactment the hull upright and to signifier portion of a alloy ligament lifting strategy that began raising the vas retired of the h2o Saturday. As it is lifted up, oversea h2o is pumped retired of the hull.

TMC Maritime said the vas volition beryllium held upright, retired of the water, for checks and preparations for its last journey.

On Sunday, it is anticipated the floating crane level volition determination the Bayesian to the Sicilian larboard of Termini Imerese, wherever a peculiar alloy cradle is waiting for it.

The Bayesian is missing its 72-meter (236-foot) mast, which was chopped disconnected and near connected the seabed for aboriginal removal. The mast had to beryllium detached to let the hull to beryllium brought to a astir upright presumption that would let the trade to beryllium raised.

British investigators said successful an interim study issued past period that the yacht was knocked implicit by “extreme wind” and couldn’t recover.

The study said the Bayesian had chosen the tract wherever it sank arsenic structure from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph) astatine the clip of the sinking and “violently” knocked the vas implicit to a 90-degree space successful nether 15 seconds.

Lynch, who sold Autonomy, a bundle shaper helium founded successful 1996, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 cardinal successful 2011, had been acquitted connected fraud charges successful June 2024 by a national tribunal assemblage successful San Francisco.