Italian authorities have confirmed the retrieval of the body of former Hewlett Packard CEO Mike Lynch on Thursday, August 22. Lynch and six other people went missing after the Bayesian superyacht capsized on Monday off the coast of Italy.
So far, rescue efforts have facilitated the recovery of six bodies. However, Mike Lynch’s daughter remains unaccounted for. The Italian Ministry of Interior has identified the six recovered bodies. Among the bodies recovered were Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley’s international Jonathan Bloomer, and a lawyer at the Clifford Chance law firm, Christopher Morvillo.
Wives of two of the guests on the Mike Lynch yacht, Judy Bloomer and Neda Morvillo, were also casualties in the unfortunate disaster. The body of the onboard chef of the Mike Lynch yacht, Recaldo Thomas, was also recovered late on the day of the sinking.
Hiscox, an insurance firm that Jonathan Bloomer also chairs, released a statement after learning of the Morgan Stanley chair’s demise. Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said of the Bloomers’ loss, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by Jonathan and Judy’s tragic deaths. Our deepest sympathies go out to their family and friends at this devastating time.”
Reports show that 22 passengers, crew members included, were onboard the Mike Lynch yacht when it capsized. Only 15 of them survived, while six bodies have been recovered. Efforts are still ongoing to locate Mike Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, who is the unaccounted person.
Who Owns the Yacht That Sank in Italy?
The Mike Lynch yacht is an 184-foot luxury vessel called the Bayesian, which belongs to Angela Bacares, Mike Lynch’s wife. The yacht was built by Perini Navi, a reputable Italian manufacturer that has broken many records in the conceptualization of luxury vessels. The sailing Bayesian has itself won many design awards and is reputed to have the tallest aluminium mast among vessels of its class.
Bacares survived the early morning sinking, saving her one-year-old daughter with Mike Lynch.
Mike Lynch, often called “Britain’s Bill Gates,” has just been acquitted from a fraud trial. This explains the presence of lawyer Morvillo and his wife. Mime Lynch had invited them aboard the yacht Bayesian alongside other inner circle members, like the Bloomers. The 59-year-old Lynch had been accused of duplicity and manipulation of figures during his software firm Autonomy’s sale to Hewlett Packard in 2011.
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How Much Was Mike Lynch’s Yacht Worth?
The Bayesian is estimated to be worth £30 million (roughly $40 million), which explains why some people assume a vessel that expensive ought to be unsinkable. Indeed, the owner of the parent company of the Bayesian’s builder, Perini Navi, has made comments suggesting the sinking was not a question of the yacht’s design quality.
Instead, the head of Perini Navi, Giovanni Costantino, made public comments that inferred that the yacht sinking off was a product of a series of errors onboard. First, he beamed light on the captain’s statement that the stormy weather caught his crew by surprise.
Costantino explained that violent winds and rains were forecast for the Porticello area several days before the sinking.
What Caused a Yacht to Sink in Italy?
Reports have it that operational errors onboard the Bayesian led to its sinking in the storm of early Monday morning. Italian authorities have launched investigations into the possibility of manslaughter in the unfortunate event. Analyses of the Mark Lynch yacht CCTV footage suggest something was missed about the vessel’s sinking. The most significant cause for raised eyebrows is the fact that smaller vessels moored off the shore of the fishing town survived the storm.
Prosecutors have identified the weather phenomenon that led to the Bayesian’s sinking as a downburst. After analyzing the information available to the public from news reports and rescue operations, Constantino points out some errors that may have caused the yacht to sink in such a record time—16 minutes.
An open hatch
Constantino explained that the yacht has a hatch on its back, which captains are advised to close during a storm. It is possible that this hatch was open, and the vessel took in water rapidly. Other openings on the side of the vessel should also have been shut.
Position of the anchor
Experienced captains know better than to leave their anchor in the seabed during a storm. Standard procedure involves lifting the anchor and turning on the engine to compensate for the drift of the tossing waves.
An undeployed keel
A keel is a fin-like feature on boats that protrudes from its base. Constantin said, “That would have stabilised the vessel, they would have been able to traverse the storm and continue their cruise in comfort.” However, divers noticed during the rescue operation that the Bayesian’s keel was undeployed.
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The past week’s events have thrown the usually quiet Italian town of Porticello into distress. Interestingly, rescue efforts suggest that the $40 million yacht is still intact after sinking to a depth of 50 meters. Rescuers say bringing the Bayesian to the surface may require operations costing roughly 15 million euros. While it would be sad news for the concerned family, the Italians are hoping Hannah Lynch would turn up as a body recovered during the search to bring the rescue effort to a close.
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