Italy - Sailing yacht sank off Italian coast, 15 rescued, 7 missing, 19 August 2024

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I wonder how long it took people thrown into that raging sea to actually get to the life raft and get into it.

I think we have to remember that there were high winds, heavy rain, and likely large swells and crashing waves. Horrible scenario.
Some people can't even step into a dinghy from a still boat in a calm sea. (I fell doing that once :D )
From my understanding of reports, most people got into the life raft on board- but it may just be the crew staying silent about what happened. The wife was on it, the mother and baby got onto it after being submerged in the sea- we perhaps have to just wait and see what is said, it was inflated on deck that we have seen reported.
 
If you don’t know about the hiscox offices- have a look, they were well cared for staff in a gorgeous environment.
 
From my understanding of reports, most people got into the life raft on board- but it may just be the crew staying silent about what happened. The wife was on it, the mother and baby got onto it after being submerged in the sea- we perhaps have to just wait and see what is said, it was inflated on deck that we have seen reported.

The usual scenario would be to inflate the life raft, throw it in, then get into it. Simply because you can get injured if you are already in the life boat. You hold onto the line that attaches to the life boat, as you exit the yacht. And get to the life raft.
Maybe in this instance it was done differently. IDK

Even when I fell getting into a dinghy from a still boat, I injured myself and capsized the dinghy. Others in the dinghy fell in, and we lost stuff to the bottom of the sea (which we later dived for and retrieved, when the tide went out).

It is tricky manouvering yourself in water into boats.

imo
 
I think the point is that it should have been able to survive it, like the 'Baden Powell' next to it did. What the Italians are investigating is their equivalent of the British 'manslaughter through gross negligence', in other words, was the handling of the ship by the crew so negligent that they are culpable in the loss of the ship and the deaths of the passengers.

But if it was hit by a waterspout, that would explain why the Baden Powell survived and the Bayesian didn't. MOO
 
snipped.

I read a comment by a boat designer that the real reason for super-yachts having these tall masts isn't because of any functionality they provide. Rather, a lot of yacht ownership is about bragging rights and status so wealthy buyers like them because of how impressive they look.
Wow, that is concerning. It seems like some shipbuilders are willing to set aside the safety aspects for status.
 
The yacht was not moving or docking, it was effectively parked for the night.
The super yacht was at anchor though, and not docked. I think this may put it in some sort of "in between" state regarding sailing and parked.

I agree, however, the Captain was not going to be up all night. Crewed ships keep a series of "watches" such as bridge, engine room etc. depending on their status (parked, anchored, underway etc.).

It was once explained to me how the watch system worked- but as I was not familiar with the concept, it seemed very confusing.

I am guessing, however, that there would have been at least somebody on bridge watch? Or as the yacht was anchored, would the person on watch had been say, making rounds on various decks?
 
Wow, that is concerning. It seems like some shipbuilders are willing to set aside the safety aspects for status.
In fairness, I don't think a taller mast is inherently unsafe as the keel is supposed to be longer to compensate. One problem though is that the keel of the Bayesian was retractable so it could maneuver in shallow waters and it's possible that it wasn't fully extended during the storm, as it should have been.
 
I believe the passenger suites were below the crew accommodations. Which is unusual since generally when people think about millionaire's boats they think about the luxury suites with balconies, dance floors and bars with outdoor areas for lounging, etc. This is a true sailing vessel more like a racing yacht, imo, so I don't think the accommodations reflect how I usually visualize passenger cabins.
Here's a layout of the Bayesian, from https://www.superyachttimes.com/yac...acht-bayesian-sinks-off-palermo-seven-missing. It looks as if most is on thecsame level.
1724454260622.png
 

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I read a book recently, "Troubled" by Robert Henderson, he stated in the book, regarding, wealth and social status that the accumulation of items is no longer a status symbol. It is accumulation of experiences that are rare and noteworthy are the new "status" symbols.

This fits that definition. Sailing in the Mediterranean, in a private yacht. Sadly.
 

"Sky News understands this is standard procedure in complex cases,
but more details are expected to be revealed at a news conference in Sicily this morning."

1724488050932.png

" 'That drives me insane',

said Giovanni Costantino,
the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group,
which in 2022 bought the company, Perini,
that made the Bayesian.

'Following all the proper procedures,
that boat is unsinkable'."

 
Last edited:
27m ago09:17

Prosecutor gives timeline and thanks rescue team​

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio is outlining the details and timeline of the five-day rescue operation.
He also thanked the coastguard and the rescue crew who were "so professional and so courageous".

26m ago09:18

Prosecutor: There 'could be a question of homicide'​

The prosecutor said there "could be a question of homicide" in the sinking as it opened a manslaughter and shipwreck investigation that is not aimed at any individual person.
Ambrogio Cartosio said the sinking could be caused by "behaviours that were not in order".
He also said that investigators were not excluding other lines of enquiry.
But he added that "this is just, in fact, the beginning of an inquiry".

21m ago09:24

Bodies recovered in cabins on left-hand side of ship​

It was "clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left hand side", prosecutors said, as the ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank.
The first five bodies were found in the first cabin on left hand side and the final body was found in the third cabin.
The bodies were found in the highest part of the ship, said Bentivoglio Fiandra from local fire rescue service.


13m ago09:32

Future investigation "based on salvaging wreck"​

"If we don't recover the wreck , it would be difficult to fully investigate the sinking," the Italian officials said.

5m ago09:40

Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility​

Prosecutors are now taking questions from reporters who are gathered.
One asked about the Bayesian crew's responsibilities considering all but one survived.
Prosecutors said they were "concentrating on this particular aspect".
They want to "discover how much they knew and to what extent all the people [passengers] were warned".
"Of course the question is understandable."

2m ago09:43

Autopsies on victims 'not done yet', prosecutors said​

Autopsies on the victims "have not been done yet", prosecutors said.
They also said that they do not know the "specific" timeline of the investigation and said it depends on the owners of the yacht and maritime authorities.
"After all, the wreck is 50m down," they said.

Now09:52

'No information yacht was in wrong place'​

The prosecutors' press conference is ongoing.
They said that there is "no information so far that the yacht was wrongly placed" when it sank.
There was a "slight deviation of anchorage because of a piece of archaeology nearby", prosecutors added.
Questions on the weather at the time of the sinking have also been raised by journalists in the press conference.

"Apart form extreme events which are being verified by the prosecutor, there was a great deal of visibility," officials said.

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators to hold news conference on yacht sinking probe as tributes pour in for youngest victim
 
Last edited:
Sky News had added quite a bit to three of their earlier updates so I will repost

35m ago09:40

Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility​

Prosecutors are now taking questions from reporters who are gathered.
One asked about the Bayesian crew's responsibilities considering all but one survived.
Prosecutors said they were "concentrating on this particular aspect".
They want to "discover how much they knew and to what extent all the people [passengers] were warned".
"Of course the question is understandable.
"We have tried to find out maximum information possible from the crew members or the survivors - all I would say is that the incident happened really, really suddenly.
"The inquiry will begin with the facts of the shipwreck - that is all I can say at the moment."

33m ago09:43

Autopsies on victims 'not done yet' - as prosecutors give update on probe's timeline​

Autopsies on the victims "have not been done yet", prosecutors said.
They also said that they do not know the "specific" timeline of the investigation and said it depends on the owners of the yacht and maritime authorities.
"After all, the wreck is 50 metres down," they said.
"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results, and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation.
"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject [say] that it will be eight weeks.
"But the preliminary phase which we requested was to retrieve the wreck and after that we can proceed with the rest.
"There are specialised companies after all who can proceed with getting up the fuel tanks, for example, first, so that's a priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects and then we'll work out a proper timeframe - a plan with a timeframe."

24m ago09:52

'No information yacht was in wrong place'​

The prosecutors' press conference is ongoing.
Maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said that there is "no information so far that the yacht was wrongly placed" when it sank.
There was a "slight deviation of anchorage because of a piece of archaeology nearby", prosecutors added.
Questions on the weather at the time of the sinking have also been raised by journalists in the press conference.
"Apart from extreme events which are being verified by the prosecutor, there was a great deal of visibility," the official said.
"And as you can see from the internet there was forecasts from midnight to 4am, winds of a strength of five from the north-west and the west and a storm alert.
"But there wasn't an alert of a tornado."
He added: "Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising.
"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

Now10:16

Passengers were probably asleep and failed to escape, prosecutor says​

The passengers who died were probably asleep, prosecutors said, and this is the reason they failed to escape.
We heard earlier that it was "clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left hand side" as the ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank (see 9.24am post).
The first five bodies were found in the first cabin on left hand side and the final body was found in the third cabin.

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'
 
BBC reports

09:48 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Bentivoglio Fiandra, chief of Palermo's fire brigade and part of the divers' rescue team, explains that the Bayesian sank stern-first and then rolled onto its right side.

As a result, the victims sought refuge on the left side of the boat, where the last air pockets remained as the vessel was sinking.

They found five bodies in the first cabin on the left and one, Hannah's, in the third cabin on the left.


Yacht owner wants to resurface the vessel - Palermo coastguards​

09:55 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Palermo coastguard deputy commander Raffaele Macauda then comments on the technical aspects of the rescue.

He highlights that the coastguard is conducting in-depth environmental monitoring and notes that the yacht's owner has expressed a desire to recover and resurface the vessel.

He also emphasises that the owner has been in contact with the coastguard regarding this matter.


10:01 BST​

Why was the crew able to get into a lifeboat, when the passengers couldn't?

The first question from reporters is: how come the crew were able to get into a lifeboat, when the passengers couldn't?

In response to the question, one Italian official says the incident happened "really suddenly" and the inquiry will be looking into this closely.

"That's all I can say at the moment," the official added.


10:03 BST​

'Is there a black box?'

The next question comes from La Repubblica newspaper, as one of their reporters asks if there is a black box and why the hatches were left open.

"We haven't got exact information about the black box," the official says.

"It was extremely difficult to get inside the cabins and the yacht itself," adding that the first phase of the inquiry will be looking into this further.

He says they cannot reveal anything further at this stage, but the facts will be confirmed by the later search amongst the wreckage - including whether the divers found them open or closed.

"We don't want to give mistaken information now that we'd have to deny later," he adds.


Captain and crew of the vessel are not required to stay in Italy​

10:10 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Cartosio confirms that charges could be pressed against one or more specific individuals well before the recovery of the Bayesian.

He also states that the captain and crew of the vessel are not required to remain in Sicily for the entire duration of the investigation.

However, the chief prosecutor expresses a desire for them to "remain available for further questioning," as this may be needed in the future as the investigation progresses.


Downburst appears to have caused sinking rather than waterspout
10:20 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Deputy Prosecutor Cammarano explains that the reason why almost all the crew, except for the yacht's chef, managed to get to safety and the passengers didn't, is likely that the passengers were asleep at the time of the incident.

He also adds that, based on what they know now, it is unlikely that a waterspout caused the sinking of the Bayesian. Instead, it appears to have been caused by a downburst.

A downburst is a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground, generally in an unpredictable manner.


Diver describes rescue operation
10:25 BST​


We're now hearing from one of the divers, an engineer diver, who describes the rescue operation from his perspective.

He recalls that the vessel was sunk at 50m depth, and getting into the cabins made it even more difficult.

He describes all the obstacles preventing them from getting into the vessel, adding all safety measures had to be properly observed to ensure divers did not risk their lives any further.

"It was particularly difficult, and it was very slow, very slow work," he adds, as it required "very lengthy periods to remove the obstacles through the cabins".


'Why were passengers left behind?'​

10:35 BST​


Local officials are also asked about the location of the bodies in the yacht, as most bodies were found in a particular part of the ship - does it imply the passengers tried to save themselves?

"There is no certainty of the behaviour of the passengers on board, but it's probable that they tried to escape, but we have no real details about that," an official on the panel says.

He says there should be some evidence emerging from the wreckage retrieval location.

Officials are also asked why passengers were not able to flee the boat at the same time as crew members and whether someone alerted them.

"Well, that's precisely what we're trying to ascertain from the statements from the survivors," one of the officials says.

Asked about the cost of the retrieval, the coastguard admiral says the owners will bear the full cost of the retrieval and he cannot estimate how much that will be at this stage.

Bayesian yacht live updates: Manslaughter investigation opened as authorities confirm Hannah Lynch body found in Sicily yacht wreck
 
BBC reports

09:48 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Bentivoglio Fiandra, chief of Palermo's fire brigade and part of the divers' rescue team, explains that the Bayesian sank stern-first and then rolled onto its right side.

As a result, the victims sought refuge on the left side of the boat, where the last air pockets remained as the vessel was sinking.

They found five bodies in the first cabin on the left and one, Hannah's, in the third cabin on the left.


Yacht owner wants to resurface the vessel - Palermo coastguards​

09:55 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Palermo coastguard deputy commander Raffaele Macauda then comments on the technical aspects of the rescue.

He highlights that the coastguard is conducting in-depth environmental monitoring and notes that the yacht's owner has expressed a desire to recover and resurface the vessel.

He also emphasises that the owner has been in contact with the coastguard regarding this matter.


10:01 BST​

Why was the crew able to get into a lifeboat, when the passengers couldn't?

The first question from reporters is: how come the crew were able to get into a lifeboat, when the passengers couldn't?

In response to the question, one Italian official says the incident happened "really suddenly" and the inquiry will be looking into this closely.

"That's all I can say at the moment," the official added.


10:03 BST​

'Is there a black box?'

The next question comes from La Repubblica newspaper, as one of their reporters asks if there is a black box and why the hatches were left open.

"We haven't got exact information about the black box," the official says.

"It was extremely difficult to get inside the cabins and the yacht itself," adding that the first phase of the inquiry will be looking into this further.

He says they cannot reveal anything further at this stage, but the facts will be confirmed by the later search amongst the wreckage - including whether the divers found them open or closed.

"We don't want to give mistaken information now that we'd have to deny later," he adds.


Captain and crew of the vessel are not required to stay in Italy​

10:10 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Cartosio confirms that charges could be pressed against one or more specific individuals well before the recovery of the Bayesian.

He also states that the captain and crew of the vessel are not required to remain in Sicily for the entire duration of the investigation.

However, the chief prosecutor expresses a desire for them to "remain available for further questioning," as this may be needed in the future as the investigation progresses.


Downburst appears to have caused sinking rather than waterspout​

10:20 BST​


Stefano Fasano
Reporting from Sicily

Deputy Prosecutor Cammarano explains that the reason why almost all the crew, except for the yacht's chef, managed to get to safety and the passengers didn't, is likely that the passengers were asleep at the time of the incident.

He also adds that, based on what they know now, it is unlikely that a waterspout caused the sinking of the Bayesian. Instead, it appears to have been caused by a downburst.

A downburst is a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground, generally in an unpredictable manner.


Diver describes rescue operation​

10:25 BST​


We're now hearing from one of the divers, an engineer diver, who describes the rescue operation from his perspective.

He recalls that the vessel was sunk at 50m depth, and getting into the cabins made it even more difficult.

He describes all the obstacles preventing them from getting into the vessel, adding all safety measures had to be properly observed to ensure divers did not risk their lives any further.

"It was particularly difficult, and it was very slow, very slow work," he adds, as it required "very lengthy periods to remove the obstacles through the cabins".


'Why were passengers left behind?'​

10:35 BST​


Local officials are also asked about the location of the bodies in the yacht, as most bodies were found in a particular part of the ship - does it imply the passengers tried to save themselves?

"There is no certainty of the behaviour of the passengers on board, but it's probable that they tried to escape, but we have no real details about that," an official on the panel says.

He says there should be some evidence emerging from the wreckage retrieval location.

Officials are also asked why passengers were not able to flee the boat at the same time as crew members and whether someone alerted them.

"Well, that's precisely what we're trying to ascertain from the statements from the survivors," one of the officials says.

Asked about the cost of the retrieval, the coastguard admiral says the owners will bear the full cost of the retrieval and he cannot estimate how much that will be at this stage.

Bayesian yacht live updates: Manslaughter investigation opened as authorities confirm Hannah Lynch body found in Sicily yacht wreck
What I take from that is that poor Hannah Lynch slept through it and died in her cabin whilst at least three of the other five, including Mike Lynch, were trying to escape when the yacht sank. By the first cabin on the left I take it this means the cabin on the left nearest the bow. This cabin is right next to the stairway up to the deck. If the yacht was rolling to the right and sinking by the stern, why head for the cabin to the left of the stairway rather than the stairway itself?
 

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