The terrifying final minutes of the Bayesian yacht have been revealed in a new video, showing that it was hit by a sudden storm and then disappeared from radar as it sank.
Satellite imaging video obtained by The Post from the morning of August 19 shows the moment the $40m superyacht – on board 22 people, seven of whom drowned in the tragedy – was dramatically blown by a freak storm off the coast of Porticello. in Sicily, Italy.
The yacht was seen blown away in a South East direction between 1:56 and 2:09 UTC, equivalent to 3:56 and 4:09 local time. Another ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was in the same area and was also sunk at sea.
The 185-foot-long Bayesian was rotated clockwise by more than 180 degrees from its starting point and moved about 300 meters (985 feet). The boat then remained in place as it sank, with the radar signal disappearing at 3:09am UTC, or 5:09am local time, video from Marinetraffic.com showed.
Describing the scene to the Italian authorities, sailor Matthew Griffiths, who was watching at the time of the sinking, said “he woke up the captain when the wind was blowing at 20 knots (and) he ordered everyone to wake up,” according to to the Italian news service ANSA.
Griffiths also told investigators that the ship “tilted and fell into the water … We then managed to get back up and try to save what we could.
“(Phu) was tilted and we walked on the wall. We rescued what we could,” said ANSA Griffiths.
A life raft was launched carrying 15 survivors from the yacht, nine staff members and six guests, including a one-year-old baby. It was discovered by a small boat sent from Sir Robert Baden Powell to help save it.
Bayesian’s owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, is trapped in his cabin as the ship sinks rapidly and is killed. His daughter, Hannah, 18, also died in the accident, as well as five others: New York City lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda; Morgan Stanley Bank International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and the ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas.
The exact cause of the drowning is not yet known and is still under investigation by authorities. It has been suggested that tornado-like waterspouts, known as “black swan” weather events, can hit boats during storms, giving staff little time to react.
Others suggested windows, portholes or other openings may have been broken or opened by the powerful waterspout, causing the yacht to collapse quickly.
Officials are also investigating whether a downburst could have hit the yacht. A downburst is a type of weather event caused by strong winds projected down from a storm, which can be very damaging, according to the BBC.
The ship’s three crew – Griffiths, ship’s engineer Tim Parker Eaton and captain James Cutfield – are currently under investigation into the wreck as authorities try to piece together what caused the ship to sink so quickly.
However, the Italian authorities have made it clear that part of the investigation does not indicate wrongdoing and is a necessary procedural step.
Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, survived the ordeal, but has not spoken publicly about the ordeal.
Captain Sir Robert Baden Powell has also given his version of events at the time of the sinking, saying he saw deteriorating weather at 3am.
“When things calmed down and the storm subsided a bit … we were looking and we couldn’t see Bayesian anymore,” captain Karsten Borner told People magazine.
“Two passengers and two crew members saw what looked like a whale in the water and soon realized it was a shipwreck.
“One moment, I saw a triangle in the sea in a quarter of a second that the sky was lit up by lightning, and it must have been the bow of the ship when it sank at the stern.”
Borner and his first mate then boarded a small boat to help the survivors.
“We first found things floating in the water like pillows and chairs and so on. Then we saw a flashing light. It was a life raft with a light on top. And they were also waving to us with torches.
“So we went there, and then we found the crew and part of the passengers,” he said.
A rescue mission to raise the Bayesian from the sea bed and bring it to a port in Sicily so that it can be studied to understand more about the sinking is underway.
