FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
It was the early morning of August 19, 2024, when British tech mogul Mike Lynch's 56-meter superyacht "Bayesian" anchored about 500 meters off the harbor of Porticello, Sicily.
The crew has woken up the captain, while some of the guests have also woken up, worried about the approaching storm.
Suddenly the winds become strong. Just as suddenly, in less than 15 seconds, the "Bayesian" lists sharply and takes a 90-degree angle. Without any warning, within seconds, the ship capsizes and sinks, taking with it 7 of the 22 people on board. Those who lose their lives are: Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, the ship's chef, Morgan Stanley's international director, Jonathan Bloomer, with his wife Judy, famous American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Nedda.
Exactly one year later, the haunting figure of "Bayesian" was pulled from the 50-meter depth where it was located, claiming another life, that of a 39-year-old diver who was killed while investigating it.
But why did the superyacht sink, killing seven people on board? Could it have been avoided? Who is responsible? Why weren't other, smaller, less technologically advanced ships in the area affected? Did the 10-member crew forget to close some doors, affecting the ship's watertightness, or was there a construction problem?
Italian authorities are determined to provide detailed answers and therefore do not hesitate when they believe that something will help them in their investigation. Raising the luxury ship (worth 40 million dollars) from the seabed cost more than 30 million euros. The 72-meter-long mast for which the "Bayesian" was famous, as it was one of the tallest in the world, was pulled out separately, after an underwater robot had previously cut it from the main body of the ship.
Researchers in a preliminary report on the ship's catastrophic sinking conclude that the ship had "vulnerabilities" to extreme weather conditions that were unknown to the owner or crew. If it encountered winds faster than 72 mph, it was likely to lose its stability. As it did.
But now new, shocking questions arise: how is it possible that such design flaws exist on such an expensive and exclusive superyacht, but also how is it possible that the crew is not aware of these "defects", not even through the ship's manual? Who is to blame for this negligence?
CCTV footage shows the final moments before Mike Lynch's superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily. #Bayesian #MikeLynch pic.twitter.com/XqwohFubsO
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) August 21, 2024
The problem of stability
Experts are at a loss, as they have no convincing explanation for the sinking. It seems unlikely, at least based on the data they have. A British study concluded that there was a stability problem with the ship. The Italian preliminary investigation is now doing the same. However, to reach this conclusion, they first had to raise the ship ("intact" was the order of the Italian prosecutors) from a depth of 50 meters.
The operation was quickly halted after the Bayesian struck again with a new tragedy. One of the divers working on it lost his life when he was pierced by a piece of its metal. Authorities decided that the remaining work would be carried out by underwater robots.
From images of the interior of the once luxurious and now water-worn yacht "Bayesian", but also from the investigation of individual elements in the mechanical and other parts of the superyacht, together with eyewitness accounts, investigators from the Italian authorities have managed to mentally enter "Bayesian", representing the last hours, before his body began the journey towards the end, dragging 7 souls with him.
In their preliminary report, along with the possible causes of the sinking, they also describe the superyacht's final hours.
"Bayesian" survivor Captain James Catfield
That evening, the passengers and some of the crew retired to their cabins early. The sea was calm and the evening was beautiful, although the forecast indicated that storms were expected. As usual, night watches stood on the bridge of the 56-meter-long ship, with Captain James Catfield giving orders to wake up in two cases: if the wind speed exceeded 23 miles per hour, or if the ship (which was at anchor) began to move.
■ 21:24. The report states: "At 21:24, the Bayesian was anchored to the east of the main breakwater. The central pennant [or rotating keel] was in a raised position. Another ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was also anchored nearby. The sea was calm and there was a very light wind from the northwest. A gale warning had been issued and those on the Bayesian could see occasional flashes of lightning to the west."
■ 03:00. An officer on the night watch noticed that storm clouds and lightning visible offshore were approaching, although the wind was blowing about 9 mph from the west. He noted this in the bridge log.
One year since the Bayesian tragedy: How the "impossible" scenario finally sank
■ 03:55. Shënimi tjetër në ditarin e anijes është kur era është rritur në 54 km/orë. Meqenëse varka ishte shumë afër bregdetit sicilian dhe stuhia dukej "normale", nuk kishte shqetësim. Kjo tregohet edhe nga fakti se në orën 3:55 të mëngjesit, një anëtar i ekuipazhit bëri një video të stuhisë që po afrohej dhe e postoi atë në mediat sociale, përpara se të mbyllte dritaret e kabinës dhe kapakët e përparmë për të mbrojtur pjesën e brendshme të varkës nga shiu. Megjithatë, shpejt, skena filloi të ndryshonte, me erërat, siç e përshkruajnë dëshmitarët okularë, që i ngjanin një uragani dhe mbartnin mbeturina pranë dhe përreth portit.
■ 03:57. Jahti filloi të tërhiqte spirancën e tij, dhe turni i natës zgjoi kapitenin dhe anëtarët e tjerë të ekuipazhit, sipas raportit. Ndërkohë, stuhia ishte bërë aq e fortë sa disa nga mysafirët u zgjuan. Së bashku me ta, ishte zgjuar edhe pronari i superjahtit, biznesmeni Mike Lynch, i cili shkoi te ura e anijes për të parë se sa serioze ishte stuhia. Shefi i kuzhinës së jahtit filloi të ruante takëmet, tenxheret dhe tiganët, pasi priste që jahti të fillonte të dridhej shumë. Nga qetësia, megjithëse relative e atyre momenteve, nuk kaloi shumë kohë që gjithçka të kalonte në kaos dhe shkatërrim absolut.
■ 04:06. Papritmas era u forcua, duke tejkaluar shpejtësinë e 80 miljeve në orë. Sipas raportit, rreth orës 4:06 të mëngjesit, jahti u anua forcërisht mbi 90 gradë në më pak se 15 sekonda, duke bërë që njerëzit, mobiljet dhe objekte të tjera të lirshme të fluturonin mbi kuvertë. Ky ndryshim i dhunshëm shpjegon gjithashtu faktin se nuk u dërgua asnjë mesazh SOS dhe autoritetet nuk u informuan për rrezikun. Në vend që anija të mbetej në këtë pozicion për të paktën njëfarë kohe, duke i dhënë ekuipazhit dhe pasagjerëve mundësinë për të reaguar, ose duke filluar të fundosej gradualisht, ajo filloi shumë shpejt udhëtimin e saj drejt fundit. "Nuk kishte shenja përmbytjeje brenda detit Bayesian derisa uji hyri përmes kangjellave në të djathtë dhe, brenda sekondave, pushtoi hapësirat e brendshme nën shkallë", thuhej në raport. Furnizimi kryesor me energji i anijes është ndërprerë, por ndërsa fundoset, ajo ka disa drita që funksionojnë, nuk është në errësirë të plotë.
Braktisja e anijes
Ndërsa anija fundosej, pasagjerët dhe ekuipazhi u përpoqën të shpëtonin duke përdorur çfarëdo që mundnin. Për shembull, dy nga pasagjerët e bllokuar në kabinën e tyre menduan shpejt dhe përdorën sirtarët e mobiljeve si shkallë për t'u arratisur dhe për të arritur në sipërfaqe. Për disa minuta, të mbijetuarit, 14 nga 22 personat në bord, përdorën shkopinj dhe jastëkë si shpëtimtarë të improvizuar derisa kapiteni i anijes ishte në gjendje të shkëpuste një varkë shpëtimi dhe ta vinte në funksion, sipas raportit.
The report states that “as the captain prepared to steer the Bayesian into the wind, the wind suddenly increased to over 70 knots. The canopy on the bridge was torn from left to right. At 04:06, the Bayesian listed violently 90° to starboard in less than 15 seconds. People, furniture and objects fell to the deck.” The preliminary report concludes that the cause of the sinking was that the construction of the “Bayesian” could have made it unstable, even capsize. To do this, the researchers say, winds of 73 miles per hour were sufficient, although, as they say, it is possible that the “Bayesian” was vulnerable to even weaker winds! /Adapted from Pamphlet/
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