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What we know of the Superyacht that sank off Sicily

The luxury yacht of Lynch's family, which belonged to British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley's Jonathan Bloomer are believed to have sunk off the coast of Sicily's northern tip on Monday.

What we know so far about the accident on August 19

VIOLENT STROKE

The Bayesian (a 56-metre superyacht with a 184-foot beam) was sunk in the darkness shortly before 5am (0300 GMT), off Porticello near Palermo after being struck by a violent storm, according to the Italian Coast Guard.

The coast guard stated that bad weather was forecasted, but it was worse than expected.

Locals have spoken of an exceptional sea whirlwind or waterspout.

The other boat

The 42-metre yacht Sir Robert Baden Powell stayed anchored, weathering the storm, after its captain switched on the engine in order to maintain control and avoid colliding with the Bayesian.

The captain Karsten Borner said that he didn't know if the crew on the Bayesian was able to turn the engines on.

He said, "I know only that they went down with the mast in the water. They sank within two minutes."

'INCOMPREHENSIBLE'

Andrea Ratti is a professor of nautical design at the Milan Polytechnic University. She said that a boat of this size could only sink quickly if it absorbed a large amount of water.

He said that the waterspout may have left one or more windows, portholes or other openings open, or broken them, allowing in water.

An industry expert from Britain stated that it would have taken the Bayesian hours to fill with enough water to sink, rendering its rapid demise unfathomable.

Matthew Schanck is the chair of Britain's Maritime Search and Rescue Council. He said that the Bayesian had been the victim of a "black swan", a rare and high-impact event.

Record MAST

The Bayesian features the tallest aluminum mast in the world, measuring 72 meters.

Ratti and structural engineering expert Filippo Mattioni say that a tall mast is vulnerable in storms because it has a large surface area.

Marco Tilotta, a diver with the Fire Department, said that the wreckage was intact and that the mast was still in place. He said that although divers were not able to examine the entire mast, the part they did see was in good condition.

RELEVABLE KEEL

The Bayesian was equipped with a retractable Keel, a stabilising structure beneath the hull that can be lifted in part to reduce the depth when entering shallow water or harbours.

Ratti and Mattioni both wondered if the yacht was anchored with its keel raised, which would compromise the stability of the vessel in a violent thunderstorm.

UNSINKABLE

Perini Navi is an Italian luxury boat builder who built the Bayesian in 2008. A source familiar with the matter said that it was refitted two times, but not by Perini.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO, Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Yachts, stated that the yacht is "one of safest in the world". It's also virtually unsinkable.

In interviews with Italian media, he said that the sinking of the ship was caused by a series of human mistakes because it was anticipated that a storm would occur.

The CEO stated that if the crew had shut all the doors and hatches and started the engine and lifted the anchor and lowered the keel, then they would have sustained "zero damages".

The data shows that it takes 16 minutes after the wind starts to buffet the yacht for it sink.

(source: Reuters)