What caused this ship to sink is still unknown. And is what I’m most interested in.
Italy is providing special forces divers from a secretive unit of the Italian military– web archive link
Divers from an Italian navy special forces unit are searching the sunken yacht Bayesian for clues to why it went down in a storm off the coast of Sicily last month, killing seven.
About six divers from the Italian navy’s secretive Comsubin unit are combing the superyacht for electronic equipment — including data storage and CCTV footage — while checking to see if doors were left open.
“The investigating magistrate has asked Comsubin to investigate so he can check statements made by the crew of the yacht,” a source close to the investigation told The Times.
COMSUBIN is currently based in three detachments near the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of north-west Italy. In keeping with its traditions, the command has long been known for its acquisition and use of unconventional weapons and small arms, such as the Armalite AR-10.
The Italian Navy’s secretive Comsubin unit are combing the yacht for any electronic devices that might offer clues to why it sunk – as well as checking to see if any doors were left open on board.
The yacht’s captain and two British crew members are under investigation by Sicilian magistrates for their role in the August 19 sinking of the Bayesian, which now sits on the sea bed 50 metres down and half a mile outside the fishing port of Porticello. Seven of the 22 on board the 56-metre-long, $40 million yacht died including the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
The victims’ bodies were recovered by divers from Italy’s fire-fighting service before Comsubin divers moved in,
supported by a navy minesweeperwhich has a decompression chamber to assist deep-dive operations and a high-speed vessel used to deploy the divers.
Trained for demining operations and the rescue of sailors from stricken submarines,
the divers — whose identities are kept secret — hail from a small unit within Comsubin,which is the Italian navy equivalent of the British Special Boat Service.
This is a private yacht, that is alleged to have sunk in a storm. Mine sweepers and secret identity divers?
The hope is to raise the superyacht, eventually
Revton has employed Drafinsub, a Genoa-based diving company, to use sonar and a submersible robot to study the position and state of the Bayesian in order to plan how to raise it.
“With the robot we will video the hull to see how the yacht and its mast are positioned on the sea floor, while the sonar we have on a vessel can map the sea floor and check the position of the anchor and chain,” a Drafinsub official said.
Bad weather has delayed the start of the operation, which may get under way next week and will take two to three days to complete, he added. Once data is collected, Revton is expected to discuss with the local coastguard and investigating magistrates the best way to raise the Bayesian — either by using buoyancy balloons or by attaching ties to it and hoisting it to the surface.
Before that happens, 18,000 litres of fuel must be syphoned out of the yacht’s tanks in order to avoid any spillage and make the vessel lighter to lift.
Boat enthusiasts have been eager to hear Shephard’s perspective on the tragic sinking of Bayesian, especially given his experience with Parsifal III, a superyacht from the same manufacturer. Although that’s where the two vessels similarities end, with Parsifal boasting two masts, not one.
It also doesn't have a lifting keel, meaning stability is always at its maximum onboard.
Speaking of the tragedy, Shephard added: “I know there’s going to be questions, and I’m happy to address them, but I’m not going to speculate. All I can say is, my heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the people that perish. It’s a horrible tragedy, and I’ll also say it’s definitely a freak accident.
You know anyone thinking about going out on a boat and worried that's going to happen - that doesn't happen and I couldn't believe that it could happen.
And yet it did.