baileys yacht gesunken

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

• Human Interest
• Real People
• Real People Tragedy

What Happened When the Bayesian Sank? New Details Emerge About How the ‘Unsinkable’ Yacht Capsized

Seven people died after the British-flagged vessel sank when it encountered severe weather while anchored near Sicily on Aug. 19

Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years.

Vf/ROPI/ZUMA Press

New details are emerging about what happened the night the Bayesian , the supposedly “unsinkable” superyacht, capsized off the coast of Italy.

Seven people died after the British-flagged vessel sank after encountering severe weather while anchored near Sicily on Aug. 19.

It took about 16 minutes for the 184-foot superyacht to sink 100 feet below the surface, leaving six people trapped inside, according to Impact X Nightline’s Gone In 16 Minutes: Sinking of The Superyacht, which premiered Thursday, Nov. 14, exclusively on Hulu.

Investigators believe the yacht tipped backward into the water before tilting to the right and eventually going underwater.

The six victims — British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch ; New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda ; and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy — did not survive.

Yacht chef Recaldo Thomas died after the boat capsized, as well.

The  Bayesian was made by yachtmaker Perini Navi, which was purchased at the end of 2021 by The Italian Sea Group. CEO Giovanni Costantino has suggested that the vessel was designed to be “unsinkable.” 

Initially, it was reported that a tornado may have impacted the boat. But investigators now believe a downburst with winds upwards of 60 mph triggered the sinking.

Downbursts are “strong localized downdrafts” that fan out on the Earth’s surface as “straight-line winds,” according to the National Weather Service .

Elizabeth Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said strong downbursts can cause significant damage and are “high-impact phenomena when they are strong.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The bodies of the six people who were found on the boat were found in cabins on the left side of the ship, according to Impact X Nightline . This side of the yacht was the closest to the surface and where air bubbles would have been concentrated.

There are still many unknowns as the investigation into the Bayesian ’s sinking continues, including if the boat’s keel was in the proper position, which would have given it more wiggle room to tilt significantly during a high-wind event.

Additionally, investigators have not revealed if there were open doors and hatches on the boat, which likely would have allowed the boat to take on more water than expected, or if there was a black box onboard the vessel.

“The Bayesian accident was a chain of unfortunate things that strung together,” Dan Leonard, co-founder and chief of design, Nuvolari Lenard said on Impact X Nightline . He compared it to an airline accident, adding, “It’s never because one screw fell off.”

Three crew members — the captain, machine engineer and a sailor who was on watch the night of the fatal incident — are still under investigation for manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, according to the program.

Related Articles