Doomed super yacht Bayesian will be seen for the first time on Saturday as a mammoth £20 million operation to bring her to the surface begins.
The 184ft yacht went down last August with the loss of seven lives, including that of billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18.
Salvage work began two months ago but it was hit with a lengthy delay in early May following the death of Dutch diver Rob Huijben which is still being investigated by prosecutors.
Bayesian sunk in just 16 minutes last August after being hit by a violent downburst off the coast of the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello.
The operation to bring her to the surface has involved divers and remote operated vehicles attaching lines beneath the hull and this will be used to lift her on Saturday.
It had been anticipated that the raising would take place at the end of the month due to a run of bad luck including stormy weather and the fatality.
But in a much-welcomed stroke of fortune the removal of the Bayesian’s trademark 160ft mast meant she par buckled slightly resulting in it being easier to attach the cables that will be used to bring her to the surface.
A heavy lifting crane called the Hebo 10 will bring her from 150ft down and the sight is expected to attract thousands of gawkers as it will be the hikifay season.
The $40 million vessel is expected to emerge at around lunchtime and will then be slowly sailed to a specially built cradle at Termini Imerese 12 miles along the coast.
Once there the Bayesian will be left to ‘dry out’ for several days before prosecutors and lawyers representing victims and crew members will be allowed to inspect the yacht.
Three crew members including New Zealand skipper James Cutfield, first engineer Tim Parker Eton and nightwatchmam Matthew Griffith, both British, are currently under investigation accused of causing a disaster and multiple manslaughter.
Prosecutors are probing whether hatches and doors were not closed ahead of the powerful storm – which was forecast – striking with 90mph winds.
The death of Dutchman Rob Huijben had delayed the salvage operation by TMC Marine for more than a week but the removal of the 236ft mast – one of the tallest in the world – helped considerably.
The stern of the Bayesian is resting on hard packed clay that had stalled the work of the underwater equipment brought in to replace human divers as a result of the tragedy.
A source involved in the operation told MailOnline: ‘After a run of bad luck there was a little bit of fortune when the mast was removed as the weight shifted and allowed the messenger lines to be thread underneath.
‘If it wasn’t for that we would still be looking at lifting her at the same me of the month but now it’s a good week ahead of what was initially thought to be the lifting date.’
Last month superstitious locals told MailOnline the yacht was ‘cursed’ after the lifting operation was hit by tragedy and bad weather.
Italian media have wildly speculated that ‘foreign intelligence services’ were involved in the sinking due to Mr Lynch’s high profile background.
Last June Mr Lynch and his business partner Stephen Chamberlain were cleared of fraud in a US court involving the $11 billion sale their firm Autonomy to software giant Hewlett Packard in 2011.
Two days before the Bayesian sank and Chamberlain was knocked over and killed while out jogging near his home in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire.
In a statement the slavagers TMC Marine said:’The detachment of the vessel’s 72-metre mast was completed in a safe manner yesterday (Tuesday) using a remote-controlled diamond wire precision cutting tool, before the mast was then rested on the seabed for her future recovery.
‘This allowed the hull of the vessel to partially parbuckle, easing naturally and with the support of lifting slings, into a near upright position.
‘Over the coming days hoses and plugs will be installed into the now accessible starboard side tank vents that previously laid directly on the seabed, 50 metres below the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Mediterranean.
‘After completion of this work and other adjustments, the vessel will be gently helped into a totally upright position in the coming days, while continuously supported via steel lifting straps attached to the 5,695 gross tonne, floating heavy lifting asset HEBO LIFT 10.
‘Once recovered, the superyacht will be held in an upright position overnight, before being carefully carried by the HEBO LIFT 10 into the port of Terminal Imerese on Monday, where the hull will subsequently be lifted onto a specially manufactured steel cradle that awaits on the quayside.
‘On-site salvage work has progressed rapidly over the past seven days. The vessel’s stern section was lifted temporarily using the HEBO LIFT 10 to allow salvors to install lifting slings under the hull.
‘Lifting of the 56-metre Bayesian requires eight main steel lifting straps to be installed – with four straps previously fed under the vessel’s bow.
Marcus Cave, Head of Naval Architecture and a Director of TMC Marine, said: ‘The complex work to safely recover the Bayesian has been progressed quickly in the past week by the contractors’ personnel.
‘Over the coming days, all going well, the vessel’s final recovery will take place this weekend and lead to her ultimate safe delivery to the authorities in Terminal Imerese.’
