Tech billionaire’s sunken yacht may hold classified secrets from Western intelligence agencies on hard drives
The superyacht of deceased tech billionaire Mike Lynch is said to contain waterproof safes that contain highly classified information.
Recent reports say that the unrecovered vessel, the Bayesian, is being plotted for retrieval to determine how to best avoid spilling any of the 18,000 liters of oil and fuel allegedly still on board.
Authorities are also reportedly trying to determine how to make sure any sensitive data that is aboard is not stolen.
The vessel reportedly did not have a traditional black box or a data recorder for navigation.
The Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily in August, killing seven people: Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judith, lawyer Christopher Morvillo, and his wife, Neda. The onboard chef, Recaldo Thomas, also died.
Specialist divers have since asked for heightened security to guard the sunken vessel over concerns that classified data is inside locked safes that are still aboard, some 50 meters under water.
The watertight safes allegedly hold passcodes and what is only described as other sensitive data, multiple sources told CNN.
CNN also reported that the data may be of interest to foreign governments, including China and Russia, citing four sources who said the information could be tied to Western intelligence services.
Some of the Bayesian’s survivors reportedly told prosecutors that Lynch “did not trust cloud services” and kept data in hard drives in secured compartments on the yacht when he traveled.
Requests for added security were made for above and underwater surveillance.
“A formal request has been accepted and implemented for additional security of the wreckage until it can be raised,” the Sicilian civil protection authority stated.
Since this ship’s sinking, peculiar information about Lynch and his associates has surfaced, making the incident one of the most suspicious events of the year.
Lynch’s wife, Angela, survived along with 14 others, including Captain James Cutfield, a deckhand, and the engine room manager. The crew members are all under investigation for possible manslaughter and negligence. For some reason, however, they were all allowed to leave Italy.
Italian authorities also revealed that none of the crew members were tested for drugs or alcohol due to allegedly being in a “state of shock” following the incident.
Lynch’s company, Darktrace, had significant ties to U.S. and U.K. intelligence. Co-founder Stephen Huxter was a senior member of MI5’s cyber defense team. Huxter then installed a former U.K. government communications headquarters operative, Andrew France, as chief executive.
Two high-ranking intelligence executives were also reportedly on Darktrace’s board: ex-MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans and the NSA’s Jim Penrose, who rose to the rank of defense intelligence senior level.
The yacht’s sinking occurred just a month after Lynch and colleague Stephen Chamberlain were acquitted of charges related to alleged fraud. Chamberlain died the same day the Bayesian sank after being hit by a car while jogging.
Lynch’s wife, who owns the Bayesian, was also an adviser to British Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May for tech and cyber security. She will also be responsible for the cost of raising the ship.
Local prosecutors have shockingly stated that no personal effects such as computers, jewelry, or the hard drives have been recovered, but the ship’s onboard hard drives and cameras tied to the navigation system were taken for investigation.
The vessel reportedly did not have a traditional black box or a data recorder for navigation.
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