Hundreds of mourners gather to farewell Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter after they perished when the Bayesian superyacht sunk

More than 400 mourners gathered for the funeral of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter – two months after they perished in a superyacht tragedy.

Seven people died when Mr Lynch’s £30million Bayesian yacht sank in just 16 minutes after getting caught in a freak storm off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village off the coast of Sicily, in the early hours of August 19. 

Fifteen people – including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares – survived the tragedy which came just months after he was cleared of a multi-billion fraud by a US court involving software giant Hewlett Packard.

An inquest ruled earlier this month that Mr Lynch drowned, but his daughter’s death is still under investigation.

As the tragedy continues to be probed by Italian authorities, some 450 mourners packed out the church at St James’s Piccadilly, in central London, on Thursday to say farewell to Mr Lynch and his daughter. 

Mr Lynch’s coffin, covered in a pall with a photograph of the family’s Suffolk home, was carried by friends and colleagues into the church.

Hannah, who was due to start a degree course at Oxford University this year, had her coffin lifted by her classmates from Latymer Upper School in west London. Her pall was decorated with one of her many poems.

Mike Lynch, 59, and Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sunk in August

Hannah is pictured cuddling the family’s Shetland sheepdog called Faucet, her father’s favourite dog

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Walking behind the coffins was Mr Lynch’s widow, Ms Bacares, who was carrying a Shetland sheepdog called Faucet, her husband’s favourite dog. The couple’s older daughter, Esme 22, also followed, along with three of the other family dogs.

According to The Sunday Times, mourners filed into the church as Blackbird by Beatles and Neil Young’s Harvest Moon played. 

Standing between the two coffins, Reverend Lucy Winkett told mourners: ‘I say welcome because you are, but the truth is that, of course, no one wants to be here.’

Nobel Prize winning scientist Sir Paul Nurse hailed Mr Lynch, known as ‘Britain’s Bill Gates’, for his ‘massive contribution’ to the country.

During the eulogy, he also vented his frustration towards the government, which handed Mr Lynch over to US authorities last year.

‘This was wrong, and in my view, it was disgraceful, both shameful and shameless,’ he said. 

 ‘My words are strong because I’m still angry about this.’

The second person to speak was  Albert Read, the former managing director of Conde Nast UK, and a family friend with daughters of a similar age to the Lynches.

Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy were among those who died

Lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (both pictured) did not survive the superyacht tragedy

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person to be recovered after the yacht sunk 

He told mourners that Mr Lynch was in line for a knighthood in 2012, but it was quietly retracted after Hewlett Packard’s allegations.

 ‘Mike shrugged his shoulders, and was far prouder to be elected to the Royal Society of 2014,’ Read said.

He added that Mr Lynch had a deep ‘gratitude for the loyalty of those who stood by him during those difficult years’.

After the second hymn, Jerusalem, the emotional service moved to remembering Hannah, whose former head of English described her as a special pupil. 

She was the last of the seven to be found, four days after the sinking, her body hidden behind a mattress below deck.

Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, head of English at Latymer, told the church: ‘I have a double first-class Oxford English degree. At 17, Hannah’s more capable than I was at 17, and in several ways, she’s capable of more than I am now.’  

Two of Hannah’s closest friends also reminisced about her appetite for reading and debate, late nights at Latin camp talking about boys, or the meaning of life.

An Italian fire service dive team return to port on the fifth day of the search and recovery operation after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm

Others read from her poetry, while a musician played the Cure’s Just Like Heaven.

This was followed by a sermon, the Lord’s Prayer and the commendation.

The pallbearers lifted the coffins and walked back down the aisle, past Esme and Angela, as the guitarist sang Alphaville’s Forever Young.

Both Mr Lynch and her daughter’s coffins had a packet of their favourite sweets attached to the side. 

The funeral came almost exactly two months after the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily.

A total of 10 passengers and 12 crew were on board when it sank. The bodies of those who died, including Mr Lynch and Hannah, were recovered following a search by divers over several days.

Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, his wife, Judy, 71, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were all found dead. Hannah was the last to be found.

The yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas was also found at the scene immediately.