Yacht used in Princess Diana's iconic last holiday with Dodi sinks after hitting object in French Riviera
3 August 2023, 13:49 | Updated: 3 August 2023, 14:12
The yacht used by Princess Diana and Dodi-al-Fayed in their final summer has sunk after hitting an object on the French Riviera.
Cujo, which is an Indian word meaning "Unstoppable Force", sank 35 miles off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France on July 29 - after a distress call was heeded at 12.30pm local time.
The yacht was made famous after hosting Dodi and Diana just months before their tragic deaths in a Paris car crash on August 30, 1997.
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The couple had been holidaying in the Italian Riviera when a photographer caught them relaxing on board - causing a media storm over the relationship - after her divorce with the now-King Charles.
When the Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes arrived at the scene of the collision 45 minutes after the distress call was made, the bow of the ship was already partially submerged.
The authorities say that the 20-metre-long Baglietto yacht had most likely struck an object with its hull and then began taking on water.
Cabins had already flooded and all seven passengers had been safely evacuated on a life raft.
Cujo sank to a depth of 762 metres with around 7,000 litres of fuel on board.
The Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes said in a statement: “On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 12:30, the crew of the Antibes Nautibes Nautical Brigade were engaged following a distress call on the VHF network, on a yacht in trouble 35 kilometers off the coast of Beaulieu/Mer.
They responded to a “Serious and urgent situation with at the engine level. The 19-foot boat has 7 people on board.
“After 45 minutes of navigation, the BNC arrives at the site where a sailboat was already present. The distressed yacht was already starting to sink from the front and the 7 shipwrecked are just next to it in a life raft.
“The cabins of the yacht were already flooded, only a few suitcases located in the kitchen and on the deck could be retrieved by the gendarmes.
“The BNC remains in the area, in conjunction with CROSSMED to monitor visible surface pollution, as the yacht sank with nearly 7,000 liters of diesel in its tanks."
The yacht was originally owned by John von Neumann, who brought the Porsche brand to the United States, and after being mothballed following Diana and Dodi's deaths it was briefly owned by an arms dealer.
