A wreck believed to be the F/V Mistress, a commercial vessel that sank off Rhode Island in 2019 with two fishermen lost, has been located near the Block Island Wind Farm, according to nonprofit Green Oceans.
The organization said a team of scientific divers documented the wreck Aug. 30 in about 92 feet of water and about 50 feet from the base of the wind farm’s turbine No. 1. Green Oceans said divers photographed multiple features consistent with the Mistress, including its propeller and shaft, fuel tanks, net drum, deck hatch, and processing equipment. The organization compared those features with images of the vessel contained in the U.S. Coast Guard’s original investigation.
The vessel’s identity has not yet been officially confirmed by authorities.
The Mistress sank Jan. 1, 2019, near Block Island. Two fishermen were lost in the accident, while the captain’s son was rescued from a life raft by another commercial fishing vessel.
The Coast Guard conducted a multiagency search but was unable to locate the vessel’s hull. The wreck was subsequently recorded as lost, and the investigation was closed.
Green Oceans said records from the original search describe challenging conditions for rescuers. Coast Guard records state that a helicopter responding to the Mayday calls was unable to conduct sector or parallel searches and returned after approximately 37 minutes. The records cited high winds, limited visibility, a low ceiling, and proximity to wind turbines among the hazards affecting the response.
More than seven years later, the organization assembled a multidisciplinary team of marine professionals to search for the wreck. Side-scan sonar conducted July 27 identified a potential wreck site, followed by the Aug. 30 dive.
Green Oceans said apparent human remains were also observed at the site.
The organization has submitted sonar imagery, underwater photographs and other documentation to the Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board, Rhode Island officials and other authorities. It is asking the U.S. Department of the Interior to coordinate an interagency review and for the Coast Guard to reopen its marine casualty investigation.
“We hope this discovery provides answers and some measure of closure for the fishermen’s families,” Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans said. “We have provided the new evidence to federal authorities and requested that the wreck site be secured immediately for an appropriate forensic analysis.”
The group is also asking federal authorities to examine whether the wreck’s location raises new questions about navigation and search-and-rescue operations around offshore wind infrastructure. They pointed to Coast Guard records from the 2019 response and argued that the newly identified wreck site warrants further examination of how turbines could affect visibility, radar navigation, vessel maneuverability, and emergency access during poor weather.
Green Oceans also called for operations and maintenance activity near the Block Island Wind Farm to be suspended while authorities evaluate the evidence and determine whether to reopen the investigation.
The organization said the review should examine the original search-and-rescue response as well as broader navigation-safety findings associated with federal offshore wind approvals.
Final identification of the wreck and any determination about whether the nearby wind turbine played a role in the sinking, search, or rescue response would need to come from the appropriate investigating authorities.
