Green Oceans announced it found what the organization believes is the wreckage of the fishing vessel F/V Mistress about 92 feet underwater, roughly 50 feet from the base of turbine 1 at the Block Island Wind Farm, and reported apparent human remains at the site.
The discovery was reported by Green Oceans, a Rhode Island-based environmental organization, which said the vessel sank Jan. 1, 2019. Two fishermen died in the incident and the U.S. Coast Guard searched for the vessel at the time but did not locate the wreckage, according to the organization.
Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans, told Fox News Digital that the organization began searching after tips from two contractors who had worked near turbine 1 and after plotting GPS coordinates from the Coast Guard’s original accident report. Lombardi told Fox News Digital he is “100%” confident the wreckage is the F/V Mistress and said divers identified the vessel by unique features on a net drum.
Lombardi said Tim Diaz, a survivor of the sinking, confirmed the net drum belonged to the Mistress and that Diaz built the equipment himself, according to Lombardi’s account to Fox News Digital.
Lombardi said there remains uncertainty about the vessel’s final moments. He suggested investigators should examine whether an avoidance maneuver to starboard to avoid the turbine could have led to the vessel rolling and sinking, and said he hopes federal authorities will reopen the investigation to determine whether the two fishermen remain within the wreckage or were swept out to sea.
Green Oceans, which focuses on environmental and maritime safety impacts of offshore wind, said the finding could have implications for future permitting decisions, the organization told Fox News Digital.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
