Green Oceans, a Rhode Island-based organization, claims to have discovered the wreckage of the fishing boat F/V Mistress off Block Island, potentially solving a mystery from January 1, 2019, when two fishermen died. The wreck was found approximately 92 feet underwater near a wind turbine at the Block Island Wind Farm. Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans, says his team identified key features like a unique net drum to confirm it is indeed the F/V Mistress. They also reported finding "apparent human remains" at the site and suggest an avoidance maneuver may have caused the sinking. Lombardi calls for federal authorities to reopen the investigation to clarify what happened in the final moments of the boat's voyage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
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Story summary
Green Oceans, an environmental organization in Rhode Island, believes it has found the wreckage of the fishing boat F/V Mistress off Block Island, potentially solving a seven-year-old mystery. The vessel sank on January 1, 2019, leading to the deaths of two fishermen. Despite extensive searches by the U.S. Coast Guard at that time, no wreckage was found until now.
The F/V Mistress was discovered approximately 92 feet underwater and is located just 50 feet from a wind turbine base at the Block Island Wind Farm. According to Green Oceans president Michael Lombardi, their search began after receiving tips from contractors who had worked near turbine No. 1. One contractor heard rumors of wreckage nearby while another claimed to have seen it during survey work.
Green Oceans reported finding "apparent human remains" at the site where they believe the F/V Mistress sank. This discovery could provide closure for families and help investigators understand what led to the tragic sinking nearly a decade ago.
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An organization believes it has found the wreckage of a fishing boat that sank over seven years ago — potentially solving a mystery surrounding the deaths of two fishermen.
asserted
that → believe → fishermen
Green Oceans, a Rhode Island-based environmental organization, announced the discovery of what it believes is the F/V Mistress in the waters off Block Island in September.
asserted
it → base → September
The vessel sank Jan. 1, 2019, according to the organization.
uncertain
vessel → sink → organization
Two fishermen died in the incident, and the U.S. Coast Guard searched for the vessel following the sinking but never located the wreckage.
asserted
Guard → die → wreckage
The F/V Mistress was discovered approximately 92 feet underwater, just 50 feet from the base of a wind turbine at the Block Island Wind Farm, according to Green Oceans.
uncertain
Mistress → discover → Oceans
The organization reported that "apparent human remains" were also found at the site.
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remains → report → site
Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans, told Fox News Digital his organization began searching for the vessel after receiving tips from two contractors who had previously worked near turbine No. 1 at the Block Island Wind Farm.
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who → tell → Farm
One contractor reported hearing rumors of underwater wreckage — while another claimed to have personally spotted wreckage while conducting survey work at the site.
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another → report → site
Lombardi said he later reviewed the Coast Guard's original accident report and plotted GPS coordinates associated with distress calls and other key details, which pointed investigators toward the turbine.
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which → say → turbine
"Once plotted on a map, it became obvious where the search area should be focused, and it coincided perfectly with turbine 1," Lombardi said.
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Lombardi → plot → turbine
When asked by Fox News Digital how confident he was that the wreck was the F/V Mistress, Lombardi replied, "100%."
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Lombardi → ask → %
He added, "The dive team studied images of the vessel prior to diving the site, and were focused on finding key identifying features. …
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team → add → features
It has several unique features."
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It → have → features
Tim Diaz, who survived the sinking, confirmed that the net drum belonged to the Mistress, according to Lombardi.
Diaz built the equipment himself.
uncertain
Diaz → survive → equipment
The mystery isn't over — and Lombardi said there is still some "uncertainty" about what happened in the vessel's final moments, though he said it was undoubtedly in distress.
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it → say → distress
"Based on the orientation of the wreckage on the bottom, there is reason to investigate whether an avoidance maneuver to starboard was made in an attempt to avoid a collision with the turbine," he said.
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he → base → turbine
"With the hull full of water, this maneuver could have ultimately caused the vessel to roll and then sink."
uncertain
vessel → cause → water
Lombardi said he hopes federal authorities will reopen the investigation to determine whether the two fishermen who died remain within the wreckage or were swept out to sea, and whether such a maneuver contributed to the sinking.
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maneuver → say → sinking
"The USCG and all agencies involved do tremendous work to protect mariners out on the water," Lombardi said, adding that he hopes the discovery will help answer lingering questions about the tragedy.
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discovery → involve → tragedy
As Green Oceans focuses on the environmental and maritime safety impacts of offshore wind development, Lombardi said the discovery could have implications for future permitting decisions.
uncertain
discovery → focus → decisions
"Had this accident been fully investigated in 2019, while having the vessel wreckage, the offshore wind permitting landscape would have been quite different with regard to safety considerations along the continental shelf," he said.
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he → investigate → shelf
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