A seven-year-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of the F/V Mistress and the deaths of two fishermen may finally be solved after environmental organization Green Oceans announced the discovery of what they are “100%” confident is the lost fishing vessel’s wreckage, located just 50 feet from the base of a wind turbine off Block Island. The U.S. Coast Guard had searched for the boat after it sank on January 1, 2019, but the wreckage remained elusive until Green Oceans, acting on tips from contractors working near turbine No. 1 at the Block Island Wind Farm, focused their search on the area. The organization’s president, Michael Lombardi, identified a distinctive net drum on the wreckage, a feature confirmed by a survivor of the sinking as belonging to the Mistress. The vessel was found at a depth of 92 feet, and alarmingly, “apparent human remains” were also discovered at the site, raising the possibility that the fishermen’s remains may still be within the wreckage. Lombardi suggests that the wreckage’s orientation indicates a possible avoidance maneuver towards the turbine in the vessel’s final moments, which could have led to a roll and sinking. This discovery has significant implications, potentially prompting federal authorities to reopen the investigation into the fishermen’s deaths and to re-evaluate safety considerations in offshore wind development.
Adapted from: Travel News Today on Fox News
