Chilling Clues in 7-Year Fishing Boat Mystery After Wreck Found on Island

Green Oceans of Rhode Island says it has found the wreckage of the F/V Mistress 50 feet from a Block Island wind farm turbine, raising questions about the 2019 sinking.

Treasure hunter hunts for coins to find massive shipwreck, now looking at 19 new targets.

An organization believes it has found the wreckage of a fishing boat that sank more than seven years ago - possibly solving the mystery surrounding the deaths of two fishermen.

Green Oceans, a Rhode Island-based environmental organization, announced the discovery of what it believed to be the F/V Mistress in Block Island waters in September.

According to the organization, the ship sank on January 1, 2019.

A 118-year-old mystery was broken when divers discovered a missing warship beneath the waves.

Two fishermen died in the incident, and the US Coast Guard searched for the ship after it sank but never found the wreckage.

According to Green Oceans, 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.

Green Oceans has reported the discovery of the fishing boat F/V Mistress, which disappeared more than seven years ago. (green oceans)

"Apparently human remains" were also found at the site, the agency reported.

One contractor reported hearing rumors of underwater wreckage - while another claimed to have personally seen the wreckage while conducting survey work on site.

A newly married young man was killed when a boat collided with a water taxi and drowned in the lagoon of Venice

Lombardi said he later reviewed the Coast Guard's original incident report and mapped the GPS coordinates of the distress calls and other key details that led investigators to the turbine.

"Once the map was drawn, it became clear where the search area should be focused and it coincided perfectly with Turbine 1," Lombardi said.

The F/V Mistress, seen above, sank on January 1, 2019 — prompting a Coast Guard search that failed to locate the wreck. (green oceans)

He added: "The dive team studied images of the ship prior to the on-site dive and focused on finding key identifying features... One of the most notable was the net drum. It has several unique features."

According to Lombardi, Tim Diaz, who survived the drowning, confirmed that the lace drum belonged to Mistress.

The mystery isn't over — and Lombardi said there was still "mystery" about what happened in the ship's final moments, though he said she was undoubtedly in distress.

A wreck believed to be the F/V Mistress, seen above right, was discovered just 50 feet from the base of an offshore wind turbine, shown left. (green oceans)

"Based on the orientation of the wreckage below, there is reason to consider whether an evasive maneuver to the right was made in an attempt to avoid hitting the turbine," he said.

With the hull full of water, this maneuver could eventually cause the ship to capsize and then sink.

Lombardi said he hopes federal authorities will reopen the investigation to determine whether the two were fishermen or whether the victims remained in the wreckage or were dragged out to sea, and whether such a maneuver contributed to the sinking.

Test yourself with our latest lifestyle quiz

"The USCG and all the agencies involved do a fantastic job protecting mariners on the water," Lombardi said. He added that he hoped the discovery would help answer lingering questions about the tragedy.

Green Oceans hopes federal authorities will reopen their investigation into the F/V Mistress after a suspicious wreck was discovered near an offshore wind turbine. (green oceans)

As Green Ocean focuses on the environmental and marine safety impacts of offshore wind development, Lombardi said the discovery could have implications for future permitting decisions.

"Had this incident been fully investigated in 2019, while the wreck was still there, the outlook for allowing offshore wind would have been quite different given the safety considerations along the continental shelf," he said.

A look at the top stories in food, relationships, the outdoors and more.