Sunken 2019 Fishing Boat Found Near Block Island Wind Turbine Sparks New Questions

The wreckage of a Point Judith-based fishing vessel that sank in 2019 has been discovered in about 92 feet of water, roughly 50 feet from the base of turbine No. 1 at the Block Island Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast.

The location raises questions about whether the vessel may have sunk while attempting to avoid a collision with the turbine base.

The F/V Mistress, a 52-foot wooden trawler, sank in rough conditions in the early morning hours of January 1, 2019, after radioing that it was taking on water. The Mistress had a crew of three; only one survived.

The ship's captain, Oscar Diaz, and his nephew, deckhand John Ansay Jr., were lost, but Diaz's son Tim Diaz was rescued from a life raft by the crew of the commercial fishing vessel F/V Captain Bligh.

Get our free mobile app

Side-Scan Sonar Uncovers F/V Mistress Wreckage Near Turbine 1

According to National Fisherman, a "multidisciplinary team of marine professionals" from the nonprofit Green Oceans discovered the remains of the vessel in July 2026 using side-scan sonar.

Did Rhode Island Fishing Boat Sink While Avoiding Offshore Wind Turbine?

Green Oceans, a staunch opponent of offshore wind off the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coasts, believes there could be a link between the sinking and the Block Island Wind Farm.

Green Oceans Claims Avoidance Maneuver Led to Sinking

Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans, told Fox News Digital, "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."

"With the hull full of water, this maneuver could have ultimately caused the vessel to roll and then sink," Lombardi said.

Demands for Federal Authorities to Reopen Coast Guard Investigation

Green Oceans has criticized the Coast Guard's investigation, which reached no conclusions about the sinking, and has asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to reopen the probe.

Green Oceans stated, "This new discovery raises the question whether rescuers can aid a vessel in distress near offshore wind turbines in challenging, although routinely encountered conditions off the Northeast coast."