Shipwreck and Apparent Human Remains Found Seven Years After Rhode Island Fishing Boat Sinking

A commercial fishing vessel that disappeared off Rhode Island on New Year’s Day 2019, carrying three men, has likely been found, according to Green Oceans, a nonprofit focused on ocean protection. Investigators also recovered human remains believed to be those of one of the two fishermen who died in the wreck.

The 52-foot F/V Mistress issued a distress call shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2019. On board were Captain Oscar Diaz, his son Tim Diaz and his nephew John Ansay. The crew reported encountering severe weather near Block Island and taking on water, local media reported. A nearby fishing vessel responded and rescued Tim Diaz.

Oscar Diaz and John Ansay were never found, even after search efforts covered more than 2,150 nautical miles and included a Coast Guard investigation. The vessel itself also remained missing—until this week.

Green Oceans sponsored a new effort to locate the wreck. In July, sonar detected a possible wreck roughly 92 feet below the surface. Divers examined the site on Aug. 30 and recorded multiple features consistent with descriptions of the F/V Mistress, the organization said in a news release.

Divers also discovered a set of human remains, Green Oceans said.

The wreck’s location and physical characteristics have led Green Oceans to conclude that it is likely the F/V Mistress. However, the organization said additional analysis is needed before the identification can be confirmed.

Green Oceans has asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to launch an interagency investigation of the wreck and to reopen the Coast Guard’s earlier inquiry.

The nonprofit is also seeking a federal review of whether the Block Island wind farm contributed to the sinking or affected efforts to rescue Oscar Diaz and John Ansay.

Green Oceans said the wreck lies approximately 50 feet from a turbine at the Block Island Wind Farm. The facility, which began operating in 2016, was the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Its 600-foot turbines are projected to produce enough electricity to serve about 17,000 homes.

Dozens of studies examining the facility’s effects on wildlife and marine traffic have been conducted, with findings that generally describe the wind farm as safe. Federal project approvals characterized its effect on navigation safety as minimal.

Records from the Coast Guard, cited by Green Oceans, identify high winds, poor visibility and the vessel’s proximity to the turbines as factors that caused a helicopter to abandon its search and turn back. The nonprofit is calling on the government to examine the rescue operation and release information about maintenance and monitoring at the turbine since the 2019 sinking.

“We hope this discovery provides answers and some measure of closure for the fishermen’s families,” Michael Lombardi, president of Green Oceans, said in the news release. “We have provided the new evidence to federal authorities and requested that the wreck site be secured immediately for an appropriate forensic analysis.”