Coast Guard crews suspended their search for two missing fishermen near Block Island, Rhode Island Wednesday at approximately 5:13 p.m.

The two fishermen have been missing since their boat Mistress capsized and sank Tuesday morning.

The fishing boat Captain Bligh initially responded to the scene and rescued one fisherman from a lifeboat.

Crews searched for approximately 72 hours covering 2,152 square nautical miles.

The search included the following crews:

  • Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel
  • Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead
  • Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba
  • Coast Guard Cutter Albacore
  • Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews and HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crews
  • 45-foot response boat crews from Station Point Judith
  • 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crews from Station Menemsha

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...