Block Island: Someone Shot and Sank Buoys: Coast Guard Says

NEWPORT, RI — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis discovered a buoy sunk in the water with bullet holes, Monday, near Block Island, Rhode Island, according to the Coast Guard. The buoy is an aid to navigation, This particular one, Buoy Number 7, was marking a rock three feet below the surface in an area which the Block Island Ferry regularly travels. Authorities are looking for information about the person or people responsible. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the North Shoreham Police Department at 401-466-3220 or the Coast Guard at 401-435-2351.

The Ida Lewis is a 175-foot buoy tender based in Newport, Rhode Island. The crew, which services more than 200 buoys annually in southeastern New England, was conducting regular aids-to-navigation maintenance when they approached Clay Head buoy number 7 and found it submerged. The crew raised the 12,000-pound buoy and found 20 bullet holes in it.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis observe a submerged buoy in the water off Block Island, Rhode Island on April 24, 2017. The Ida Lewis is a 175-foot buoy tender homeported in Newport, Rhode Island. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Patrick Morkis)

"Due to the extensive damage, this buoy was taken out of service for repairs," The Coast Guard said. "This aid to navigation marks a large rock three feet below the water's surface. Ferries transit this route frequently and provide critical supplies to Block Island. Buoy number 7 is supposed to be a key navigational tool for mariners and turned into a navigational hazard."

Worse, this is the second aid discovered with bullet holes within a week, the Coast Guard said.

"While it may be fun to use a buoy for target practice, it is a federal crime," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Timothy Chase, the U.S. Coast Guard officer in charge of aids-to-navigation in the vicinity of Block Island. "Buoy number 7 became a navigational hazard that could have easily been struck by a vessel and seriously injured or killed mariners."

Maximum penalties upon are up to 20 years of imprisonment and as much as $2,500 fine per day for each violation.

Cover Photo Caption: This photo shows a buoy pierced with bullet holes, Monday, April 24, 2017, off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island. The buoy was found by the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis and the penalty for damaging or tampering with Federal Aids to Navigation is up to 20 years of imprisonment and as much as $2,500 fine per day for each violation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Patrick Morkis)

The picture below shows how a buoy is supposed to look in the water.

The crew from Aids-to-Navigation Team Bristol is underway for buoy maintenance off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, Wednesday, April 19, 2017. ANT Bristol maintains the waterways from Westerly, Rhode Island to Westport, Massachusetts. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole J. Groll)