# Mystery structure on Rhode Island beach **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384 "2017-09-03T03:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/1 "2017-09-03T03:36:37Z")
[Even after bringing it to shore, people have no idea what it is.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/westerly-rhode-island-mysterious-object_us_59a9aa0ce4b0354e440a50bf?ncid=edlinkushpmg00000313) > [@](#): > > People first noticed the object ― which looks a little like a giant metal starfish with eight legs ― several weeks ago. It was embedded in the sand about six feet underwater. After hauling it up, one person said: > [@](#): > > “Well, it’s not that mysterious. It’s been here forever, you know,” Carini told WFSB-TV. “It’s been marked by a buoy for the past several years. It’s a big piece of concrete and metal that they used, probably as a buoy, for rescue rafts when there were shipwrecks here back when.” OK. Sounds reasonable. But there’s that ‘probably’. What’s the definitive answer? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/2 "2017-09-03T03:59:51Z")
I’m more concerned by the word “buoy” than the word “probable;” since it’s made of metal and concrete, I’d say it’s more likely to be an anchor of some sort, within the context of what the guy was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/3 "2017-09-03T04:18:08Z")
Did they dig up the concrete? I only saw the metal structure. I looked up stuff online and it almost looks like the the _underside_ of a floating buoy. Assuming there actually is no concrete. As for attaching a water craft in some way to it, it looks rather weak unless for very small boats. I’m going with a submergible, portable buoy mount, that had a floating buoy attached to it. Kind of like when you go to a lake and people have an anchored buoy to let the people with pleasure craft know they are too close to the dock or floor. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/4 "2017-09-03T04:34:24Z")
So they took the remains to an, “undisclosed location”.:eek: \ Only a crude, poorly rendered photo remains! Some of the original discoverers have already gone missing. Others have reported mysterious diseases and the sound of helicopters in the night. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/5 "2017-09-03T10:53:54Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > … since it’s made of metal and concrete, I’d say it’s more likely to be an anchor of some sort, … I’m surprised that there was no body attache to it. Like a former mayor or governor.:eek:😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/6 "2017-09-03T11:31:54Z")
Wouldn’t it be funny, if it turned out to be some kind of Naval Mine, & they wound-up pick the moon outta their ears? Not funny, but still… ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/7 "2017-09-03T12:27:19Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > I’m surprised that there was no body attache to it. Like a former mayor or governor.:eek:😛 Jimmy Hoffa? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/8 "2017-09-03T13:11:21Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > So they took the remains to an, “undisclosed location”.:eek: \ They have top men working on it right now. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/9 "2017-09-03T13:14:34Z")
Great way to do archaeology - with a JCB…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/10 "2017-09-03T13:16:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > They have top men working on it right now. Who? ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/11 "2017-09-03T13:32:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Who? Top. Men. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/12 "2017-09-03T13:39:34Z")
Oh man! I’ve been wondering where I left that thing. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/13 "2017-09-03T13:42:33Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > So they took the remains to an, “undisclosed location”.:eek: \ The actual quote is far more damning > [@some naive reporter](#): > > After the excavation, workers loaded the pieces onto a truck and took them to an undisclosed location, presumably for further examination. They already know what is. Only fools believe that “further examination” is necessary. The reporter didn’t even question who the “workers” were and who they work for. > [@](#): > > It may be a while before the public discovers what the object really is. Anyone holding their breath? _DUN DUN DUN_ indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/14 "2017-09-03T14:15:18Z")
[Here](http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/10706515-154/east-beach-association-experts-puzzled-over-mysterious-metal-and-concrete-object-just.html) are some close up underwater pics, which, oddly enough, don’t really look anything like what they [excavated](http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/topnews/10795634-154/mystery-objects-removal-from-the-sands-off-east-beach-creates.html). I’m still stumped as to what the object even looks like. This thing is in knee deep water and nobody has any better photos? I should send my 11 year old daughter up there. She takes better photos with her iphone in a waterproof bag. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/15 "2017-09-03T14:42:41Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > I’m surprised that there was no body attache to it. Like a former mayor or governor.:eek:😛 Are you insinuated there are mob influences in Rhode Island? Well, I’m shocked, SHOCKED!!! Damn, we used to go to the beach right near there (Watch Hill) all the time when I lived in Rhode Island. But that was decades ago. For those not familiar with the area, Westerly is a little town on the CT border, and the local paper isn’t exactly the New York Times or The Boston Globe. It’s not even The Providence Journal, so I would’t put much stock in the “air of mystery” tone. I think you see that in a lot of local rags. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/16 "2017-09-03T17:13:51Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > [Here](http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/10706515-154/east-beach-association-experts-puzzled-over-mysterious-metal-and-concrete-object-just.html) are some close up underwater pics, which, oddly enough, don’t really look anything like what they [excavated](http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/topnews/10795634-154/mystery-objects-removal-from-the-sands-off-east-beach-creates.html). > > I’m still stumped as to what the object even looks like. This thing is in knee deep water and nobody has any better photos? I should send my 11 year old daughter up there. She takes better photos with her iphone in a waterproof bag. They probably left the original object down there and will retrieve it with stealth under cover of darkness. The doo-dad on the beach was just to satisfy the rubberneckers and curious. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/17 "2017-09-03T17:53:50Z")
It’s obviously the thing that the aliens use to make crop circles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/18 "2017-09-03T18:03:51Z")
I was hoping that the vast brain trust that is SDMB would contain someone familiar with the structure. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/19 "2017-09-03T20:51:53Z")
More realistic. Images of ocean buoys. Take your pick based on the crappy news photo. [http://tinyurl.com/yab24pvs](http://tinyurl.com/yab24pvs) ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384/20 "2017-09-03T23:50:50Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > The actual quote is far more damningThey already know what is. Only fools believe that “further examination” is necessary. > > The reporter didn’t even question who the “workers” were and who they work for. > Anyone holding their breath? > > _DUN DUN DUN_ indeed. "A former NASA/FBI/CIA contractor (sandwich delivery boy), knows exactly what this object is and why the government wants to keep it a secret. He has been silenced for years, but is now bravely prepared to tell his story (for money). All will be revealed in an upcoming 2-hour special consisting of grainy pixelated photographs, unsubstantiated rumors, big sciency-sounding words, and a portentous voiceover". [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-structure-on-rhode-island-beach/795384.md?page=2)