Trio stranded at sea for 15 days spotted by Texas university students, school says
The training of 171 Texas A&M student cadets was put to the test when a trio stranded at sea needed their help.
Cadets William Flores and Kai Ethridge were aboard the TS Kennedy watching the waters in the early hours of June 8 when they spotted a “small black object” in the distance, according to a news release from Texas A&M.
“Maintaining a close watch, I could see the shape of a small vessel through my binoculars as we got closer,” Ethridge said in the news release. “We passed the vessel on our starboard side, and all of a sudden, three heads popped out of the small craft and started waving.”
The waving trio had been stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for 15 days, the university said.
The students alerted their captain, who then stepped in to lead the rescue.
“We initiated protocol to investigate and realized they were signaling distress. In coordination with the Coast Guard, we brought them aboard safely and got them care,” Capt. Wade Howell said in the June 9 news release.
The three people were brought onto the 540-foot training ship of nearly 300 students, faculty and crew and received medical care before they were transferred to the Coast Guard to be reunited with their families, according to the school.
The students received “first-hand training” unexpectedly during the first leg of their “Summer Sea Term” as they traveled from Texas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the school said.
“Being a part of something like this was an amazing experience,” Flores said. “The actions of the captain and crew definitely saved the lives onboard. Everyone on the bridge has learned a lot, and now we will know what to do if we ever encounter a situation like this. Things could have gone a lot worse for all parties, but everything turned out OK in the end.”
The students onboard are studying marine transportation, engineering biology and science, according to the university.
Texas A&M is in College Station, which is about a 95-mile drive northwest of Houston.
This story was originally published June 12, 2024 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Trio stranded at sea for 15 days spotted by Texas university students, school says."
