Texas A&M Training Ship Rescues Three People Adrift at Sea

Texas A&M Maritime Academy's training ship came to the aid of a small vessel disabled and in distress drifting in the central Gulf of Mexico.

While traveling from Texas to Florida aboard TS Kennedy, cadets William Flores and Kai Ethridge spotted the stricken vessel near daybreak during their morning watch.

“Shortly after sunrise, a small black object was spotted in the distance. Maintaining a close watch, I could see the shape of a small vessel through my binoculars as we got closer,” Ethridge said. “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 cadets reported the sighting to the captain, who began to work with the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate rescue protocols. Professional ship crew members brought three individuals aboard who had been adrift for 15 days. The three were treated medically and transferred to the Coast Guard on Sunday to be reunited with their families.

“I’ve had 20-plus years at sea, and I’ve only experienced one other incident such as this,” said Capt. Wade Howell, master of TS Kennedy. “Cadets notified me they had sighted a small vessel in the water. 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.”

The incident occurred during the academy’s annual summer sea semester onboard the 540-foot TS Kennedy, a key learning component for students enrolled in Texas A&M degree programs that combine academic study in marine transportation, engineering biology and science with Coast Guard License training.

The 171 student cadets onboard are applying classroom learning to real-world environments through daily training in navigation, engineering, maintenance, safety and security while attending classes.

“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 okay in the end.”

The nearly 300 Texas A&M student cadets, faculty and crew onboard have resumed their route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the first port stop of the semester.