Texas A&M students' training help rescue people stranded in the middle of the Gulf, university says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets are being credited with helping rescue people stranded in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a university spokesperson.

The academy left Galveston on Sunday, June 2, for an annual training semester for students enrolled in degree programs combined with U.S. Coast Guard license training.

The ship was heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when several cadets on watch spotted a small vessel with people signaling for distress.

"I've had 20 plus years at sea, and I've only had one other one of these," Captain Wade Howell said.

Howell radioed the lost ship in to the Coast Guard who told him he could launch a rescue boat, he said.

"We were the closest because we're kind of in the middle of no man's land in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico right now," he explained.

He said there were three Spanish speaking people on board, who told cadets they were stranded on the water for several days.

Howell explained that the ship is now rerouting to Key West, so the individuals can be handed over to U.S. Coast Guard Officials.