September 12, 2008
22 on lame ship OK after worst of Ike roars by
The Associated PressTwenty-two people are riding out Hurricane Ike aboard a crippled freighter in the Gulf of Mexico.
But the Coast Guard says the crew is OK Friday after the worst of the storm passed them.
The nearly 600-foot ship called the Antalina sent a distress call early Friday after it broke down in the hurricane's path.
Petty Officer Tom Atkeson said a tugboat was on its way to the ship Friday night and expected to reach it sometime the next day.
A Coast Guard rescue aircraft had tried to reach the ship earlier in the day but turned back because of storm conditions.
The ship is adrift about 170 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
Authorities have stayed in contact with the crew.