US Coast Guard Rescue Two Men Missing for Hours in Gulf of Mexico

The US Coast Guard rescued two men in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, July 23, after they had been missing for hours. Karl Shram and Chris Bergeron, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, were rescued 125 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. Shram was treated for dehydration after the rescue.

The two men sent a distress call via a satellite phone at about 10:30 am and told the Coast Guard their boat was sinking quickly and planned to swim to a nearby oil rig, the Coast Guard said in a press release. After several hours, the two men were able to contact family via the satellite phone and set off a satellite-based distress beacon, which helped direct the guardsmen to their location at 6:28 pm.

A helicopter crew dropped a a rescue swimmer to help the men dewater the sinking boat, and the guardsman stayed with the men until a Coast Guard boat arrived at 7:15 pm. Bergeron stayed with the board while Shram was taken to be treated for dehydration. Bergeron and the guardsmen were able to get the flooding under control. The boat was escorted by the US Coast Guard toward Cameron, Louisiana. Credit: US Coast Guard