Coast Guard, Air Force To Attempt Rescue Of Ship's Crew In Ike's Path

Aircraft have been dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to try to rescue 22 crewmen on a stalled freighter in the dangerous path of Hurricane Ike. Petty Officer Tom Atkeson says rescue swimmers were on board five Coast Guard and Air Force aircraft, including two helicopters, a Falcon jet and two Ospreys, expected to reach the ship by this afternoon. Twenty-two men were aboard the 584-foot freighter Antalina (an-tuh-LEE'-nuh), adrift about 90 miles southeast of Galveston.AntalinaThe Coast Guard early today received a radio call for help. Atkeson says the aircraft, including some with hoist operations, are based at Hurlburt Air Force Base near Pensacola, Florida, and Coast Guard units out of Mobile, Alabama. Atkeson says the rescued crewmen will be transported to either Houston or Corpus Christi, depending on fuel and weather. The freighter is registered out of Cyprus and owned by Perovo (puh-ROH'-voh) Shipping. The freighter's operator is TEO Shipping.