A shrimper stranded off the coast of Tampa, Florida, during Hurricane Irma was rescued last week.
The shrimp boat captain, Edward Potter, was rescued by a Carnival Cruise Line ship but his first mate, Carl Sheperd, did not survive.
"They were getting water in the engine room and Edward was working on the engine room…We talked to Carl on the phone and then we couldn't get in touch with him anymore," Rick Shalansky, a friend of the shrimpers, told ABC Local 10 in Tampa.
Potter made it from the 75-foot boat into a life boat, but Sheperd did not.
"Carl Sheperd was the best man ever," Potter told the news station. "Best man, best friend, and I can't say any more than that right now, but I loved that man."
A few hours later, a Carnival ship received a distress call and rescued Potter.
"We are extremely proud of Captain Gaetano Gigliotti and the Carnival Elation team for their exemplary and life-saving actions in this very challenging situation," Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said.
