Unknown to him, the Coast Guard became confused about the on-and-off distress call .

CNN: Shipwreck survivor recounts drama on high seas

The cruise ship Orion was on its way back from the Antarctic when it answered the distress call, making a 50-hour diversion to pick him up.

BBC: Orion cruise liner

With the Black Hawk pitched at a forty-five-degree angle astride the wall, the crew sent a distress call to the idling Chinooks.

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