"Oh, I'm gonna be out of here looking for her, don't you worry about that. I just have to see you in good hands. You're HERE, and I have to focus on what's in front of me." Part of disaster relief. Focus on the here and now or you go crazy with worry.
"My brother's Air Force. Not stationed in Iraq, though. You tell your brother you were going on a nice, relaxing cruise while he was stuck spitting sand?" And look who ends up in a war zone dealing with shrapnel. Irony was alive and well.
Wait! focusing on the here and now evidently made you stupid beyond the moment as well. He reached into his jacket and withdrew his cell. He had Mol's number dialed with two touches. Nothing. Fuck. No signal. People all over the ship were likely trying to call for help. Hopefully the radios on the bridge still worked.