A Look Back
By Fred Miller
Since 1898, Ocean City lifeguards have been trained to repond immediately to emergencies on the beach or in the ocean. They never know when their skills and experience will be needed to save a life.
Most rescues are standard, but some are unusual.
Fifty years ago, Saturday afternoon, August 18 the busy 8th Street beach. “Tow plane belly flops into surf” was the headline, 1973, the most spectacular rescue of the summer occurred and was on the front page of the Ocean City newspaper. The article reported how fast action by the 8th Street lifeguards, Joe Grimes and Fred Miller, saved the life of a pilot whose banner-towing plane crashed into the ocean about 100 yards from their lifeguard stand.
As the plane hit the water Grimes and Miller were rowing to the scene in their lifeboat. Reaching the plane within seconds of the accident, Grimes dove into the water and helped the pilot out of the sinking plane and into the lifeboat.
It was an unusual rescue, but the lifeguards training saved the day.
