Robert Eugene Links saved Paul C. Grant from drowning, Santa Barbara, California, March 26, 1969. At a drilling platform in the Pacific Ocean five miles from shore, Links, 34, oil well driller, saw Grant, 55, cook, floating face down in the deep water as the current moved him away from the rig. Descending a ladder on the side of the rig, Links dived into the water and in swells 18 inches high swam 30 feet to Grant, who suddenly began flailing. Links avoided Grant’s attempts to grasp him. By the time he had managed to obtain a hold on Grant, they were 60 feet from the rig. While Links was towing him to the ladder, Grant attempted to break away; and occasionally they went under briefly. Links retained his hold and, despite the difficulty of swimming against the current, towed Grant to the ladder, where two other men aided him in climbing onto the rig.
50745 – 5698
50745-5698