Operation Highjump and the crash of the George One, 1946 (Episode 13)

Add some ice to your drink and travel with us to Antarctica! This week we're talking about the US Navy's 1946 Operation Highjump, which sought to map Antarctica under the command of Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. We'll discuss the mission, the technology, the major players, and the horrific crash of the George One, a seaplane caught in 'the worst weather on planet Earth'. Three of the crew died on impact; we'll deep-dive into the story of the six survivors, and how they were rescued after two well-below-freezing weeks on a remote glacier. 

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Sources!

Most of the research for this episode comes from: 

“Antarctic Mayday: The Crash of the George One” by J H Robbins, 1981 (https://www.south-pole.com/p0000153.htm)

“Where Hell Freezes Over”, by D Kearns, 2005

“The Secret Land” US Navy documentary directed by O O Dull, 1948 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9chz8COYVc)

Other sources include:

“A Very Able Mariner” by N Polmar, Naval History Magazine, 2007 (https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2007/december/historic-aircraft)

“1946 – Operation High Jump”, by staff writer, Coast Guard Aviation History website, retrieved 2021 (https://cgaviationhistory.org/1946-operation-high-jump)

“Operation Highjump”, by P Hoversten, Air & Space Magazine, 2007

(https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/operation-highjump-18223476/)

“Spell of the Yukon” by R W Service, from “The Best of Robert Service”, 1953 edition (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46643/the-spell-of-the-yukon)