The George 1 Repatriation Mission

The George 1 Repatriation Mission is committed to the recovery and repatriation of the remains of the three young servicemen who died when their U.S. Navy seaplane — George 1 — crashed in Antarctica on December 30, 1946:

• Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, USNR, 20
  Newport, Rhode Island
• Aviation Radioman Wendell K. Hendersin, USN, 25
  Sparta, Wisconsin
• Aviation Machinist Mate Frederick W. Williams, USN, 26
  Huntingdon, Tennessee

On January 5, 1947, weather finally permitted the survivors to bury Max Lopez, Bud Hendersin, and Fred Williams in what they assumed would be temporary graves under George 1’s starboard wing.

The George 1 Crash Site

George 1 was part of Admiral Richard Byrd's Operation Highjump expedition to the Antarctic. It crashed at 900 feet above sea level on the Noville Peninsula in Antarctica — at latitude 71° 33’ south, longitude 98° 45’ west.

The survivors were rescued by their U.S. Navy shipmates on January 12, 1947, but the remains of the three men who died are still in Antarctica, currently about 150 feet below the surface of the ice.

Now that appropriate technology is available, an experienced polar recovery team is preparing to return the remains of Max Lopez, Bud Hendersin, and Fred Williams to their families — who have never forgotten them, and who still care very much — for burial in the United States.

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