If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Huntingdon
Last Address Operation HIGHJUMP His body was not recovered but left at the crash site.
Date of Passing Dec 30, 1946
Location of Interment Buried at Sea, Antarctic Ocean
AMM1 Frederick Warren WILLIAMS
(PBM-5) George 1/Operation Highjump
Buried at the Bottom of the World
On December 30, 1946, a Martin Mariner PBM "flying boat" (GEORGE 1) with a crew of nine rose from the Antarctic sea on an exploratory flight to the Antarctic continent in the vicinity of Ellsworth Land. As a participant in the Antarctic Developments Project 1946-47, code-named OPERATION HIGHJUMP, they were part of a three-pronged attack to photograph and map the Antarctic coastline and certain inland areas. As they lifted from the water at 2:44 a.m., the USS PINE ISLAND, to which they were attached, slowly disappeared behind them as they flew due south on their mission. Approximately four hours later, the Ice would claim it's first American lives. Six men would live to return from that flight. AMM1 Williams was killed in the line of duty. His body was not recovered but left with the other two bodies at the crash site.
PBM-5 (George I) Crash:
Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez, USN, USS Pine Island 30 Dec 1946
ARM1 Wendell K. Henderson, USS Pine Island 30 Dec 1946
AMM1 Frederick W. Williams, USS Pine Island 30 Dec 1946
The Commanding Officer of USS Pine Island was aboard and survived the crash. The other survivors were medevac'd home but the CO had to stay and finish the operation. Frederick died two hours after the crash.
Henderson and Williams were posthumously awarded the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
Other Comments:
An Adventuresome Young Man Joins the US NAVY...
Frederick Warren Williams was born on December 19th, 1920 in Huntingdon, Tennessee. The proud parents were Mr. and Mrs. James Williams. He had one brother and two sisters.
Fred attended Clarksburg High School, near Huntingdon. Known as a fearsome and adventurous young man, Fred was 20 years old when he entered the US Navy in 1940. During WWII he fought many fierce battles in the Pacific theatre and was seriously wounded in the battle of the Marshall Islands. Fred would complete six years of service with the navy and in July, 1946, he re-enlisted for another two years. While home that July on a 75-day furlough, Fred shared his enthusiasm over the prospects of being on the Byrd Expedition.
(son) Frederick 'Captain' Warren Williams Jr.
Date
Aug 14, 2007
Last Updated: Aug 31, 2012
Comments
Frederick 'Captain' Warren Williams Jr.
August 14, 2007
HARDYVILLE VA, Frederick "Captain" Warren Williams, Jr., 65, of Hardyville, Va., formerly of Richmond, died peacefully at home in the loving arms of his family after a courageous battle with cancer, Saturday, August 11, 2007. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Warren was born December 5, 1941 to the late Frederick W. Williams and "Topsy" Williams in Franklin, Va., where he grew up and graduated high school. From 1968-1983 he was an internal auditor for Reynolds Metals Company in Richmond where he was also the Director of Internal Auditing from 1983-2000. He and his beloved wife, Susan, retired to Hardyville, Va. in 1997 to fulfill their passions in life which included family, friends and their love of sailing.
Warren was known among friends and family for his willingness to lend a hand, for his constant wittiness and sense of humor, and for his undying devotion to family. Warren is survived by his wife of 42 years, Susan Forrer Williams; his daughters, Kendy Wood and her husband, Larry, of Williamsburg, Tener Rogers and her husband, Ben, of Ketchum, Idaho, and Lisa Taylor and her husband, Brian, of Richmond; a sister, Becky Frank and her husband, George, of Fayetteville, N.C.; his brothers-in- law, John Forrer and wife, Joan of Saluda, and David Forrer and wife, Patsy, of Harrisonburg; grandchildren he adored, Lauren, Davis, and Madison Wood, Mason and Ellis Rogers, Riley and Dylan Taylor; three nieces, Jackie and Joanna Forrer and Rebecca Bugnar; one nephew, Greg Frank. Warren will live on forever in the hearts of the many lives he touched. A Memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, August 16, 2007 at Urbanna United Methodist Church, 221 Marston Avenue, Urbanna, Va., In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Autism Speaks, 2 Park Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY, 10016 in honor of Warren's granddaughter, Riley Taylor.
