In 1946, America sent the largest expedition force to Antarctica in history. It began more than 42 years of U.S. Navy involvement in Antarctica. For six men aboard the George 1, a Martin Mariner Seaplane built for work in the Pacific, it would become a life or death struggle for survival. On December 30th, the George 1 crashed when it ran into a white-out, a snow storm that completely blinds the pilot. The survivors, many seriously wounded, began thirteen terrifying days on the ice huddled inside the tail section of the aircraft. It was an almost unbelievable mixture of courage, determination and ingenuity that allowed these six brave men to escape with their lives.