George O. Olson (1943/07/18)

Olson's relationship with Santa Cruz County was minimal. He is included in this book edition because of his listing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel May 31, 1945, Honor Roll.

Information regarding George Olson's family, birth and early life have not been located; however, it is believed that he was born about 1911. He entered the US Coast Guard Academy and graduated in 1933. Olson completed flight training in July 1937 and was classified as the fifty-third licensed Coast Guard aircraft pilot.

He was married and resided in Santa Cruz with his wife and twelve year old stepson Gerry until his death.

Lt. Commander George O. Olson and Lt. (jg) Joseph D. Sosbee were killed in Alaska when the plane in which they were flying through fog struck a mountainside The plane, with a combined crew of eight Coast Guard and Coast and Geodetic Survey personnel, left San Francisco aboard a PBY 5A Catalina bound for Alaska on a survey mission. The plane had been modified to accommodate a special nine lens aerial mapping camera developed by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. On Sunday morning July 18, 1943, while flying through fog, the aircraft hit Mount Moffett near Adak, Alaska, and all aboard were killed. The disposition of his remains, if recovered, is unknown.

(SCSn July 21, 1943 1:6; Check-Six.Com US Coast Guard Aircraft Accidents, http://www.check-six.com/lib/Coast_Guard_Aviation_ Casualties.htm#1940, [16 September, 2008])

Creator: Nelson, Robert L.
Source: Remembering our own: the Santa Cruz County military roll of honor 1861-2010. Santa Cruz, CA: The Museum of Art & History, c2010.
Date: Undated
Type: OBIT
Coverage: 1940s
Rights: Reproduced by permission of Robert L. Nelson and The Museum of Art and History.
Identifier: RO-OLSON

Citation

Nelson, Robert L. “George O. Olson (1943/07/18).” Remembering our own: the Santa Cruz County military roll of honor 1861-2010. Santa Cruz, CA: The Museum of Art & History, c2010. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/4406. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.