Benjamin Bottoms | |
|---|---|
 Benjamin Bottoms | |
| Born | November 1, 1913 Cumming, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 1942 (aged 29) |
| Occupation | Coast Guardsman |
| Known for | died during a rescue |
Benjamin Bottoms (November 1, 1913 – November 28, 1942) was a United States Coast Guardsman who died while attempting to rescue the crew of a USAAF bomber that had crashed-landed in Greenland in November 1942.[1] Bottoms was the radioman of the USCGC Northland's Grumman J2F-4 Duck floatplane. When a B-17 bomber crash landed near Northland his aircraft was assigned to search for it. Bottoms's pilot Lieutenant John A. Pritchard sighted the bomber, and landed as close to the wreck as possible—four miles away. Pritchard and Bottoms were able to assist two of the injured bomber crew to their plane, and take them back to Northland. However, on their second rescue visit they encountered bad weather, and crashed. It took seventy-five years to locate their bodies.