There is a Dakota - 6832 KOD ('King Oboe Dog' to air controllers of yesteryear) which would have recently been cannibalised and destroyed but for the enthusiasts who traced her and are saving her for the nation. She awaits better times in Cape Town's Ysterplaat Air Force Base, but even now her story makes fascinating reading.

6832's engines first purred into action in 1944 in the Douglas Aircraft Corporation factory in Oklahoma City. Purchased by Britain under the Lend-Lease Scheme she was flown to South Africa in February 1944 and has remained in SAAF service for nearly sixty years patrolling our coasts and doing other solid work for which these grand old planes were known. Her most unusual venture was as a 'flying fish cart' - and thus her historical link with Grahamstown.

(l to r) Director of Fisheries, Mayotte, Mr E. Breton;Capt. Eric Hunt; 
Prof. JLB Smith;Commandant Blaauw; Captain Letley; Lt. Ralston; 
Cpl. van Niekerk; Lt. Bergh; Cpl. Brink.

Dakota 6832 on arrival in Grahamstown (l to r)
Lt. Bergh; Cpl. Brink; Cpl. van Niekerk; Mrs Margaret Smith; 
Commandant Blaau; Prof. JLB Smith; Capt. Letley; Lt. Ralston;
William Smith. The coelacanth is in the box in the foreground.
Prof Smith's son, William Smith is now well known for his
participation in the TV show "A Word or Two" and his educational program.

The Grubby Rubbi's, the team restoring 6832.
(Back, l to r) Peter, Rip, Kev, Norman, Faanie, Doc Ian, Jacoba.
Darryl, Dominique, Dave, Digi Dave, Bernard
Click here for more on the team and the restoration.

December 2002 will see the 50th anniversary of one of the strangest events in the annals of bioaviation; an event that tested the skill of the SAAF, added yet another superlative to the achievement record of Dakota aircraft, turned the head of science and scientists around the world, and put Grahamstown 'on the world map'.

It all began with a telegram, "HAVE SPECIMEN COELACANTH FIVE FEET TREATED FORMALIN STOP ABSENCE SMITH ADVISE OR SEND PLANE REPLY = HUNT DTAOUDZI (error for Dzaudzi) COMORES." 

'Doc' JLB Smith and his wife Margaret had just arrived back in Durban on the Union & Castle ship 'Dunnottar Castle' after a long scientific fish collecting expedition to East Africa. 

Very soon afterwards a second telegram was forwarded from an alert secretary at Rhodes University. This one really set wheels turning.

It read, "CHARTER PLANE IMMEDIATELY AUTHORITIES TRYING CLAIM SPECIMEN BUT WILLING LET YOU HAVE IT IF IN PERSON STOP PAID FISHERMAN REWARD TO STRENGTHEN POSITION STOP INJECTED FIVE KILO FORMALIN NO REFRIGERATOR STOP SPECIMEN DIFFERENT YOURS NO FRONT DORSAL OR TAIL REMNANT BUT DEFINITE IDENTIFICATION = HUNT".

The telegrams had been sent by Captain Eric Hunt, a sea trader whose little schooner "Nduwaro" plied between East African ports, the Comoro Islands and Madagascar. Hunt had carried a bundle of reward leaflets from Zanzibar to the Comoros after meeting, and talking to, the Smiths. After a search lasting 14 years Smith was about to get his 'second' coelacanth but before he even saw the fish he had to overcome obstacles that might have daunted many men. The Comoros were more than 2500km away, there were no regular air services to the islands in those days and a ship could not have made the voyage before the fish rotted to a stinking pile of goo in the tropical heat.

After considering a number of alternatives 'Doc' Smith eventually decided to act on Margaret's suggestion that he approach the Prime Minister - the only person who could move heaven and earth at short notice. And thus began this strange story - the first and only recorded 'fishjacking'!

After listening to Smith explain why it was so important to science and South Africa that this coelacanth be claimed without delay, Dr. D.F. Malan agreed to arrange for a military aircraft to fly Smith to the Comoros to claim his fish.

And so it was that at 07h05 on the 28th December 1952 a SAAF C-47 Dakota MkIIIa, serial number 6832, KOD of 44 Squadron, took off from Durban's Stamford Hill Aerodrome for the long flight north along the coast of Mozambique to Lumbo. On board were JLB Smith, Commandant Jannie Blaauw and Captain Peter Letley, pilots; Lieutenants Duncan Ralston and Willem Bergh, navigators; Corporal 'Vanski' van Niekerk, radio operator and Cpl. F. Brink, engineer. Following an overnight stop they set off to cross the Indian Ocean to the Comoro Islands. With considerable skill on the part of the navigators, and without the array of modern navigational aids available to today's aviators, they flew into the tiny airstrip of Pamanzi, one of the satellite islets of Mayotte, shortly before 7am, 29th December.

Eric Hunt (left) with an emotional JLB Smith, and the crew, plus fish.

Smith's unconditional acceptance of Eric Hunt's knowledge of fishes was well justified - it was a coelacanth and despite difficulties of preservation, was in reasonably good condition. Anxious to avoid the chances of French authorities claiming the fish, the group spent less than 3 hours on the island. With the coelacanth safely on board, wrapped in kapok and encased in a metal-lined wooden crate, the group took off for the long flight back to Durban.

At 7am on the 30th December 1952, Dakota 6832, crew, scientist and fish landed in Grahamstown, South Africa. News of the 'fishjacking' in what the Pretoria News had dubbed, the 'Flying Fishcart' had spread far and wide and soon the whole world was following the story. Following an overnight flight to Cape Town where the fish was shown to Prime Minister Malan and the press, the group returned to Grahamstown where they were met by a small group of friends and coelacanthophiles.

Dakota 6832 had put some 7400km on 'the clock' and, in doing so she had become unique amongst the unique - Dakota aircraft had established so many 'firsts', achieving what few aircraft had done before or since, but none had undertaken such a long flight to snatch a dead, oily fish!

On the 30th December 1992 the characteristic sound of well-synchronised Pratt & Whitney engines heralded the arrival of 6832 to Grahamstown in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her 'fishjacking' flight. On board were some members of the SA Dakota Association, the SAAF and three of the original aircrew: Lt. Cols (retd.) Duncan Ralston and Willem Bergh and 'Vanski' van Niekerk. This 40th anniversary visit had been arranged by a small group of enthusiasts who had negotiated with the SAAF for the commemorative flight. Before 6832 returned to Ysterplaat the writer had the honour and privilege of affixing a brass plaque to her inner fuselage noting that it was this very same aircraft that had undertaken the flight to the Comoros, making her mark in the annals of bio-aviation. The SAAF announced that 6832 would be preserved - without modification - for posterity and become one of the collection of historic aircraft maintained by the SAAF Museum - at that time she was still operational flying maritime and general transport flights out of Ysterplaat Air Force Base.

Despite promises, 6832 languished almost forgotten, even being cannibalised for parts to keep some of the other SAAF Dakotas flying. Various efforts were made to have the air force move 6832 to Pretoria or Port Elizabeth, even Port Alfred or Grahamstown where she would receive tender loving care, but by that time she was no longer airworthy, money was not available for repair and reconditioning and the SAAF were not very keen to sell her at a token price.

But, 6832 had not been completely abandoned and she was transported by road from Cape Town International Airport to the SAAF Museum at Ysterplaat where she came under the loving care of a group of enthusiasts, spearheaded by Kirk Kinnear and her 'Godfather', WO Kevin Furness. Currently, 6832 is losing her camouflage paintwork and is being returned to her 1952 colour scheme and markings. As 6832 is currently being restored, her sibling, the Dakota 6859 will fly to Grahamstown to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Comoros flight and her near-60 years of service. This flight is planned  to coincide with SASOL SciFest 2003.