The first ever "Fishjacking" - Flying focus
Robin Stobbs
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.
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.
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.
Come and see the Dakota at this year's Sasol Scifest in Grahamstown,
South Africa. See www.scifest.org.za for
more information. Enter here for other flying focus
events at Sasol Scifest.
More information
The Foundation can be contacted at:
The South African Aviation Foundation Museum
Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 5086162
Also Kirk Kinnear at kkinnear@taser.co.za
or Robin Stobbs at r.stobbs@ru.ac.za
A full account of the 'fishjacking' story can be found on the Internet at http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/gallery?1952. The website of the South
African Aviation Foundation is http://www.saafmuseum.org.za
and of the SA
Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity http://www.saiab.ru.ac.za
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