Aircraft of the ADF – N2 Douglas Dakota

The RAAF was to receive 124 aircraft between 1943 and 1945 of various C-47 models, serialled A65-1 to A65-124. The first Dakota for the RAN, A65-43, had been completed at the Douglas Oklahoma City plant on February 15 1944 and delivered directly to the RAAF on March 19, serving with 33 Squadron, then 1 Aircraft Performance Unit (1 APU) – the forerunner of ARDU – at Laverton, and later with 86 Wing. Issued to the RAN on December 1 1949, A65-43 operated under the radio callsign of VJ-ONA. To avoid confusion with ANA’s fleet of DC-4s and DC-3s, which were registered consecutively from VH-ANA, A65-43’s callsign was changed to VJ-ORA.

A65-23 meanwhile had been delivered to the RAAF on December 17 1943, serving with 36 Squadron until being attached to 34 Squadron, operating from Morotai. A65-23 then began an interesting year of operations. In November 1945, 34 Squadron supplied A65-23 and a crew to 81 Wing at Labuan for special duties in Japan. Over November and December, A65-23 made three round trips between Labuan and Melbourne, before its deployment to Japan. Transiting through the Philippines, Okinawa, and Kanoya, A65-23 arrived at Tachikawa airfield in Tokyo on December 28, to become the first RAAF aircraft to be based in Japan. The aircraft made flights into Hiroshima, and for the next twelve months transported VIPs, servicemen, war correspondents and concert parties throughout Japan. In November 1946, A65-23 returned to Australia for major overhaul. After a short period with 34 Squadron, the aircraft was transferred to the RAN on April 6 1950 as A65-23, and marked with its radio callsign VJ-ORB.

The Dakotas were initially flown on communications duties – transporting passengers and freight – by the station flight at HMAS Albatross until the commissioning of 723 Squadron on April 7 1952. The Dakota was a large aircraft by Fleet Air Arm standards, and so it was soon realised that a smaller aircraft was also required as a utility transport. Therefore, the Australian Drover was considered to supplement the Dakota for naval transport duties. The Drover had been designed by De Havilland Australia at Bankstown, with obvious resemblance to the twin engined DH.104 Dove. However, the Drover differed with three Gipsy Major engines and a fixed undercarriage, with seating for eight passengers. The prototype Drover, VH-DHA, had first flown on January 23 1948, and in all 20 aircraft were produced (c/ns 5001 to 5020). Acquisition of three Drovers was proposed by the RAN as communications aircraft, but it was soon decided that the Drover was too large for this role. Instead, two Auster J-5G Autocars were ordered, being delivered in June 1953. These aircraft became A11-300 and A11-301.

On August 3 1954, 851 Squadron was formed as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training unit, with Fireflies and Dakotas on strength. For this operational training role, A65-23 was converted by Faireys at Bankstown as a flying classroom for Firefly observer training, with workstations for navigation training and anti-submarine detection equipment. A65-43 was similarly modified at Parafield, South Australia. After the delivery of the next generation of naval first line aircraft during 1956 (Sea Venoms and Gannets), the Dakotas were modified with a retractable Gannet radar scanner. Later A65-43 was also fitted with a distinctive pointed nose housing a Sea Venom air intercept radar.

On January 13 1958, 851 was disbanded and 725 Squadron was commissioned at HMAS Albatross as the third RAN shore based squadron as a fleet requirements unit. In this support role the unit was equipped with the two Dakotas, Sea Furies, Austers and Firefly target tugs. In May 1959, the 725 Squadron role was changed to ASW training, retaining one Dakota until the unit was absorbed into 724 Squadron in May 1961.

With the introduction of the naval “N” series of registrations in 1964, “N2” was allocated to the two Dakotas. A65-23 was serialled N2-23, and A65-43 became N2-43. The Dakotas had also at this stage been finished in the RAN’s stunning Oxford Blue and white livery, which was also to be carried by the last two Sea Furies, and RAN helicopters such as the Wessex, Sycamore and Iroquois.

On February 14 1968 authority was given for two more Dakotas to be issued free of charge to the RAN from the RAAF at East Sale, and two C-47Bs (A65-90 and A65-123) were selected. Unlike the earlier Daks, these “new” aircraft were acquired as transports, and were not modified for radar or ASW training.

A65-90 had been completed by Douglas on March 29 1945 and delivered to the RAAF on April 6, seeing service with 35 Squadron, 1 Communications Unit and 34 Squadron. Passing to the RAN in February 1968 with the radio callsign VM-NSK, N2-90 was initially flown on support duties by 724 Squadron.

A65-123 was rolled out at Oklahoma on July 20 1945 and received by the RAAF on August 6, being flown by 1 APU, and later by 36 Squadron and 1 Communications Unit. Subsequently serving as the Governor General’s VIP transport, A65-123 saw out its RAAF time with 34 Squadron until being flown to East Sale for storage. Becoming N2-123 with the RAN, this Dakota flew on 724 Squadron, with N2-90, as VM-NSV.

On September 2 1968, 851 Squadron was recommissioned with the four Dakotas, and six Trackers, for miscellaneous support duties which included ASW training, fleet requirements, VIP transport and communications. During 1969, this Squadron, in line with RAN policy of adopting more of a US style of squadron numbering, was redesignated VC-851.

With the arrival of two HS.748 trainers to VC-851 Squadron during 1973, the Dakotas became surplus to naval requirements. The Daks were given up begrudgingly, as there is something for which the C-47 was renowned – and that has been its reliability.

N2-123 was offered for disposal by the RAN in October 1973, and was sold in the USA. However, the other three naval Daks were fortunately retained in Australia.

N2-90 had been withdrawn from service in April 1974, and transferred to the Apprentice Training Establishment at HMAS Nirimba, Schofields, as an instructional airframe. After years of service in this ground training role, N2-90 was then chosen for restoration to airworthiness to celebrate the RAN’s 75th Anniversary. The Nirimba apprentices commenced the restoration in 1982 under the supervision of instructional staff of the Air Engineering School. Not only was the Dakota able to join in the 1986 celebrations, it remains in flying condition with the RAN’s Historic Flight at HMAS Albatross, coded 802/NW and registered VH-NVZ.

N2-23 was passed to the Department of Administrative Services during September 1974 for disposal. Sold to Navair at Bankstown in March 1977, N2-23 was subsequently sold to Masling Airlines at Cootamundra, NSW, that June to provide a source of spares for Masling’s sole operational DC-3. Saved from the scrap heap by the Lions Club in West Wyalong, N2-23 has been restored to static display (in RAAF livery) in a park in the centre of town.

N2-43 is on static display at the Australian Naval Aviation Museum (ANAM), coded 800/NW as a “hands-on” exhibit allowing visitors to enter the cargo compartment and view the cockpit. It is appropriate that examples of this legendary transport have been retained for the pleasure of future generations. Most C-47B Dakotas received two c/ns. This arose as the same c/n blocks were allocated to both Douglas C-47/C-117 and A-26 production lines. In July 1946 aircraft manufactured at Douglas’ Oklahoma plant were issued with a corrected c/n, which is the second number shown.

Previous Registrations:

The “Aircraft of the RAN” series has followed the convention for previous identities of aircraft being listed in the order in which they were carried.