Summer Special 2025
Aviation News july 19, 2025 – The Douglas C-47-DL Dakota, designated Tp 79 in Swedish service and bearing serial number 79001, holds a significant place in Cold War history. Originally built in 1943 for the U.S. Army Air Forces as aircraft 42-5694, it served in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Post-war, it was transferred to Sweden in 1946, registered as SE-APZ, and eventually acquired by the Swedish Air Force in 1948. It was converted into a signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft for the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA) and named Hugin, after a raven from Norse mythology.
Douglas C-47A-25-DK Dakota (Tp79) 79007/13-797 Swedish Air Force
On 13 June 1952, during a classified reconnaissance mission over the Baltic Sea, Hugin was shot down by a Soviet MiG-15bis fighter. The attack occurred in international airspace approximately 32 to 35 nautical miles east of Gotska Sandön. All eight crew members—three military personnel and five civilian SIGINT operators—perished. The Soviet Union denied involvement for decades, and Sweden maintained that the aircraft was on a navigation training flight. Only after the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991 did it confirm the shootdown.
Douglas C-47-DL Dakota (Tp79) 79001 Swedish Air Force
The incident escalated when, three days later, a Swedish Air Force Catalina flying boat (Tp 47) searching for the missing Dakota was also shot down by Soviet forces. Fortunately, all seven crew members of the Catalina survived.
In 2003, the wreckage of Hugin was discovered on the Baltic Sea floor. It was salvaged in 2004 and is now on display at the Swedish Air Force Museum (Flygvapenmuseum) in Linköping, serving as a poignant reminder of Cold War tensions and the sacrifices made during that era.
Douglas C-47-DL Dakota (Tp79) (wreck) 79001 Swedish Air Force. The aircraft was found in 2003 on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where it had remained since it was shot down in 1952. In 2004, the wreck was recovered. By displaying the aircraft in a water-filled or “underwater-like” environment, visitors gain a realistic impression of how and where it was discovered.
The Mantis 028 “Madelene” is a one-person submersible of the Mantis class, designed for deep-sea operations. This sub played a crucial role in the recovery of the wreckage of the Swedish Douglas C-47 Dakota (Tp 79) “Hugin,” which was shot down by the Soviet Union over the Baltic Sea on June 13, 1952.
Photos Rob Vogelaar
