The Dakota is one of Darwin's best aircraft dives. A65-115 was a Douglas C-47B built in 1945 and delivered to the US Army Air Forces as 44-77132, then transferred to the RAAF in June 1945, where it flew with 35 and 36 Squadrons under the call sign VH-RGC. On 5 September 1946 at about 5.08 pm, flown by Flight Lieutenant Arnold Lange, it suffered a starboard engine fire and ditched about 500 yards off Mindil Beach. All five aboard survived and were picked up by Catalina flying boats from the harbour.

The wreck was located in October 2006 by Shaun Uden of Fish Darwin and lies in about 22 m, described as virtually intact. With a 19.8 m fuselage and a 29 m wingspan it is a large target on the sandy seabed, and because it was a controlled ditching rather than a crash, the aircraft's overall shape remains recognisable. It is heritage listed, and the NT Government has installed a mooring buoy with a star-picket guide line so that divers can reach the tail without anchors damaging the airframe. The line makes navigation straightforward even in poor visibility, which suits divers new to Darwin's conditions. As an intact transport aircraft sitting upright on the seabed, it is a very different experience from the broken Catalinas in East Arm, and one of the most photogenic sites in the harbour on a clear neap. The NT Government has published a brochure on the wreck, and the Darwin Aviation Museum and the Darwin Military Museum at East Point give useful context on the RAAF transport squadrons that flew from Darwin in the months after the war. Divers must not touch or enter the airframe.

Boat only. From Cullen Bay Marina or the Cullen Bay ramp run north around Emery Point to the waters off Mindil Beach - about 5-10 minutes. Anchoring is prohibited at the heritage site; tie up to the dedicated mooring buoy, which sits about 22 m from the wreck.

A line of star pickets leads from the mooring block to the tail section. The site faces north-west, so it is best on dry-season mornings before the sea breeze; in the build-up and wet season north-westerlies make it rough.

Tide is everything in Darwin Harbour: the spring range is 7-8 m and tidal streams run hard through the harbour, so diving is generally only possible on neap tides (range under about 3-4 m), timed to the slack at high water when clearer ocean water sits over the site. Spring tides bring strong currents and silt-laden water with near-zero visibility. The dry season (May-October) gives the most consistent conditions; the south-east trade winds can chop up exposed water in the afternoon, so mornings are best.

In the wet season (November-April) run-off from the rivers and creeks drops visibility, afternoon storms build quickly, and the harbour is in cyclone season; box jellyfish are present October-May.

Descend the mooring line, then follow the star-picket line about 22 m to the tail. Work forward along the fuselage to the wings and engines and the cockpit, circle the aircraft, and return along the picket line to the mooring for the ascent and safety stop.

Darwin Dive Centre and Dive Darwin include it on neap-tide charters on request; Darwin Sub Aqua Club dives it regularly. Mooring buoy access only.