rborne. The Phase III modifications were implemented before the arms embargo and the full ECM suit was installed in all seven aircraft, so that they approximated to the
RAF's final MR.3 condition, apart from the Viper JATO.
Wing re-sparring was carried out on at least two aircraft, 1716 being out of service for the work between March 1973 and April 1976. Re-sparring on 1717 took a lot less time - no doubt the engineers had
learned from the work on 1716 - the squadron being without the aircraft from September 1975 to October 1977. At least two other aircraft, besides 1718 and 1723 already mentioned, had undercarriage
problems on landing. 1722's nose wheel refused to lock down on 7 June 1960 and the aircraft landed on a foam laid down at Langebaanweg, the nose-wheel assembly collapsing on contact with the runway. Two years later, on 10 September 1962, 1721 had to make a wheels-up landingat Ysterplaat, but the damage sustained was repaired in a comparatively short time.
One other mishap to the SAAF MRJ fleet occurred on 18 September 196 I, when 1720 was undertaking asymmetric landing practice. The pilot undershot the runway at D. F Malan and the aircraft was extensively
damaged. Rather than dismantling 1720 and taking it away for repair, a hangar was constructed around it for the work to be carried out where it was.
The arms embargo certainly had a detrimental affect on the SAAF's MR.3s, and the two re-sparrings already mentioned were quite an engineering accomplishment on the part of their maintenance engineers. Engine spares were impossible to obtain, as were new tyres and electronic replacements so, in November 1984, the Shackleton was officially withdrawn as an operational aircraft in the SAAF.
1723 had expended its fatigue life several years prior to this and had been grounded since 22 November 1977. It was stored in the open at Ysterplaat, until being purchased by Vic de Villiers, who acquired the aircraft via a triple deal involving both the South African Airways Museum and the SAAF Museum. De Villiers gave the airways museum Vickers Viking ZS-DKH, which he had held for many years, and
they let the SAAF Museum have a Lockheed Ventura. The SAAF completed the convoluted agreement by selling 1723 to de Villiers, who mounted it on the roof of his 'Vic's Viking Garage' on the Johannesburg
to Vereeniging road. For many years it remained in its service colours, but without national markings. However, by 1994,commercial advertising had taken over and the aircraft was repainted a vivid red,
over which' Coca Cola' logos were liberally displayed. A sign that is mounted beside the aircraft, incorrectly said 'World War Two Shackleton'; today this has been edited and the word 'Two' has gone, although
the legend is still inaccurate.
On 24 April 1978, five months after 1723 was grounded, 1719 followed suit and it too was stored in the open at Ysterplaat to begin with. Later the aircraft was moved on it own wheels to an airfield at Stellenbosch, in the South African wine region. Finally, in 1991, 1719 was moved, to the
Cape Town Waterfront complex, where it is displayed today.
1720 had reached the end of its fatigue life by 10 March 1983, so it was grounded.
It had been planned to mount the aircraft a the gate guardian at Ysterplaat, but someone 'pulled rank' and instead it was positioned outside the Warrant Officer's Club. For a reason that cannot be ascertained,
it was repainted to represent '1719', complete with the individual code 'L'. Maybe it was hoped to frustrate future aviation historians, but today the aircraft's proper identity has been restored.
In 1984,1717 too was grounded; it had only been kept flying to that date by courtesy of a technical team that ascended the Wemmershoek Mountains to where the wreckage of 1718 lay, in order to retrieve serviceable parts that could be used on 1717. After open-air storage at Ysterplaat, the aircraft was dismantled to be taken by sea to Durban. From there, in October 1987,it went by road to Midmar Dam and was reassembled for static display at the Natal Park Board Museum.
The nostalgia