Post by fots2 on Nov 23, 2010 22:43:02 GMT 8
Few Corregidor subjects seem to be more shrouded in mystery than the secret Navy tunnels inside Malinta Hill. How many tunnels? What were their names? Where exactly were they located?
I thought I would start this thread to show the information that I have collected with the hope that others can add to it. Thanks to armyjunk and batteryboy for some content. Lets sort out the details as best as we can.
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A few years previous to the war there was one tunnel in the southwest side of Malinta Hill. This tunnel was planned to be the south entrance of the Malinta Storage System as depicted in the 1934 tunnel plan. It was never completed. Due to cave-ins in the soft rock and perhaps other reasons I don’t know of, this entrance and a few partially completed laterals seem to have been abandoned. From the main Malinta tunnel complex, access to the southern network of laterals (Quartermaster laterals etc) was moved from SW lateral #3 further east to lateral #8. This design also provided for a new south entrance which was completed.
The history of the Navy tunnels started in 1939. “Since the Navy also expected to lose Cavite’s base facilities when war came, it released funds in 1939 to the Army Engineers to drive four tunnels into the south side of Malinta Hill to be connected by a shaft to the Army’s South Tunnel Complex”. (Text from Corregidor, Saga of a Fortress’ by the Belote Brothers 1953). On Page 71 they say that the tunnels were named Affirm, Baker, Roger and Queen.
Another document, The Wainwright Papers (Exhibit “E”, Engineer Annex, Page 57), states that the four new Navy tunnels were named Afirm, Dog, Roger and Queen. Construction was started in May of 1941 and ended in December of 1941. Roger was never completed.
Information conflicts as to the tunnel named ‘Affirm’. The book CORREGIDOR WAS NOT ALL THAT GOOD by Sidney A. Burnett states that the Navy Radio Intercept tunnel at Monkey Point was named ‘Afirm’ (spelled with one ‘f’). However, a December 1941 Army Corps of Engineers report on the status of Corregidor tunnel construction says something else. It states that ‘Affirm’ was one of the Navy tunnels in the southwest corner of Malinta Hill. This document also states that the Navy Radio Intercept tunnel at Monkey Point was named ‘Cast’. (The same name as the station’s code name).
The existing tunnel plus four new ones makes a total of five. This appears to be true as there is photographic evidence of five tunnels in this part of Malinta Hill. Three are sealed today and two are still accessible. (EXO saw one of the sealed tunnels years ago when CFI was trying to open it. Continuous landslides made the operation dangerous so they gave up).
An Army Corps of Engineers report was written by Major F. J. Wilson. He was the Assistant Chief, Operations Branch, Fortifications. The report, directed to the Chief of Engineers, is quite specific and dated December 18th, 1941. According to Major Wilson, the Malinta Navy tunnels (5 of them) were named Affirm, Baker, Dog, Roger and Queen. Was ‘Dog’ the Navy or Army Corps of Engineers name for the earlier uncompleted tunnel? It seems that there never was a tunnel named ‘Sugar’.
FYI, here is the Army Corps of Engineers report on the Malinta Navy tunnels plus ‘Cast’ at Monkey Point near Kindley Field.
NAVY DEPARTMENT WORK
Affirm
Complete: Made and installed grating cover for ventilating shaft.
Incomplete: Construction of foundation for obstruction light poles and installation of obstruction lights.
Dog
Complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Approximately 13% complete: Tunnel backfill.
Queen
Complete: Constructed foundation for engine. Constructed foundations for oil and water tanks.
Approximately 100% complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Approximately 7% complete: Tunnel backfill.
Roger
Complete: Hauled materials to site of project.
Approximately 85% complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Incomplete: Tunnel backfill.
Baker
Incomplete: Excavation of trenches for telephone cables. Control line between ‘Affirm’ and ‘Dog’.
Cast
Complete: Excavated and backfilled salt and freshwater line trenches through AA battery and camp site near water tanks, Kindley Field.
Incomplete: Construction of concrete block support for 6-inch salt water line, Navy quarters. Replacement of 4-inch salt water mains with 6-inch line.
I tend to believe the information from Major Wilson to be the most credible information that I have seen. He was there at the time and was directly responsible for these tunnel projects. Other text in books is written years later by those who were not there or had nothing to do with these tunnels.
Today two tunnels still exist in the SW corner of Malinta Hill. The northern tunnel is definitely the earliest tunnel which was the original Malinta south entrance. Maps and GPS co-ordinates confirm this. The southern tunnel would be one of the new tunnels that the Navy paid for but which one?
Belote states that “The largest, Tunnel Queen, was an elaborate affair designed to refuge the headquarters of the Sixteenth Naval district. The other tunnels held stores, food, stuffs, spare torpedoes for Asiatic submarines and a naval radio station”. The southern tunnel becomes quite large after entering it and still has pads for diesel generators etc, power panels, exhaust pipes and conduits. Near the entrance is far too angled to allow easy access when moving materials so I doubt this one was for storage. This might be Queen. I have no specific information as to which tunnel had what name.
Does anyone have anything further to add to this subject? Were there any Navy maps produced detailing their tunnels?
I thought I would start this thread to show the information that I have collected with the hope that others can add to it. Thanks to armyjunk and batteryboy for some content. Lets sort out the details as best as we can.
- - - - - -
A few years previous to the war there was one tunnel in the southwest side of Malinta Hill. This tunnel was planned to be the south entrance of the Malinta Storage System as depicted in the 1934 tunnel plan. It was never completed. Due to cave-ins in the soft rock and perhaps other reasons I don’t know of, this entrance and a few partially completed laterals seem to have been abandoned. From the main Malinta tunnel complex, access to the southern network of laterals (Quartermaster laterals etc) was moved from SW lateral #3 further east to lateral #8. This design also provided for a new south entrance which was completed.
The history of the Navy tunnels started in 1939. “Since the Navy also expected to lose Cavite’s base facilities when war came, it released funds in 1939 to the Army Engineers to drive four tunnels into the south side of Malinta Hill to be connected by a shaft to the Army’s South Tunnel Complex”. (Text from Corregidor, Saga of a Fortress’ by the Belote Brothers 1953). On Page 71 they say that the tunnels were named Affirm, Baker, Roger and Queen.
Another document, The Wainwright Papers (Exhibit “E”, Engineer Annex, Page 57), states that the four new Navy tunnels were named Afirm, Dog, Roger and Queen. Construction was started in May of 1941 and ended in December of 1941. Roger was never completed.
Information conflicts as to the tunnel named ‘Affirm’. The book CORREGIDOR WAS NOT ALL THAT GOOD by Sidney A. Burnett states that the Navy Radio Intercept tunnel at Monkey Point was named ‘Afirm’ (spelled with one ‘f’). However, a December 1941 Army Corps of Engineers report on the status of Corregidor tunnel construction says something else. It states that ‘Affirm’ was one of the Navy tunnels in the southwest corner of Malinta Hill. This document also states that the Navy Radio Intercept tunnel at Monkey Point was named ‘Cast’. (The same name as the station’s code name).
The existing tunnel plus four new ones makes a total of five. This appears to be true as there is photographic evidence of five tunnels in this part of Malinta Hill. Three are sealed today and two are still accessible. (EXO saw one of the sealed tunnels years ago when CFI was trying to open it. Continuous landslides made the operation dangerous so they gave up).
An Army Corps of Engineers report was written by Major F. J. Wilson. He was the Assistant Chief, Operations Branch, Fortifications. The report, directed to the Chief of Engineers, is quite specific and dated December 18th, 1941. According to Major Wilson, the Malinta Navy tunnels (5 of them) were named Affirm, Baker, Dog, Roger and Queen. Was ‘Dog’ the Navy or Army Corps of Engineers name for the earlier uncompleted tunnel? It seems that there never was a tunnel named ‘Sugar’.
FYI, here is the Army Corps of Engineers report on the Malinta Navy tunnels plus ‘Cast’ at Monkey Point near Kindley Field.
NAVY DEPARTMENT WORK
Affirm
Complete: Made and installed grating cover for ventilating shaft.
Incomplete: Construction of foundation for obstruction light poles and installation of obstruction lights.
Dog
Complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Approximately 13% complete: Tunnel backfill.
Queen
Complete: Constructed foundation for engine. Constructed foundations for oil and water tanks.
Approximately 100% complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Approximately 7% complete: Tunnel backfill.
Roger
Complete: Hauled materials to site of project.
Approximately 85% complete: Tunnel excavation, concrete, and steel.
Incomplete: Tunnel backfill.
Baker
Incomplete: Excavation of trenches for telephone cables. Control line between ‘Affirm’ and ‘Dog’.
Cast
Complete: Excavated and backfilled salt and freshwater line trenches through AA battery and camp site near water tanks, Kindley Field.
Incomplete: Construction of concrete block support for 6-inch salt water line, Navy quarters. Replacement of 4-inch salt water mains with 6-inch line.
I tend to believe the information from Major Wilson to be the most credible information that I have seen. He was there at the time and was directly responsible for these tunnel projects. Other text in books is written years later by those who were not there or had nothing to do with these tunnels.
Today two tunnels still exist in the SW corner of Malinta Hill. The northern tunnel is definitely the earliest tunnel which was the original Malinta south entrance. Maps and GPS co-ordinates confirm this. The southern tunnel would be one of the new tunnels that the Navy paid for but which one?
Belote states that “The largest, Tunnel Queen, was an elaborate affair designed to refuge the headquarters of the Sixteenth Naval district. The other tunnels held stores, food, stuffs, spare torpedoes for Asiatic submarines and a naval radio station”. The southern tunnel becomes quite large after entering it and still has pads for diesel generators etc, power panels, exhaust pipes and conduits. Near the entrance is far too angled to allow easy access when moving materials so I doubt this one was for storage. This might be Queen. I have no specific information as to which tunnel had what name.
Does anyone have anything further to add to this subject? Were there any Navy maps produced detailing their tunnels?