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Post by fireball on Jan 17, 2012 15:00:35 GMT 8
If the weather ever improves I will be looking towards return trips to Fort Drum and Fort Frank. This may well be at short notice (on waking up to calm weather) but if anyone is interested please let me know. My departure point will be Manila and then by car either to Ternate, Cavite (Fort Frank) or Cabcaben, Bataan (Fort Drum and Fort Frank) to find a boat.
Sometime over the next week I also hope to practice a bit of rope work - not of the xxx type but rather ascending and descending - possibly near Angeles City. It can be a useful skill for the unexpected access problem. Again, if anyone is interested please let me know. This would of course be solely at the risk and responsibility of those doing it.
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Post by darthdract on Jan 18, 2012 0:46:30 GMT 8
Can you give atleast an estimate how much it would cost I always wanted to visit Fort Drum . But I guess I am not fit enough to do it I am sad to say a bit overweight for my build at 5'4 146lbs I may have difficulty getting off the boat or climbing in to any access points. They say it could be rough
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Post by fireball on Jan 19, 2012 7:30:57 GMT 8
Last time I paid PHP5000 for the boat from Bataan to Fort Drum, and PHP2000 (I think) from Ternate to Fort Frank. I am probably not a good negotiater as they can see the eagerness in my eyes.
Landing:
Fort Drum is quite hard unless its absolutely calm (and even then it requires some degree of agility). But, it worth the attempt as even just to see the Fort close-up from a banca is a real experience.
Fort Frank, if you can swim and if its calm enough for the boat to get there then landing should be OK as the fort can be accessed from two sides.
If you get there, and weather permitting I am thinking of trying within the next few days, once ashore/inside you need to be very careful as in both Forts there are numerous drops and open shafts. For Fort Frank I suggest bringing a surgical mask as in parts there are large numbers of bats and all the resulting nuts ('nuts' is, I see, what the internet has changed the word spelt S%%T to).
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Post by darthdract on Jan 22, 2012 3:31:53 GMT 8
Thanks for sharing that even made me more interested, unfortunately I don't how to swim, And I don't know anyone who lives in Bataan. That is like some fearFactor Stuff but 100 times more dangerous and serious.
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Post by fireball on Jan 22, 2012 17:08:20 GMT 8
I managed to get back to both Fort Frank and Fort Drum for a trip that, like most, leaves you thinking ' I just need one more visit'.Fort Drum - Lucky to be able to get onboard due to the chop and with it being low tide the scramble up is more noticeable. This time I had a good look around and managed to get to most areas - unfortunately for my wallet its the areas I did not get to that means a return trip. There is not much to say, except get there while you can as the inside is becoming unsafe. Some quite thick pieces of rebar just crumbled / broke on touch as a result of the exposure to air and salt. Fort Frank - Access was under the wall and if you are planning a trip anticipate getting wet. The problem / danger is that the ground is boulders ... and also that you need to duck under a wall ... so with the waves there is a risk of being knocked over. Once inside there was quite a lot of signs of recent activity including bricks piled up, bamboo sleeping cots and railings on paths. With all of this there was always a slight feeling I might not have been alone - such thoughts are dangerous when wandering in tunnels and dark places and so to some extent I did not cover as much as I had wanted. I also attempted to look around the island but my various attempts were beaten by the combination of leaving my map in the banca and the undergrowth. The real problem was the bats. They were there before but now they have multiplied. Pic shows one of the rooms that access was possible - others had too many bats to risk entry: I was brushed by bats flying past on a number of occasions. Within parts of Battery Greer long sleeves, trousers and a mask covering the whole face have now become essential. Darthdract, it sounds like unless it is flat calm you would not be able to enter either Fort. That said, you could if: Fort Drum - wait for absolute calm, prepare a boarding ladder (as used down sides of ship) about 6 steps and 'V loop' at top & buy a lifejacket. Be mentally prepared not to panic if you fall in the sea (the banca crew will have you back onboard very fast) Fort Frank - just wait for flat calm But, an alternative is you get a boat from Ternate and just look from the boat. Fort Drum is worth it, and while most of Fort Frank is hidden just by looking at it from the sea will give you a better feeling of how it might have felt like during WW2. Again, I will try and return to both Forts within the next few weeks. With Fort Frank I will be concentrating on the two levels of service tunnels in Battery Greer and looking at the various sites around the island. Fort Drum will be the engine room and Sally Port area. If anyone wants to join please let me know.
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Post by fireball on Jan 22, 2012 21:02:09 GMT 8
Just an additional note on the danger posed by the bats: Not only are they a health risk but also when faced by flock/herd/mass of bats flying in your direction you need to shield your eyes and face. This makes it hard to look carefully where you are treading. Battery Greer, especially, has numerous drops some up to 10 feet or so in the corridor floors. Remains of guns: I don't remember from my first trip seeing any remains at Battery Greer. A look at my pics from then only shows a general view so I am unsure of what I saw. It is possible I made the cardinal sin of exploration and assumed without checking that there was nothing at the bottom, or I did look and have either forgotten or did not see anything. Whatever, the fact is that on this trip there was the exposed remains of at least part of the mechanism (I am sure others on this site will immediately be able to identify it). It looks like the area had been cleared, and next to it was the site of a recent camp with various bamboo beds and chairs. Previous view: Now:
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Post by fireball on Jan 24, 2012 9:00:04 GMT 8
View of Fort Drum with Carabao Island (Fort Frank to the right):
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Post by darthdract on Jan 24, 2012 18:37:14 GMT 8
Very Interesting, I might do the Circling around, Fort Drum from Cavite thing,, First since I cannot Swim...
Anyway have you been to Fort Hughes I heard that a government permit is needed to be secured first since that island still owned by the Navy,
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Post by fireball on Jan 25, 2012 23:38:14 GMT 8
Fort Drum: A short while ago Armyjunk posted a small part of a very high quality plan of the Fort. If anyone has more of this plan could they please let me know. I am particularly keen on anything showing the machinery and engine room, but any parts would be welcome. Remains of a 14inch shell:
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Post by darthdract on Jan 25, 2012 23:46:25 GMT 8
Do you think that shell can still ka BOOM!!!
I wonder how Fort Drum and the Guns of Fort Mills would have fared Against a Purely Surface taksforce of Japanese Nagato Class BBs
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