|
Post by piercebennett on Feb 6, 2017 13:00:26 GMT 8
Thank you guys for all the kind comments! it's nice to hear the feedback. Thank you ExO for all your work in helping to make this community what it is. I'll try to get Day 10 up as soon as I am able!
|
|
|
Post by fortman on Feb 6, 2017 14:50:01 GMT 8
Ditto from me too.
Fortman
|
|
|
Post by piercebennett on Feb 10, 2017 10:56:15 GMT 8
Day 10, Part 1The tenth and final day! I spent my time on topside and took more photos than any other day. I started the day taking pictures of the HQ and Chapel.
Does anyone know what they used to hang here?
A small crater in the stairs.
It's nice to see some remaining metal on the island.
The second floor is very much collapsed.
There are two of these in front of the Administration Building. I'm assuming they were here before the war, but they are in surprisingly good shape.
Here's two shots of 11-E. A lot of these buildings in the area have the same basic layout.
This is the railing on the second floor.
A space underneath the stairs.
Next, I went to the Cine.
Looking through the stage.
The opposite view of the photo above.
I'm assuming this was once a support for a balcony.
Stairs going up to said balcony.
The metal supports in the window.
Inside one of the rooms the rebar is showing.
Inside the front entrance to the Cine.
Anyone know why these markings are in the floor?
One last shot of the exterior as I move on. The sun was shining very bright that day.
|
|
|
Post by piercebennett on Feb 13, 2017 12:34:45 GMT 8
Day 10, Part 2Next I took a few photos of Mile Long Barracks and then headed to Battery Geary.
I took a shot of the parade ground as I went towards the barracks.
The front of Mile Long Barracks.
A close up on one of the facades.
Another bird. I wonder what happened to his wing.
The west end is especially destroyed.
If I remember correctly, some explosives were stored in this side of the barracks.
A few more shots of the front.
Pictures of the other side of the barracks.
Note the shell shaped decor.
A close up on the metal piece. I'm guessing this was part of the roof at some point.
The ceiling has decayed in an interesting fashion.
A buckled portion of an interior wall.
Pock marks on the wall.
Some old paint remains.
Another section of destroyed wall. It's interesting to see, now that the walls have been ruined, how these walls were constructed.
A beautiful skylight.
A relatively clean in tact part of the barracks.
Looking through a hallway.
I don't know what it is, but this pool doesn't seem especially appealing to me.
A pipe sticking in the side of the pool. There is also crumbling rust around the area.
A hole in the ceiling above the pool.
I wonder how long it will be until this rusts off.
After the barracks, I made my way to Battery Geary.
Approaching Geary from the road above.
The 'Pit A' side magazine.
An airshaft above the magazine.
A decorative shell.
The middle magazine is nothing but a crater now.
Two 'Pit A' mortars.
The initial explosion launched the mortar in the background on top of the magazine.
When it fell, it dented the racer.
In front of the mortar, I noticed a near buried shell.
Notice the ring around the mortar shell.
One of the 'Pit B' mortars holding up the magazine's roof.
'Pit B' racers. It would be interesting to see the concrete underneath without any of the grass and weeds. You can still see some of it showing through.
Another part of a racer.
A crack in the metal.
A close up on some of the details.
The mortar that was sent across the street.
Another mortar holding up the magazine roof.
Another view of the mortar.
Inside the remains of the magazine on the "Pit B' side.
Does anyone know what these "belt buckles" were used for?
A fair amount of rubble is underneath this grass and the road. It makes the ceiling of the magazine lower than originally intended.
Inside one of the rooms.
The walls are very charred.
One of the 'Pit A' magazines.
This side of the magazine is in much better shape.
Again it's interesting to see how these walls were constructed. The wall here disconnected from the ceiling and pivoted as a result of the explosion.
Original paint on the walls.
A close up on the paint and the crack in the wall.
Some graffiti on one of the walls.
The rescue hole in the wall. Notice the drill marks on the right.
|
|
|
Post by chadhill on Feb 14, 2017 8:16:13 GMT 8
Awesome job, Pierce! My last trip to Corregidor was in 1987, and I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts and photographs. I had wondered if the magazine vent for the Pit A side still existed, as I did not recall seeing a recent photo of it. You answered that question for me. (photo courtesy piercebennett) For comparison, here is a snapshot from one of the 1942 Japanese newsreels. The effects of the center magazine explosion are very evident. The barrel for the number 2 mortar is up on top of the Pit A (or #1) magazine. What may be the slotted inner round mounting plate, or "racer", stands upright against the concrete magazine wall, like a coin on its edge. At the top center of the photo is the magazine vent. One or two loose shells can be seen in the upper left of the photo. Part of the mortar assembly, with two hooks, can be seen angling upwards in the lower left corner. As we know, the barrel later rolled downhill off the top of the magazine, where it is seen in your photos, and the upright racer also turned over. I wonder if the partially buried round you found is one of those seen to the left above the magazine level, which may also have later rolled down. Keep up the good work. Maybe some day I will return to the rock and share a San Miguel with you and all the other guys.
|
|
|
Post by piercebennett on Feb 15, 2017 11:01:04 GMT 8
Thanks for posting the picture from the newsreel, chadhill. The shell could very well be one of those in the photo. Do you happen to know if the mortar fell as a result of the bombings in 1945, or did it fall later on as a result of time?
|
|
|
Post by piercebennett on Feb 15, 2017 13:20:50 GMT 8
Day 10, Part 3I then headed to Battery Crockett.
Before I left Geary, I noticed there are still some remnants of stairs and a remaining metal ring. I think this is (oddly) the first time I noticed these. Looking back towards Battery Geary. The stairs up to Gun #1. A few pictures of Gun #1. This section of the gun is especially crushed. This area next to Gun #1 is also quite destroyed. A close up on the pipes sticking out. Bowed rebar above the doorway. I'm guessing whatever bowed the rebar also dented this metal here. I believe these are part of the system that brought shells up to the guns. These presumably served a purpose. Gun #2. It's partly painted. Another view of the gun. Note the bend in the metal here. The spare barrel. One of the two holes by Gun #2. Looking down, I noticed this cat. They are too plentiful on the island in my opinion. A metal ring by Gun #2. Damage to the stairs to the gun. I headed up top and took a shot of the B.C. It has seen better days. A water-filled crater. Mesh-like metal reinforcement. This room in the battery saw some action during the war. Exposed rebar. Damage to the floor caused by an explosive. What kind of firsthand accounts do we have of Battery Crockett during the recapture? More damage to one of the rooms. As I left the battery, I was able to get a picture of this bright bird. There are many beautiful birds like this along the island but I usually don't have my camera out when I see them. On my way back, I passed the plotting room of Battery Geary. It was not bombproof in the slightest.
|
|
|
Post by chadhill on Feb 16, 2017 12:12:32 GMT 8
Thanks for posting the picture from the newsreel, chadhill. The shell could very well be one of those in the photo. Do you happen to know if the mortar fell as a result of the bombings in 1945, or did it fall later on as a result of time? Thanks for these great pics of Battery Crockett, Pierce. Nice job! Your suspicions that the mortar barrel may have fallen off the top of the magazine during the 1945 bombings is a good SWAG. A photograph taken by T/5 Kingsley Fall on 6 March 1945 shows the barrel in its present day position next to the racer. Reference: pages 251-252, "Rock Force", by Paul Whitman and David Metherell. BTW, that's a great book-
|
|
|
Post by beirutvet on Feb 16, 2017 13:01:54 GMT 8
Pierce Great Job! You make me long to be back there exploring. Please tell me this is not the end. Please tell me you have more to post. Here are a couple of shots to add to your Battery Geary collage. Here is a wider angle of the guns current position Looking down the business end of this gun you can see a 1017 lb armor piercing shell that was ready to go at the fateful moment the Battery met its end, proving the Battery was in action to the last. This shot taken from about where that gun is looking towards Pit B clearly shows the depression of where the center ammo storage area used to be be.
|
|
|
Post by beirutvet on Feb 16, 2017 13:04:37 GMT 8
Chadhill
I almost forgot to ask. You said your last trip was in 1987,,,,,, Aren't you a bit overdue for a return visit?
|
|