El Fraile Island (Fort Drum)

[fots2]

On August 14th, 2009, Karl and I made a trip to Fort Drum. The weather was perfect and Manila Bay was the calmest I have ever seen it. Due to time and the scrappers, the lower decks are deteriorating a lot but overall it still is a very interesting fort.

This place was a photographic challenge. Very bright sunlight shining through holes was like spotlights into very dark rooms. Pitch black tunnels are easy to photograph when compared to that. The fort interior photos may give you the impression that there is lots of available light but it is actually very dark.

Turrets were the worst. With such a confined area, it was difficult to get photos that show more than twisted rusting metal. As ExO had warned, my dinky little pocket camera was stressed to get half descent photos in those very harsh lighting conditions.

We were staying on Corregidor that day and the boat picked us up at the North Dock. On the trip to Fort Drum we headed east around Corregidor. The return trip took us around the western end of Corregidor so we actually circled the island that day, I will add some off-shore photos of Corregidor and Caballo Islands here soon.

The Fort Drum album containing 71 photos is located at XXXXXXXX

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2012 Update


The link referred to in this original post no longer exists. My Fort Drum photos will now be posted here.

The following 74 photos are a good sample of what a visitor to Fort Drum will see today.

The fort is deteriorating badly and will be unsafe in years to come. The lower decks are getting dangerous already not to mention all the deep dark holes lurking everywhere.

I am not going to bother labeling photos as it is not really necessary, the views are the real story. There seems to be no future for this fort.




Fort Drum (El Fraile Island)












































































































































































































































































































Fort Drum in 1937

[okla]

hey fots...what a great way for me to spend a portion of my labor day weekend, enjoying another fantastic fots foto tour, this time of fort drum. and all in the comfort of my den, not having to cope with whether the waters of manila bay were cooperating. in all honesty, you gotta know that i would swim to corregidor and her adjacent forts if i could. seriously, another great job. do keep it up.

[fots2]

You are very welcome okla. In the next couple months I hope to get to Fort Frank again also. That is a very interesting place to visit.

I'll get some Mile Long Barracks photos you wanted posted soon.

Enjoy your weekend.

[okla]

hey fots....i betcha the guys serving on drum felt very much like they were members of uncle sam's navy. seriously, it does seem to me that somewhere i have seen photos of everyday life on fort drum where some of the troops were wearing "dixie cup", us navy hats. can you bear me out on this or am i hallucinating?

[fots2]

I have not seen those photos okla but anything is possible. Wouldn’t old army brass roll over in their graves if any of their grunts were dressed up as sailors?

[okla]

hey fots....the guys in the pics i saw were wearing the ever present blue dungarees that were the standard for fatigue duty pre-pearl harbor, but some of the dog faces were sporting those little white sailor hats. others were wearing the blue fatigue, standard issue "jeep hat". i guess the grizzly, old grunts cut them a little slack since they were, for all practical purposes, "aboard ship". if the brass ever came over from fort mills for inspection, i would suppose the dixie cups went into their "sea bags". you will notice i didnt say barracks bags. on "ships" they were known as sea bags and this is the concrete "battleship" we are talking about. have a good day or i guess its evening or night in the PI.

[fireball]

Hi There, has anyone any advice on access to Fort Drum. While new to looking at sites in the Philippines I am fairy used to scrambling around old forts and buildings.

Thanks

[fots2]

Access to Fort Drum is not controlled in any way so how and when you go there is up to you. Note that there is no dock at the fort so getting onto the Sally ports can be a tricky manoeuvre.

A few suggestions are:

- Rent a banka from either Corregidor, Bataan or Ternate, Cavite. It will be expensive but a bit less depending on your negotiating skills. I can’t quote an exact price.

- Don’t attempt it unless Manila Bay is quite calm. You are a long way from medical help.

- If possible plan for high tide to lessen the jump up to the Sally port. There is a narrow lip in the concrete beside the ports but that is not much to hold onto.

- Have the banka bring a ladder to use as a gangplank. Due to the outriggers, the bankas approach nose first and they are very narrow and unstable if waves are pushing you around.

- Bring a good light and gloves. Walk slowly and look before stepping. Time and scrappers have made this potentially a hazardous place in the lower levels.

- Two hours is probably plenty to see all you want.

Having said that, it is well worth a visit. Have fun.

[fireball]

Thanks for the advice - will let you know after the trip

[Deleted]

I visited Fort Drum 0n the 9th of Feb, the Corregidor Hotel wanted 10,000p for the big boat and 5,000p for the small.

The Corregidor foundation wanted 12,000p, I talked to the manager of the foundation who was very unhelpful. In fact I walked out before I thumped him, what an incredible rude fellow.

The MacArthur Cafe were more helpful, a local boatman called Maynard would take me for 2500p, unfortunately the coast guard would not give him permission, apparently his boats engine is not big enough.

But Maynard put me in touch with with another crew who would take me for 3500, the deal was done and they arrived at the South Dock.

Then the fun began, they had to get permission from the coast guard, the coast guard would not let me go unless i had permission from the hotel, I had to sign a waiver absolving the hotel of any responsibility.

It transpires that the powers that be on the island had a massive bag on because I`d cut them out of the deal, I`d hired the same boat they were going to supply, but for a lot less.

Anyway the crew of two and Derek ( who acted as my guide, I hired his boat back in 2000) took me around the island, checking out the caves and then off to Drum.

Sea was calm all the way there and back, two local fishermen were having lunch when we arrive and they helped myself and her indoors onto the fort.

Its rusting away, i had a little scout around inside, but decided it was not worth the risk wandering around inside.

Up on the top where its solid underfoot, cooler and no torch required is better.

The barrels on the top turret have collapsed inside, Derek said that the scrappers were active here, hmmm, that maybe, but I think the sea air and no maintenance is rotting away the metal work. I have included several pics for you to view.

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