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Post by EXO on Nov 13, 2023 6:34:24 GMT 8
RANDY ANDERSON has solved the issue. He's identified the hydrofoil as a Hungarian made boat, manufactured by MAHART TRANSPORTATION of Hungary. Had a look at the MAHART PASSNAVE website, and confirmed that the Corregidor hydrofoil of the late 1970's was a vessel which was built in Hungary and introduced to the press on 14 Aug 1962. Initially it was caught in Austrian-Hungarian politics, but eventually two boats were working between Budapest and Vienna. Alluding to delays attributable to 'interstate relations', the regular, permanent, officially acknowledged line started on May 24, 1964, and that event was a festive occasion in Vienna. The initial 50 days grew to 115 days a year later on, then in 1992 to 191 days of trips, which may be the highest number possible. There they managed in excess of one million passengers carried. The routes were competitive and the schedules exacting, and there were issues whether it was economical to maintain multiple hydrofoil boats to ensure compliance with exacting American Express tour schedules. Prime costs changed across time, and the boats eventually could operate only due to subsidies. This perhaps was the reason the boats were sold to the Philippines. Running a hydrofoil on Manila Bay is not the same as running it on a European river, and they were not suited for rough, open waters of Manila Bay.
What happened to the hydrofoil (or even whether there was one or two of them) is unknown to me. I'm still curious as to its (their?) history on the Corregidor Run. They were a good looking boat, but could they really do the Kessel Run in 12 Parsecs?
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Post by EXO on Nov 12, 2023 9:01:26 GMT 8
Back in 1974/75 this was the ferry which transported tourists between Manila and Corregidor. I am trying to find out more about it. Not having much luck even with Google. Anyone got any facts? I'd like to know who was running it, and between what years. It was a very attractive looking boat, but when Manila Bay got rough, it was like a bucking horse. Just not suited as a regular ferry. It's unusual (as far as hydrofoils go) as its bridge is aft, giving it a long bow. Ideas?
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Post by EXO on Nov 12, 2023 8:01:58 GMT 8
I visited Corregidor in December 74/Jan 75, probably in '77, and again in 1978. Youngsters of the digital persuasion mightn't be aware that in those prehistoric days, film didn't have any integral means of identifying the date, or keywords. It's almost 50 years on and my negatives are long gone, I have no idea where. I am scanning old pics from their grouping, have identified this one as Dec/Jan 1975. No big deal. But what intrigues me is the identity of the wreckage and facts of its demise. Any ideas? Facts?
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Post by EXO on Nov 9, 2023 19:12:47 GMT 8
YES, these images show how poorly Corregidor has been looked after by those appointed to be its guardians. No doubt those guardians have every excuse under the sun, but the rest of the country has recovered, hasn't it?
I recall the last time I stayed at the Corregidor Inn. Post refurbishing, pre-Covid. The room rate was more expensive than a room at the Manila Hotel!
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Post by EXO on Nov 6, 2023 15:27:56 GMT 8
FIELD NOTES Observing Corregdor Volume I
by John Moffitt, Editor Paul F. Whitman 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25 cm) format, 218 Pages ISBN SOFTCOVER 9798210728463 Something that really pisses me off is that when we publish a book, the initial book is normally a hardcover, and it costs an arm and a leg to buy it. That's just the way it is with "print on demand books". I publish RARE BOOKS! So with great pleasure I announce the publication of this book in SOFTCOVER! yes, the Cheap Charlie Edition is now available!!! This reduces the cost - in this instance - to $24.99 ! No effing excuse now, unless you want the PDF Version, which is $7.99.
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Post by EXO on Oct 29, 2023 8:16:17 GMT 8
I suspect we're in for another reshuffle of the "who runs Corregidor" card deck. Corregidor could be a treasure more precious than gold. And treated that way. It is a living memory of the Filipino and American veterans who heroically struggled in pursuit of the nation’s independence. But even before Covid hit, it was at Stage 5 Stagnation. Covid has passed, and while other tourism attractions in the Philippines are up and running, Corregidor is not. From the stagnation point onwards there are 2 basic possibilities: Decline in various forms, or rejuvenation (regrowth of the attraction). DECLINE: Decline, courtesy of Covid, has been absolute. No daily fast boat from Manila still. No Corregidor Inn. Not enough resources to maintain it adequately. REJUVENATION: Rejuvenation involves a capital investment from either a private company or the government, to create a renewal to boost its repute. But in my view, there's a third factor which needs to be considered, and that is that we are dealing with Corregidor, the cultural meaning of Corregidor, not some privately owned island. I define ' culture' to mean "ideas, customs, and social behavior", and the relevant period to be "June/July 1946." The Corregidor tourism master plan claims it values the voices of its stakeholders. Tosh! I think their definition of "stakeholder" means "money and career invested". Our Corregidor Historic Society is a small interest group on behalf of History, not an investment group, not officeholders representing Our investment is the knowledge of History, from the point of view of outsiders. (Outsiders in the sense that all the heroes and victims have passed.) We are not currently serving military, not bureaucrats, not real-estate developers, and not Architects or urban planners after lucrative fees. Our interest remains in preserving the war memorials of the island while upgrading its facilities to provide an educational and comfortable experience for visitors. Our interests are in seeing Corregidor become an environmentally robust history precinct. We're not tree huggers, but we want Corregidor to be an example of how responsible environmental management can be used to create a robust tourism on the island. No Disneylandish crap. Corregidor needs to be a "NO GIMMICK" zone. Here's my question: Should the Palafox Plan shape history, or should History shape the Palafox Plan? Palafox themselves say this: "We must be aware that as professionals in the industry, we shape history when we plan and design buildings and communities for people to use."
(The emphasis is mine) Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group, say that they "consistently apply the integral ecology approach to development: people first or social equity, then planet earth or the environment, profit or economic growth, culture and history, and interfaith spirituality."
I think they have got their priorities backwards. The rejuvenation credo of Corregidor needs to be "seeking the purity of environment, culture & history."
Also to be told that there will be planning which takes into account the "voices of the various stakeholders" - Well, your Corregidor Historic Society represents an active and international group of stakeholders who collectively know more about the history and heritage of Corregidor than a boiler room full of architects/town planners - and we haven't heard a thing from them. Bupkis.
As stakeholders, we the self-proclaimed, representational visitors and students of the History of Corregidor weren't ever on the map.
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Post by EXO on Oct 27, 2023 5:06:23 GMT 8
26 October 2023
Welcome to new member Foxhole Frank, aka Frank McGlothlin of Covington, Louisiana. His interest is the Battle of Bataan and relics found there.
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Post by EXO on Oct 24, 2023 19:38:10 GMT 8
FIELD NOTES Observing Corregdor Volume I
by John Moffitt, Editor Paul F. Whitman 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25 cm) format, 212 pages ISBN Hardcover, ImageWrap 9798210802460 Battlefield archaeology refers to the scientific study of a cultural landscape on which a military action - or battle - occurred. Archaeologists understand that by studying what was left behind after the battle occurred, historians, preservationists and researchers can better understand how the battle unfolded. John Moffitt documented his early explorations and observations on Corregidor, and posted a comprehensive range of them on the Corregidor Forum (Bulletin Board). I felt that the series warranted being collected as a feature of the REDISCOVERING CORREGIDOR website, and the FIELD NOTES series of articles was born. The FIELD NOTES are being reproduced in a hardcover publication series, of which this is Volume 1. The other volumes will appear as time permits. It is anticipated that the Field Notes will be reproduced in softcover, as time and demand permits. Softcover editions are approximately half the price. If you want to obtain a softcover, contact me and I may be able to arrange a coupon discount when they are next available.
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Post by EXO on Oct 22, 2023 11:34:12 GMT 8
SS Coolidge was lost near Luganville, Vanuatu. (off Espirito Santo). A US mine did it. It is one of the biggest accessible shipwrecks in the world sitting at 198m long and 22,000 tons in weight. Situated a short distance offshore, all the dives are shore based, with the front of the boat in just 18 metres of water.
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Post by EXO on Oct 20, 2023 8:15:23 GMT 8
I was just checking on my memory to confirm a "detail" and came upon this INTERNET ARCHIVE site hosted by C-SPAN. If you didn't catch the original program (broadcast 25 AUG 2021) this is sure worth a visit. The broadcast was a project of Amanda Williams & Jim Zobel of MacArthur Memorial. It features an interview of book author Kevin Maurer.
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