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Post by fireball on Oct 15, 2014 16:41:14 GMT 8
Bit of a sad story for all concerned. It reminds me of a bar discussion in Singapore with a group of Senior Sailors about what to do if the lady you had just brought back to the hotel turned out to be more lad than lady - the general feeling was that since you had already paid you might as well get your monies worth.
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Post by fireball on Sept 9, 2014 20:46:20 GMT 8
I have a feeling, but maybe wrong, that Karl mentioned this website with reference to his family / historical trip to Europe: www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php/5-Military-SitesFor anyone going to Europe (UK especially) this is a great resource for military sites. If you want to know what the inside of a closed or barricaded 19th or 20th century fort / tunnel / bunker etc etc looks like this is the place to go. Unlike the sanitised images of the 'open to the public' monuments, here the feeling is more like what we find in the Philippines . Going from early 19th century to the Cold War it also allows the Manila Bay coastal defences to be placed within the perspective of the evolution of fortifications over this period.
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Post by fireball on Sept 9, 2014 20:23:00 GMT 8
Karl I will never ceased to be amazed with your energy & daring. To those who have not been to Fort Wint the entrance to that small tunnel under the mine casement is so small, and obscured by rocks & rebar, that it is easily missed. While Karl does not mention it I am sure he was disappointed that after squeezing through the entrance the short tunnel did not lead to entry to the casement.
With the vents on top I did, some time ago, drop a camera & attached flashlight down most of them. The video while constantly rotating did at times give a tantalising glimpse of unfilled spaces. Lousy quality, not much to see and probably just the back of the vent but it leaves the optimist wondering what remains behind the blocked off front facade. Once I'm back in Manila later next week, if time permits, I will post a couple of those video stills. Only the very keen explorers , if indeed even them, will find them interesting.
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Post by fireball on Jul 8, 2014 23:40:44 GMT 8
Not that i'm much of a history buff but If anyone is interested in a quick day / overnight trip there before the rains really hit please let me know as I would be interested.
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Post by fireball on Apr 2, 2014 6:51:57 GMT 8
Have you considered the American Historical Collection at Ateneo University (QC) ? rizal.lib.admu.edu.ph/ahc/index.htmAlso, should anyone be visiting the Filipina Heritage Library I am now living close to it and would be pleased to take the opportunity to meet other members from this site
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Post by fireball on Mar 22, 2014 6:11:52 GMT 8
For those that might be interested - and that may be no one - my two years in PNG are finished and I will be back in the Philippines within a couple of days. For how long that depends upon the Gods of Employment and while I would willingly sacrifice a few virgins to speed up the process I suspect that with my age I will be in the country for some months. So, if anyone has any research projects or trips planned please let me know.
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Post by fireball on Jan 14, 2014 12:44:19 GMT 8
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Post by fireball on Jan 13, 2014 16:02:16 GMT 8
Well I opted for the cover of automatic anchors on the basis of TM 2160-20 Submarine Mining page 150. The manual also indicates that the covers should be stored separately / removed from the base mechanism. Sorry I forget to save the URL but a quick Internet search should find it. Of course it might not be in anyway connected to the mine field and in that case it might be anything - nowadays they use LPG bottles for illegal stills so ...
But the simplest way of adding weight, or discounting, the idea they are covers for automatic mines will be to look at the underneath and see if they are open (as the covers would)
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Post by fireball on Jan 4, 2014 21:41:00 GMT 8
While having previously discounted automatic anchors in fact they look remarkably like the covers of some such anchors - excepting that I can not see any holes in the flanges as would be expected. Also it would be useful to know the dimensions. The description of the cover is ".. cylinder of 1/8 inch steel sheet, a top of 1/4 inch steel plating … 2ft 8 inch diameter 3ft high"
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Post by fireball on Jan 4, 2014 8:31:02 GMT 8
I am going for electronically controlled bottom / sea floor mines on basis (a) sounds like way too heavy to float (b) probably too high & Light for an anchor of a floating mine (c) while there were automatic anchors the body seems completely closed so seems unlikely (d) fact that they have access from the top & had an extra top fitting - the firing mechanism would have had a cover to protect it (e) bottom shape seems ideal for both transport by boat and sitting on seabed - would be interesting to know if there is a saucer shaped hollow on base as used for better anchorage (f) only thing I could think of
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