Getting to Grande Island, the ex Fort Wint.
My friend Randy Anderson, a retired Naval Officer & main person creating the Hell Ships Memorial decided to visit the Island. We wanted to get an update of the present resort on the island and carried out two missions for the authors of the book Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival, by David L. Britt. This is one of 4 presentations or segments.
All 30 pictures for this segment “Getting There” have been put into this Photobucket album:
app.photobucket.com/u/PI-Sailor/a/ca245bcd-768b-4419-b510-e4b382939d05?field=TITLE&desc=ascTry to copy this URL and place into another browser!
I don’t know what is happening! It seems this link only works if you copy it and paste into another browser.For the forum presentation I chose these 18 images:
#01 is the Grande Island boat landing, this used to be the location of the Naval Officer Boat Landing. Those 2 white boats appear to belong to the resort but have not been used for many years. That floating small boat landing was used today and one has to be stable on one's feet.
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#02 image shows that the Grande Island Resort is rebuilding their boat landing. They had one here before in 2004 but it rusted and rotted away. Across the Olongapo Harbor we see the new SBFZ Container Port, with two container ships off loading and loading. That is where the Naval Base Officer Beach was. Left of it is the Leyte Carrier Wharf, it and the area has become a grain port, no ship there today.
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#03 is a view across the Alava Extension Wharf toward Mt. Natib. Mt. Natib is the northern of the two volcanoes on the Bataan Peninsula. The image shows the huge caldera of Mt. Natib. The caldera drains to Morong, just south of Subic Bay where the US Army, with their Philippine Scouts, mounted their last Cavalry Charge against the Japanese invaders crossing that volcano river. I wonder how many of us sailors knew we were sitting next to a huge volcano? The wharf now seems seldom to be used but about a couple of weeks ago I saw a Military Sealift Command (MSC) alongside ad the start of the Wharf.
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#05 across the Olongapo Harbor we see the new SBFZ Container Port, with two container ships off loading and loading. That is where the Naval Base Officer Beach was. Left of it is the Leyte Carrier Wharf, it and the area has become a grain port, no ship there today. Left of Leyte Wharf we see a small Yacht Harbor, the Cubi Point Air Field Control Tower and in the distance a high rise is going up.
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#06 is a view across the bay of Subic Bay, dead ahead is Mt. Cinco Picos, right of it is the former Hanjin Shipyard which has now become the Agila Subic Yard which is a Multi-Use Facilities are a shipyard in Subic, along the coastline of the Redondo Peninsula. But I never see anything going on there.
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#07 is a view across the bay of Subic Bay and further right. What is interesting we see a gray Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship at anchor and a smaller white ship. I bet the white ship is a US Government research or survey ship, but I don’t know for sure.
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#10 to #12 images are 3 images shot from left to right of the waterfront of the Grande Island Resort Boat Landing. #10 is in front of SBFZ HQ, #11 shows to buses which have brought guests to the Grande Island Boat Landing, #12 is the Grande Island Boat Landing, which was build around 2003.
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#13 image is a pic of young contract workers going to the Grande Island Resort to do a project, most Filipinos are always ready for a picture.
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#16:
#14 to #16 images of pics of our transit to Grande Island, #16 is of interest it shows a boat landing along the airfield which was built and used by Hanjin but is now being used by the Agila Subic Yard.
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#17 to #21 images are 5 images of us landing on Grande Island showing the pier or wharf and the beach of Grande Island North Beach, You saw the buses parked, a commercial company brought their employees here for a team togetherness, hence people on the beach.
#18
#20
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#22 left to right, our guide and golf cart driver, the spouse of the present manager but she is doing a lot of managing also and my teammate Randy Anderson.
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#23 shows us two musketeers, I got my ARMY shirt on for celebrating the history of Fort Wint here on Grande Island. Randy is going to get some image shots for the authors of the book: Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival, by David L. Britt.
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#24 shows the Grande Island Pier all decked out with flowers that are a change from my 2021 visit. The Navy anchor is stll there or was it the Army who put it there?
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#25 Mission Accomplished, as promised I delivered the book Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival, by David L. Britt.
The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First are Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
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#26 to #30 are five images of views on our drive back from the island to the location of the former Naval Officer Boat Landing. Image #30 shows a grass fire near the runway of the present Subic Bay International Air Port, the former Cubi Point Naval Air Station. During our time we kept the grass very short but today bushes surround the airfield.
#30
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Grande Island, ex Ft. Wint Visit information, this was our experience.
We were pleasantly surprised that the landscaping of the resort is well in hand and even has improved over our past visits. Driving ways for golf carts have been expanded, they are available for renting. All the facilities are in good shape. The mine casemate is open to be looked at. Battery Warwick, the 10 Inch Battery is locked up, part of the airport radar system. Batteries Hall, Flake and Jewell are open and cleared to be visited. Battery Woodruff is a goner and takes some knowledge to find the former location. The North Beach is very fine and ok to the east and south. Two former Navy cottages are used by workers, the others are gone, and the former Navy swimming pool is filled up with trash. But the resort has a very big and clean one in the area of the former Navy Ball Field. Anything else of the former Army Fort Wint Coastal Artillery one has to go into the bushes to find the controls etc.
They are also on Facebook that is where the below info came from:
www.facebook.com/GrandeIslandResortOfficial/Hi Karl-Wilhelm
-OVERNIGHT DETAILS FOR TWO (2) PAX:
-Sea view - P13,888.00
-Garden View - P11,888.00
-Extra person charge - P3,850.00/head
-Extra Bed: P1,650.00/night
-Room Capacity: up to 4 pax only
-Free of Charge: Kids below 3 feet
Inclusions: - Boat Transportation
- 1st day meals: Dinner
- 2nd day meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Beach & pool access
- Wi-Fi - Cable TV
- Guided Grande Island land tour
-Mobile/Viber/WhatsApp: 0917-128-0593
- Email: sales@grandeislandresort.ph{
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Greetings from Grande Island!
-We are now accepting DAY TOUR!
-BOAT SCHEDULE Terminal check in: 8:00 AM Island check out: 4:00 PM
-Our DAY TOUR rate is P2999.00 per adult and P1499.00 per kid below 12 yrs old.
-(Note from Karl, they charged us 2,500 pesos)
Inclusions:
- Boat transfer
- Guided island tour
- Ocular rooms
- Fishing
- Beach access
• Swimming pool is not available
Dine in:
- Welcome drinks
- AM Snacks
- Plated Lunch
- PM Snacks