Post by fots2 on Jul 19, 2011 16:56:48 GMT 8
The following trip report will be split into three sections.
- Part 1: Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter
- Part 2: Vintage photos of Battery Geary
- Part 3: Battery Geary today
Part 1 - Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter
This trip report is in response to a discussion located at the following link. I suggest reading it first.
corregidor.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=993
Earlier this month I decided to make a last minute trip to Corregidor. It is the rainy season now but the forecast did not mention any bad weather coming. I called Sun Cruises just past 4pm and within minutes had a seat on the ferry and a room reserved for the next four days.
On top of my list was a detailed look around Battery Geary. Thanks to the efforts of Will Walker, I had an idea of where the Air Raid Shelter may have been located. During a January 6th, 1942 air raid, 34 men were inside the unfinished shelter when a large bomb hit nearby collapsing it in sideways. Three men survived but 31 died when the walls caved in around them.
Since I like to explore, I decided to look where the shelter is not supposed to be first. It was early in the trip, I had lots of time and the skies were clear.
1932 map of Battery Geary etc.
In front of the battery (west of it) is a ridge all the way from the Belt Line Road to Battery Crockett. Down below this ridge is Geary Road. Walking is easy on top but the sides are quite steep. There is one little concrete structure, one 12-inch mortar and two Secondary Fire Control Stations up here. A few other miscellaneous things are there but no evidence of concrete foundations, tunnels or any type of shelter.
To the north of Battery Geary is a hillside following the Belt Line Road. This slope is gentle and it is very unlikely that any shelter would be here. There are no remnants of any structures, just a shallow crater or two.
In this area is the Battery Geary Plotting Room which is located along the former trolley line (today's road). It is heavily damaged but as Phantom says, it would not be a good shelter as it is above ground and has exposed windows and doorways. Its current state is a testimony to how unsafe this building was during wartime.
Approaching the Battery Geary Plotting Room. The intersection of the old trolley line (where I am standing) and Belt Line Road can be seen in the distance.
Bomb or shell hole in the roof. Part of the rear wall is totally destroyed.
Behind the battery and heading south is another ridge. This one looks ideal for a tunnel type shelter. I zigzagged on the sides and top all the way to Battery Crockett. There are some interesting things here but nothing to suggest a tunnel was anywhere along this ridge.
As you walk from Battery Geary towards the Plotting Room you can see something off the road to the right. A few feet inside the tree line are thick chunks of concrete. Smooth sides, trim and even conduit holes tell me that this concrete was part of Battery Geary. The chunks are concentrated in one area and look as if a dozer pushed them over here when the battery was cleared post war.
One thing caught my attention. Where is the rebar? There is none sticking out of any concrete block. Later I went back to the battery to examine the walls. I do see rebar where the walls attach to the ceiling but none in all the broken concrete walls scattered around. Is this why the explosion on May 2nd, 1942 totally obliterated the centre magazine?
Large chunks of concrete.
Bottom left there are four conduit holes.
One thing you notice when wandering around Corregidor is the numerous hazards to one's health. Open manholes for drainage and cable junction boxes can be hidden among the vegetation. Here is one under a tree. There is not much grass around but it is a sample of what you can fall into. This particular one is about 20 feet deep.
A metal ladder is still there.
Another nearly hidden hazard was a concrete lined box about three feet deep with metal pipes in the sides. There are two of these.
Close by is a drain pipe with enough water flowing out to create a small stream.
From new information received, it was now time to go have a look at the most likely location of the shelter. Here is a summary of what we learned from a 1942 Battery Geary veteran who actually saw this structure.
1 - Located under the concrete floor of the old mess hall.
2 - The old mess hall was located near the battery.
3 - They dug underneath the floor and piled the dirt on top of it.
4 - The concrete floor was 4 to 6 inches thick and not reinforced.
5 - Under the floor, the shelter was about 25 feet long and 14-16 feet wide.
6 - A large bomb landed nearby and collapsed the shelter in sideways.
Finally, I was left with the immediate area lying east of Battery Geary and opposite from the Plotting Room. (i.e. south side of the road). I had no idea where the mess hall was but now I know for sure that there are no other concrete building foundations around here (except for one). If Will had not provided any information as to the location of the Air Raid Shelter then I would not even have considered looking here.
The terrain along the road opposite the Plotting Room has the same gentle slope as I saw north of the road. Not far away are the remains of Building #103, the only structure here. It is located approximately 200 feet from the rear of Battery Geary and may have been the old mess hall. A second veteran says the mess hall was 50 - 75 yards (150 - 225 feet) from the battery so this agrees with him. A concrete floor and low outer walls remain today.
1921 map of Battery Geary showing Building #103. The Plotting room across the trolley line is not recorded until the 1929 map.
If the shelter was here, wouldn't the entrance have to be dug down and then horizontal under the floor? Well, there is no substitute for actually being there and I got a bit of a surprise. At the rear (south side) of the building is a shallow ravine. This ravine soon joins another one further south where a small stream flows towards Government Ravine. Standing on the bottom of this shallow ravine, I am about 15 feet from the concrete floor which is now above eye level. You would not have to dig down to get under the floor, just dig horizontal.
Today I do not see any indentation along the south wall embankment to indicate that a collapsed tunnel of some sort is here. That is why I was asking the question "what was done with the dirt on top of the floor after the collapse?" Was it pushed over the side to seal the entrance? Also, I have to remember that I am standing here 70 years after the shelter was being dug. Things change.
Standing in the ravine and looking towards the concrete floor. You can see it about one inch down from the top of the photo.
The building itself was wooden and rectangular in shape (78 feet x 31 feet). Part way down the outside wall is a short interior wall that has a concrete floor on one side and dirt at a lower level on the other side. This looks like most of the building's floor was concrete covered but also a section may have been wooden. The concrete floor measures 53 feet x 31 feet. This is plenty large enough to have had a shelter under it of the size mentioned by one of the veterans. The floor is 5 inch thick concrete. A couple sections of it are broken and I can see that it is not reinforced.
SW corner of the building. A concrete floor is under the leaves and dirt.
NE corner of the building. If this section of floor was concrete then it is buried quite a few inches today. I found no sign of a floor here when kicking away the dirt. One of the hazards can be seen upper right.
On the south side of the building you can see part of one interior foundation wall. The side facing west has a concrete floor, you can see a piece of it in the corner. The side facing east is lower and I cannot find a concrete floor within a few inches of the surface.
Standing on the interior wall looking south. The long exterior wall runs left to right in the photo.
As you follow the south side wall walking east, you start to see the effects of the shallow ravine on your right. The SE corner wall is higher than the other three. The perpendicular piece of concrete (centre bottom) is a support on the outside of the wall.
Not far from the SE corner of the building.
Another observation was a section of collapsed concrete floor (12.5 feet long) on the south side where the shelter entrance may have been. The slope down to the shallow ravine starts at the edge of the floor however the collapse in not facing downhill. The collapse (a foot or so deep) is straight down as if the dirt under the floor settled or eroded away. Is part of the shelter under here?
In the above photo I am standing on the concrete floor looking east. The slope to the shallow ravine starts to the right of the floor. The dip is the collapsed area straight ahead.
Same collapsed area looking west now. Horizontal concrete floor is seen at the bottom of the photo. At the top of the photo is also horizontal concrete floor, the collapse is in the middle.
Today there is no mound of dirt on top of the floor. Many old concrete floors on Corregidor are now covered with trees, vines, roots and a thin layer of dirt. This one is no exception but it is a bit unusual in that there are some rocks on top. This may or may not be significant. They are located toward the center of the floor and in from this collapsed area. Also, just north of the floor is a small mound of dirt.
Looking south you can see rocks on the floor. From this angle you get a better look at the extent of the collapsed floor seen at the top of the photo.
Two larger rocks on the concrete floor close to the collapsed area.
There is another interesting point to be seen in the slope along the south wall of the building. Again, there are rocks lying on the ground between the floor and the ravine but ONLY in the area of the collapsed floor.
As I look at the photos now I also see that the outside foundation wall is missing in front of the collapsed floor and a bit further east. I never noticed this when I was there so I cannot explain it. At the time I did look under the floor and did not see any holes or other concrete.
The 5 inch thick concrete floor with no foundation wall in front of it.
Now, what about the bomb that caused all the loss of life and is the reason we are talking about this particular shelter. Is there any big crater nearby? There certainly is!!! Even today after all these years the crater is approximately 32 feet across and 9 feet deep. I have never been able to get a decent photo of a crater but since it is important to this report, I gave it another try. I would have better luck on a cloudy day with less contrast.
I should say that finding a crater on Corregidor is equivalent to finding water in the ocean. What does support this story is that there is no other crater in the vicinity. It is a mere 36 feet from the edge of the crater to the concrete wall of Building #103.
The crater near Building #103. The horizontal line near the top is the road past the tree line. On both sides of the crater the slope down from the road is just a couple feet so hopefully you can see that this is a big deep crater.
Here is a sketch of the area around Building #103 showing various points of interest. It should make the above report more clear.
I must admit that I would not have looked for an Air Raid Shelter "under a concrete floor". Having found nothing of a shelter elsewhere then its location would still be a mystery today if not for a veteran's description. Although there is no old wooden sign with an arrow pointing down saying "Shelter here", there is evidence to support his comments.
This shelter was the scene of an event that would etch a permanent memory in any soldier's brain. From his descriptions, under this concrete floor is quite likely the location of the Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter.
I assume the bodies of the soldiers were recovered. RIP to 31 men of Battery H, 59th Coast Artillery who lost their lives here on January 6th, 1942.
- Part 1: Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter
- Part 2: Vintage photos of Battery Geary
- Part 3: Battery Geary today
Part 1 - Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter
This trip report is in response to a discussion located at the following link. I suggest reading it first.
corregidor.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=993
Earlier this month I decided to make a last minute trip to Corregidor. It is the rainy season now but the forecast did not mention any bad weather coming. I called Sun Cruises just past 4pm and within minutes had a seat on the ferry and a room reserved for the next four days.
On top of my list was a detailed look around Battery Geary. Thanks to the efforts of Will Walker, I had an idea of where the Air Raid Shelter may have been located. During a January 6th, 1942 air raid, 34 men were inside the unfinished shelter when a large bomb hit nearby collapsing it in sideways. Three men survived but 31 died when the walls caved in around them.
Since I like to explore, I decided to look where the shelter is not supposed to be first. It was early in the trip, I had lots of time and the skies were clear.
1932 map of Battery Geary etc.
In front of the battery (west of it) is a ridge all the way from the Belt Line Road to Battery Crockett. Down below this ridge is Geary Road. Walking is easy on top but the sides are quite steep. There is one little concrete structure, one 12-inch mortar and two Secondary Fire Control Stations up here. A few other miscellaneous things are there but no evidence of concrete foundations, tunnels or any type of shelter.
To the north of Battery Geary is a hillside following the Belt Line Road. This slope is gentle and it is very unlikely that any shelter would be here. There are no remnants of any structures, just a shallow crater or two.
In this area is the Battery Geary Plotting Room which is located along the former trolley line (today's road). It is heavily damaged but as Phantom says, it would not be a good shelter as it is above ground and has exposed windows and doorways. Its current state is a testimony to how unsafe this building was during wartime.
Approaching the Battery Geary Plotting Room. The intersection of the old trolley line (where I am standing) and Belt Line Road can be seen in the distance.
Bomb or shell hole in the roof. Part of the rear wall is totally destroyed.
Behind the battery and heading south is another ridge. This one looks ideal for a tunnel type shelter. I zigzagged on the sides and top all the way to Battery Crockett. There are some interesting things here but nothing to suggest a tunnel was anywhere along this ridge.
As you walk from Battery Geary towards the Plotting Room you can see something off the road to the right. A few feet inside the tree line are thick chunks of concrete. Smooth sides, trim and even conduit holes tell me that this concrete was part of Battery Geary. The chunks are concentrated in one area and look as if a dozer pushed them over here when the battery was cleared post war.
One thing caught my attention. Where is the rebar? There is none sticking out of any concrete block. Later I went back to the battery to examine the walls. I do see rebar where the walls attach to the ceiling but none in all the broken concrete walls scattered around. Is this why the explosion on May 2nd, 1942 totally obliterated the centre magazine?
Large chunks of concrete.
Bottom left there are four conduit holes.
One thing you notice when wandering around Corregidor is the numerous hazards to one's health. Open manholes for drainage and cable junction boxes can be hidden among the vegetation. Here is one under a tree. There is not much grass around but it is a sample of what you can fall into. This particular one is about 20 feet deep.
A metal ladder is still there.
Another nearly hidden hazard was a concrete lined box about three feet deep with metal pipes in the sides. There are two of these.
Close by is a drain pipe with enough water flowing out to create a small stream.
From new information received, it was now time to go have a look at the most likely location of the shelter. Here is a summary of what we learned from a 1942 Battery Geary veteran who actually saw this structure.
1 - Located under the concrete floor of the old mess hall.
2 - The old mess hall was located near the battery.
3 - They dug underneath the floor and piled the dirt on top of it.
4 - The concrete floor was 4 to 6 inches thick and not reinforced.
5 - Under the floor, the shelter was about 25 feet long and 14-16 feet wide.
6 - A large bomb landed nearby and collapsed the shelter in sideways.
Finally, I was left with the immediate area lying east of Battery Geary and opposite from the Plotting Room. (i.e. south side of the road). I had no idea where the mess hall was but now I know for sure that there are no other concrete building foundations around here (except for one). If Will had not provided any information as to the location of the Air Raid Shelter then I would not even have considered looking here.
The terrain along the road opposite the Plotting Room has the same gentle slope as I saw north of the road. Not far away are the remains of Building #103, the only structure here. It is located approximately 200 feet from the rear of Battery Geary and may have been the old mess hall. A second veteran says the mess hall was 50 - 75 yards (150 - 225 feet) from the battery so this agrees with him. A concrete floor and low outer walls remain today.
1921 map of Battery Geary showing Building #103. The Plotting room across the trolley line is not recorded until the 1929 map.
If the shelter was here, wouldn't the entrance have to be dug down and then horizontal under the floor? Well, there is no substitute for actually being there and I got a bit of a surprise. At the rear (south side) of the building is a shallow ravine. This ravine soon joins another one further south where a small stream flows towards Government Ravine. Standing on the bottom of this shallow ravine, I am about 15 feet from the concrete floor which is now above eye level. You would not have to dig down to get under the floor, just dig horizontal.
Today I do not see any indentation along the south wall embankment to indicate that a collapsed tunnel of some sort is here. That is why I was asking the question "what was done with the dirt on top of the floor after the collapse?" Was it pushed over the side to seal the entrance? Also, I have to remember that I am standing here 70 years after the shelter was being dug. Things change.
Standing in the ravine and looking towards the concrete floor. You can see it about one inch down from the top of the photo.
The building itself was wooden and rectangular in shape (78 feet x 31 feet). Part way down the outside wall is a short interior wall that has a concrete floor on one side and dirt at a lower level on the other side. This looks like most of the building's floor was concrete covered but also a section may have been wooden. The concrete floor measures 53 feet x 31 feet. This is plenty large enough to have had a shelter under it of the size mentioned by one of the veterans. The floor is 5 inch thick concrete. A couple sections of it are broken and I can see that it is not reinforced.
SW corner of the building. A concrete floor is under the leaves and dirt.
NE corner of the building. If this section of floor was concrete then it is buried quite a few inches today. I found no sign of a floor here when kicking away the dirt. One of the hazards can be seen upper right.
On the south side of the building you can see part of one interior foundation wall. The side facing west has a concrete floor, you can see a piece of it in the corner. The side facing east is lower and I cannot find a concrete floor within a few inches of the surface.
Standing on the interior wall looking south. The long exterior wall runs left to right in the photo.
As you follow the south side wall walking east, you start to see the effects of the shallow ravine on your right. The SE corner wall is higher than the other three. The perpendicular piece of concrete (centre bottom) is a support on the outside of the wall.
Not far from the SE corner of the building.
Another observation was a section of collapsed concrete floor (12.5 feet long) on the south side where the shelter entrance may have been. The slope down to the shallow ravine starts at the edge of the floor however the collapse in not facing downhill. The collapse (a foot or so deep) is straight down as if the dirt under the floor settled or eroded away. Is part of the shelter under here?
In the above photo I am standing on the concrete floor looking east. The slope to the shallow ravine starts to the right of the floor. The dip is the collapsed area straight ahead.
Same collapsed area looking west now. Horizontal concrete floor is seen at the bottom of the photo. At the top of the photo is also horizontal concrete floor, the collapse is in the middle.
Today there is no mound of dirt on top of the floor. Many old concrete floors on Corregidor are now covered with trees, vines, roots and a thin layer of dirt. This one is no exception but it is a bit unusual in that there are some rocks on top. This may or may not be significant. They are located toward the center of the floor and in from this collapsed area. Also, just north of the floor is a small mound of dirt.
Looking south you can see rocks on the floor. From this angle you get a better look at the extent of the collapsed floor seen at the top of the photo.
Two larger rocks on the concrete floor close to the collapsed area.
There is another interesting point to be seen in the slope along the south wall of the building. Again, there are rocks lying on the ground between the floor and the ravine but ONLY in the area of the collapsed floor.
As I look at the photos now I also see that the outside foundation wall is missing in front of the collapsed floor and a bit further east. I never noticed this when I was there so I cannot explain it. At the time I did look under the floor and did not see any holes or other concrete.
The 5 inch thick concrete floor with no foundation wall in front of it.
Now, what about the bomb that caused all the loss of life and is the reason we are talking about this particular shelter. Is there any big crater nearby? There certainly is!!! Even today after all these years the crater is approximately 32 feet across and 9 feet deep. I have never been able to get a decent photo of a crater but since it is important to this report, I gave it another try. I would have better luck on a cloudy day with less contrast.
I should say that finding a crater on Corregidor is equivalent to finding water in the ocean. What does support this story is that there is no other crater in the vicinity. It is a mere 36 feet from the edge of the crater to the concrete wall of Building #103.
The crater near Building #103. The horizontal line near the top is the road past the tree line. On both sides of the crater the slope down from the road is just a couple feet so hopefully you can see that this is a big deep crater.
Here is a sketch of the area around Building #103 showing various points of interest. It should make the above report more clear.
I must admit that I would not have looked for an Air Raid Shelter "under a concrete floor". Having found nothing of a shelter elsewhere then its location would still be a mystery today if not for a veteran's description. Although there is no old wooden sign with an arrow pointing down saying "Shelter here", there is evidence to support his comments.
This shelter was the scene of an event that would etch a permanent memory in any soldier's brain. From his descriptions, under this concrete floor is quite likely the location of the Battery Geary Air Raid Shelter.
I assume the bodies of the soldiers were recovered. RIP to 31 men of Battery H, 59th Coast Artillery who lost their lives here on January 6th, 1942.