Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 23, 2011 12:57:07 GMT 8
Another visit to Corregidor, this one was a little bit different in that I took advantage of the new Suncruises Ferry Service to Mariveles and back via Corregidor.
For no particular reason I start with my 5th and last walking day, Tuesday the 18th Oct. 2011
Corregidor RJ43 Area,-Tunnel,-Trench,-Battery, Artillery Pt.-Trench, Malinta Hill Rockslides, Philippine Navy.
On this last walk, day 5, of my visit to Corregidor I visited the RJ43 Tunnel, the ravine where it enters, the Artillery Point Ridge where it goes under and where I seen the longest trench on the island. Battery RJ43 I wanted to find and look at the condition of the Malinta Hill South Road in view of the recent rockslides. Looked at Enlisted Men Beach again. This day was also noteworthy because a large college student group arrived and the Philippine Navy arrived also. Here is the album:
pisailor.multiply.com/photos/album/65
As usual my albums have too many images but I use this ‘Multiply Image Account’ to store all my pictures and they are stored here at a higher resolution and can be down loaded at a higher resolution. But they have only a short title and so the this album is not a picture story and essay.
I’m not planning to upload some of these pictures to my Photobucket account and write descriptions.
RJ43 Tunnel has knee deep water
The large Malinta Hill rockslide
My GPS Track for this walk and day
Here is my diary entry for this day
Corregidor Diary
2011, 18th Oct. RJ43 Area
Day Five, Tuesday
Decided to take a picture of the water in RJ43 Tunnel, find Battery RJ43 and walk around Malinta Hill South Road to see whether the Malinta Hill Tunnel South is still open and is not covered by the recent rock slides.
Walked from the hotel to and around Malinta Point, took some comprehensive pictures of some of the structures along the North Road at the Enlistment Men Beach section. Also took pictures of the Japanese. suicide boat tunnel and the Enlistment Beach. Looked up at Malinta Hill and wondered where Goal Post Hill was.
The wind for the first time this visit came from the NE. A few day ago the Weather Men said that the NE Monsoons are about to start. But this NE wind was a light wind. Wednesday morning it came from the SE and at noon had shifted back to the NE still a light wind.
I went down to the RJ43 Tunnel entrance and took pictures of the ankle deep water in the tunnel. The entrance is in the ravine west of Artillery Point Ridge or between the Artillery Point Ridge and fots2 Goal Post Hill. I continued further down that ridge and state “It is possible to get down to the north beach without too much trouble”. I didn’t see any evidence of any other tunnels in that ravine.
I went straight up on the Artillery Ridge and came across a very long concrete lined trench, facing Officer Beach. I hit it about in the middle and first went down the ridge and north, taking pictures of the north half of the trench, Infantry Point and Engineering Point. Then I reversed and checked out the southern half of the trench by going along it too the south and up the ridge. The ridge slopes down to the North Channel. I thought I found a new trench but then it occurred to me that fots2 may have discovered it earlier. But his trip report never was clear to me and I thought I had a new find. This trench has a concrete step to give the defender two heights to stand on for firing or a deeper side to travel in.
I next looked for Battery RJ43. In the forum was a picture from battery boy presented by fots2 that placed it about half way between the RJ43 Tunnel vent and the new water tank which I believe was built for the post war resort in the 92nd Garage area. Carefully looking around I noticed a round flat area surrounded by what seemed to have been a berm. I cleared a spot and got concrete. I cleared to the edge but found no bolts sticking out., but I was sure this must be it. Then I moved my back pack and I seen the bolts that fots2 had cleared on a previous visit. I found it!!!.
Next I also took some pictures of the concrete trench adjacent and north of Battery RJ43. It may the shortest of the 5 concrete trenches east of Malinta Hill. From now on I will call it the Battery RJ43 Trench.
Then I looked for the RJ43 Tunnel vent and took a picture of a flat piece of concrete laying about 6 feet NE from it and is about 6 feet square (approximately).
The next task was to go around the south side of Malinta Hill. On the 1st day we looked at it coming from Bottomside and seen a large rock slide, west of the Malinta Hill South Entrance. This is a large slide and I would not go across it. It is too risky in my book. I was told it already happened last Aug. or before.
I wanted to ascertain that it didn’t cover the south entrance but now had to approach it from RJ43. The Malinta Hill South Road is grown over with grass and weeds but is still walkable. Came across a few single large boulders that have fallen in the last half year and would have prevented driving there.
Then I came across “The 2nd Large Rock Slide” near the first one but east of the Malinta Hill South Entrance. One could cross this rockslide safely and I could see the tunnel entrance is still visible.
I returned the way I came, cut down to the Malinta Hill East Entrance, short cut thru it back to Bottomside. Steve Kwiecinski requested I show him the location of the first flag pole on which the paratroopers raised the US Flag on the 16th Feb 1945. He picked me up with his jeep and returned me to the hotel.
In the hotel, the staff was preparing to receive a large group of college students on an educational field trip, They were from Calamba, Laguna (Jose Rizal’s Birth Place).
After my cleaning up routine I returned to Bottomside for my “Carlos Meal” and a surprise was waiting for me. The Philippine Navy had arrived, a very large Landing Craft had moored to the North Mine Dock, bow to and lowered it’s bow ramp. One sailor said they are returning from an exercise and stopped here for one night before returning to Cavite. A small patrol boat with two modern patrol rubber boats (to big to be carried on this patrol boat) also was arrived.
Next morning I prepared myself for my departure with the ferry which on Monday, Wednesday and Friday goes on to Mariveles. My arrival and departure with this new ferry service is covered in the Corregidor forum in another thread.
END
For no particular reason I start with my 5th and last walking day, Tuesday the 18th Oct. 2011
Corregidor RJ43 Area,-Tunnel,-Trench,-Battery, Artillery Pt.-Trench, Malinta Hill Rockslides, Philippine Navy.
On this last walk, day 5, of my visit to Corregidor I visited the RJ43 Tunnel, the ravine where it enters, the Artillery Point Ridge where it goes under and where I seen the longest trench on the island. Battery RJ43 I wanted to find and look at the condition of the Malinta Hill South Road in view of the recent rockslides. Looked at Enlisted Men Beach again. This day was also noteworthy because a large college student group arrived and the Philippine Navy arrived also. Here is the album:
pisailor.multiply.com/photos/album/65
As usual my albums have too many images but I use this ‘Multiply Image Account’ to store all my pictures and they are stored here at a higher resolution and can be down loaded at a higher resolution. But they have only a short title and so the this album is not a picture story and essay.
I’m not planning to upload some of these pictures to my Photobucket account and write descriptions.
RJ43 Tunnel has knee deep water
The large Malinta Hill rockslide
My GPS Track for this walk and day
Here is my diary entry for this day
Corregidor Diary
2011, 18th Oct. RJ43 Area
Day Five, Tuesday
Decided to take a picture of the water in RJ43 Tunnel, find Battery RJ43 and walk around Malinta Hill South Road to see whether the Malinta Hill Tunnel South is still open and is not covered by the recent rock slides.
Walked from the hotel to and around Malinta Point, took some comprehensive pictures of some of the structures along the North Road at the Enlistment Men Beach section. Also took pictures of the Japanese. suicide boat tunnel and the Enlistment Beach. Looked up at Malinta Hill and wondered where Goal Post Hill was.
The wind for the first time this visit came from the NE. A few day ago the Weather Men said that the NE Monsoons are about to start. But this NE wind was a light wind. Wednesday morning it came from the SE and at noon had shifted back to the NE still a light wind.
I went down to the RJ43 Tunnel entrance and took pictures of the ankle deep water in the tunnel. The entrance is in the ravine west of Artillery Point Ridge or between the Artillery Point Ridge and fots2 Goal Post Hill. I continued further down that ridge and state “It is possible to get down to the north beach without too much trouble”. I didn’t see any evidence of any other tunnels in that ravine.
I went straight up on the Artillery Ridge and came across a very long concrete lined trench, facing Officer Beach. I hit it about in the middle and first went down the ridge and north, taking pictures of the north half of the trench, Infantry Point and Engineering Point. Then I reversed and checked out the southern half of the trench by going along it too the south and up the ridge. The ridge slopes down to the North Channel. I thought I found a new trench but then it occurred to me that fots2 may have discovered it earlier. But his trip report never was clear to me and I thought I had a new find. This trench has a concrete step to give the defender two heights to stand on for firing or a deeper side to travel in.
I next looked for Battery RJ43. In the forum was a picture from battery boy presented by fots2 that placed it about half way between the RJ43 Tunnel vent and the new water tank which I believe was built for the post war resort in the 92nd Garage area. Carefully looking around I noticed a round flat area surrounded by what seemed to have been a berm. I cleared a spot and got concrete. I cleared to the edge but found no bolts sticking out., but I was sure this must be it. Then I moved my back pack and I seen the bolts that fots2 had cleared on a previous visit. I found it!!!.
Next I also took some pictures of the concrete trench adjacent and north of Battery RJ43. It may the shortest of the 5 concrete trenches east of Malinta Hill. From now on I will call it the Battery RJ43 Trench.
Then I looked for the RJ43 Tunnel vent and took a picture of a flat piece of concrete laying about 6 feet NE from it and is about 6 feet square (approximately).
The next task was to go around the south side of Malinta Hill. On the 1st day we looked at it coming from Bottomside and seen a large rock slide, west of the Malinta Hill South Entrance. This is a large slide and I would not go across it. It is too risky in my book. I was told it already happened last Aug. or before.
I wanted to ascertain that it didn’t cover the south entrance but now had to approach it from RJ43. The Malinta Hill South Road is grown over with grass and weeds but is still walkable. Came across a few single large boulders that have fallen in the last half year and would have prevented driving there.
Then I came across “The 2nd Large Rock Slide” near the first one but east of the Malinta Hill South Entrance. One could cross this rockslide safely and I could see the tunnel entrance is still visible.
I returned the way I came, cut down to the Malinta Hill East Entrance, short cut thru it back to Bottomside. Steve Kwiecinski requested I show him the location of the first flag pole on which the paratroopers raised the US Flag on the 16th Feb 1945. He picked me up with his jeep and returned me to the hotel.
In the hotel, the staff was preparing to receive a large group of college students on an educational field trip, They were from Calamba, Laguna (Jose Rizal’s Birth Place).
After my cleaning up routine I returned to Bottomside for my “Carlos Meal” and a surprise was waiting for me. The Philippine Navy had arrived, a very large Landing Craft had moored to the North Mine Dock, bow to and lowered it’s bow ramp. One sailor said they are returning from an exercise and stopped here for one night before returning to Cavite. A small patrol boat with two modern patrol rubber boats (to big to be carried on this patrol boat) also was arrived.
Next morning I prepared myself for my departure with the ferry which on Monday, Wednesday and Friday goes on to Mariveles. My arrival and departure with this new ferry service is covered in the Corregidor forum in another thread.
END