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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 24, 2012 17:33:45 GMT 8
In this forum we don’t have a page dedicated to the Hellships Memorial or the Hellships in general. I hereby start one. Two new plaques have been added and a friend asked me to take pictures. While I was there I took these pictures to show what the condition of the whole Memorial is now. It is still in good shape! The two new Plaques are for Major S.H. Heisinger who’s son dedicated this Memorial and Capt. W.C. Blackledge. I established this album with 31 images: tinyurl.com/klvxwg2NOTE : As of this date 2014-07-02 the above URL is now active again!!!!! Here is one image:  I actually have covered events about the Hellships memorial pretty regular since 2006 and I already established 10 Hellships albums in my Photobucket account under this URL: s74.photobucket.com/albums/i265/PI-Sailor/SBFZ%20Ex%20Naval%20Base%20Subic%20Bay/Hellships%20Memorial/ |
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Post by okla on Jun 24, 2012 22:56:37 GMT 8
Hey Karl....I once attended college with a guy whose Father perished on one of the Hellships. His last name was Brittain (Britten???), from Stillwater, Oklahoma. He graduated from the same Military school (ROTC Commission,etc) as did Lieutenant Ed Ramsay, of 26th Cavalry fame and I think also attended my old Alma Mater, Oklahoma State Univ. I have lost track of his son, but I am sure, if he is still living, he would be most interested in this thread and website. Thanks for posting.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jun 25, 2012 7:40:08 GMT 8
Thanks for sharing those photos, Karl.
I was just thinking how sad it is that few of today's generation know of the Death March - and even fewer know the story of the Hellships. As horrible as the DM was, it pales by comparison with the Hellships in nearly every statistic - number of days, number of deaths, sheer horror, you name it.
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Post by Bob Hudson on Jun 25, 2012 16:50:14 GMT 8
It's a small memorial for such a large loss. There are 138 Death March markers for the 11,900 men who made the March and the 700 or so Americans and 10,000 Filipinos who died. The large Camp O'Donnell site memorializes the 1,534 Americans and 22,000 Filipinos who died there in six weeks. The Cabanatuan site is large and important and memorializes the 2,656 POW's who perished there and because of the actions to free the 511 POW's in the Great Raid.
Michno says 3,840 Americans died on Hellships. A death toll greater than the losses at Cabantuan. I believe losses of all allied POW's totaled over 23,000. The size of the Memorial in Subic does not fit the size of the loss and it is understandable with the fading memory of the events and the dwindling numbers of survivors, not to mention the difficulty in raising the funds to build a significant memorial befitting these men and the inhumane barbarity they endured.
If I only had the deep pockets to finance a movie about the entire experience from beginning to end in the Philippines and beyond. The truth being known that no distributor of films would touch it with the Japanese entwined in the film making business.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Mar 6, 2013 20:09:49 GMT 8
My old age is showing, in a few days I’ll be 71. On the 24th of Feb 2013, on our way to Bagac, Conrad Buehler and I visited the Hellships Memorial because Conrad had never seen it. I had the impression that two new plaques had been added and thought to myself: “Well, I take some pictures and upload them to the forum”. When I looked for the appropriate thread I found this one and realized that I had reported these two new plaques already on 2012-06-24, that is what we older people experience!!!!! But there is a bright side, at that time I had not figured out yet why I had so much trouble uploading pictures. So, I upload these new images now which I wasn’t able to do then.  317. The Hellships memorial 2013-02-24 in Subic Bay. It is located in front of the former Subic Bay Naval Base HQ which now also serves as the Administration Building of the Subic Bay Free Port Zone. Forum member Conrad Buehler is inside and is inspecting it.  318. The family of William C. Blackledge Capt. USAR sponsored this new Plaque. It is located on the left side when looking seaward at the memorial.  319. Close-up of the last picture of the plaque. The unfortunate Officer survived three terrible Hellships, only to die on the 2nd day after his arrival in Japan.  320. This is also a noteworthy plaque for Major Samuall Heisinger JAG US Army and it is on the right side of the memorial. It is sponsored by his son Captain Duan Lawrence Heisinger USN. He was one of two major players who made the memorial happen. I had the honor to meet him during the inauguration of the Memorial in 2006. Tragically he died only a few years later.  321. Close-up of the last image. |
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Post by Bob Hudson on Mar 14, 2013 6:03:35 GMT 8
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 2, 2014 15:20:52 GMT 8
THE HELL SHIPS ALBUM BECAME ALIVE AGAIN!!!!!!!!1 In the first entry of this thread, dated 2012-06-24 the URL for the album HAD BECOME DEAD. My bad luck story was that I joined the Multiple Image Sharing Co. and they just dropped that activity without notice, all my albums established with them disappeared, may they rot in misery!!!! Well, just today I reestablished those pictures in a new album with Photobucket and hopefully they will not abandon their customers like the Multiple Co. did. The URL in the first entry is alive again (31 images) and I repeat it here with 12 sample pictures. Remember the images in the album are much larger than the sample pictures here: tinyurl.com/klvxwg2 Z514--- This is the front of the Hell Ships Memorial in Subic Bay.  Z515---This is the left side of the Hell Ships Memorial with five plaques.  Z516--- Plaque in Memory of the 192nd Tank Battalion in the name of the Maywood Bataan Day Organization, a gift from the Pvt. Alexander Gorr Family.  Z517--- The plaque in loving memory of Lt N. Minter Dial, C.O. USS Napa ATA-32.  Z518--- The left two columns with descriptions explaining the tragic history of the Hell Ships.  Z519--- A plaque remembering the Australian sacrifices, 17,500 Fatalities and the Hell Ship Montevideo alone over 1,000 Death.  Z520--- The floor and the whole Hell Ships Memorial is in pretty good shape!!!  Z521--- The right two columns with descriptions explaining the tragic history of the Hell Ships.  Z522--- A plaque in memory of Captain David G. Erickson, QM, U.S. Army from his son David K. Erickson.  Z523--- This is a special plaque for Major Samuall Heisinger JAG,. U.S. Army by his son Captain Duan Lawrence Heisinger, USN. Captain Heisinger was the most important player in getting this Memorial established. Tragically he died a few years later after the Memorial Dedication in 2006.  Z524--- This large plaque was presented by Australian Organizations, but I do not have a good picture of the whole plaque. I will work on that in the future.  Z525---WWII Hell Ships Roll Call Of the Nations lists the countries who’s Citizen, civilian and military suffered on those voyages or perished in these Japanese Hell Ships. |
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Post by chadhill on Jul 3, 2014 2:59:03 GMT 8
Thanks, Karl! Good to see it up again.  Chad |
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Post by dmether on Jul 3, 2014 10:29:41 GMT 8
The reason for the memorial:  David 2017-11th Oct. Note from Karl: This image was blocked by Photobucket because they changed their terms, about June 2017 without much notice, and do not allow 3rd Party posting anymore. That caused great hardship and disappointment to may Photobucket subscribers. It destroyed or caused great damage to many blogs and forums. This picture is reposted now from a different and friendlier server! |
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Post by Karl Welteke on Sept 16, 2014 10:32:51 GMT 8
WHAT IS WRITTEN ON THE HELL SHIPS MONUMENT/MEMORIAL? Recently I walked by the Hell Ship Monument and tried to take pictures so the viewers can read what is written on the bigger plaques and panes which have not presented clear enough in the past.  Y75---This is the Hell Ships Monument in Subic Bay as of 2014-09-02, it is in good shape!  Y76---in back of the monument are 4 panes that tell the horrific story of the Hell Ships. These are the two left panel. I think someone done a good job in describing the Hell Ships. I will try to find out who was the author.  Y76a---this is a larger copy for those who may need it.  Y77---these are the right two of 4 panels that tell the horrific story of the Hell Ships at the Hell Ships Monument in Subic Bay.  Y77a---this is a larger copy for those who may need it.  Y78--- on 1 July 2009 Australia dedicated this new plaque at the Hell Ships Memorial, please read it at the next image which is more readable but I posted this copy because it shows the icons of the two organizations who were most affected by the tragedy and were most active in dedicating this marker.  Y79--- on 1 July 2009 Australia dedicated this new plaque at the Hell Ships Memorial, please read it. About 1053 Australians died on the Japanese ship Montevideo Maru when it was sunk by an Allied submarine on 1st July 1942 off the coast of the Philippines and it was remembered here at this Memorial on the 1st July 2009.  Y79a---this is a larger copy for those who may need it.  Y80---WWII Hell Ships Roll Call of Nations |
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Chad
