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Post by piercebennett on Jan 30, 2015 12:08:01 GMT 8
I have a couple questions regarding where a few batteries, or mounts are located. I read about a Battery Concepcion and know that it is near the Barrio Concepcion, but can someone give me a more specific location? I have the same question about Battery Ordnance Point. I heard about a lot of batteries I hadn't ever heard of on this page corregidor.org/chs_battery1/battery1.htm but have no idea where they are. I plan to go back to Corregidor in the future and would like to know where to find these emplacements. I am also curious about batteries Hanna, Martin, and Kysor. I know where these mounts are, but there are a few gun emplacements in the general area on the 1936 map. Are there specific mounts that correspond to these batteries, or does the name include several guns in the area?
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Post by fots2 on Jan 31, 2015 13:12:53 GMT 8
Hi Pierce, Unfortunately some of the answers to your questions are not real simple or specific. Most batteries on Corregidor are well known and there is little mystery about them however you picked some interesting ones that are still open for debate. Here is some information for you. I will use the 1936 map you have as a reference. Battery Concepcion: This battery consisted of three 155mm GPF guns on Panama Mounts. I have been told that it was located above Barrio Concepcion and across the road from Building 462. Note on the map you see 3-155mm semi-fixed emplacements here. Is this the exact location of this battery? I cannot say. What makes pinpointing this battery difficult is that absolutely nothing of it remains there today. It is a very small area and I have been back and forth across it many times so would have tripped over something by now. Walking and ground visibility is good here too. There are other things to see here but no battery. Battery Ordnance Point: This battery had two 155mm GPF guns, mounts not mentioned. Here is another battery that you will not see today as it is the current location of the Japanese Memorial Garden on Tailside. I have even walked east from here above the cliff to Battery Maxwell Keyes just in case anything interesting showed up…nothing did. Thick and thorny in places, not a fun walk. As you learn more about Corregidor you will note that structures originally built for a specific purpose were in later years used for other purposes as requirements and technology changed. Examples are Air Corps hangars used for vehicle maintenance, balloon hangars used as warehouses and field/siege gun emplacements used for more modern weapons. For the earliest beach defenses, Corregidor was divided into ten defense sectors counting from east to west. Batteries Hanna, Martin and perhaps even Kysor are examples of early positions being later used for these batteries. Battery Hanna: This battery had two 3-inch pedestal mount guns for the protection of Searchlights #3 and #4. It was located at the western tip of the island in the old X-F-2 defensive position (Sector 10, Field gun #2). It consisted of two gun tubs on each side of a central magazine. Today Gun Position #1 (on the right side) is still there but partially sticking out over the cliff. The centre magazine is mostly buried but you can look into it from one damaged end or the hole in the roof. A landslide at the top of the cliff sometime in the past resulted in Gun Position #2 being totally gone now. Battery Martin: This battery had two 155mm GPF guns on Panama Mounts. The location is at the top of a steep hillside above the Bottomside Coal Basin. The two guns were said to have been located in the gun positions of VII-S-2 (Sector 7, Siege gun #2). Today these gun positions still exist plus a central magazine is in between them. At the rear of the gun positions are concrete which I assume were used for positioning or blocking of some sort for the guns but I do not see anything resembling Panama Mounts. Soil and bushes does cover much of the positions which makes it difficult to understand the exact configuration. This is a bit of a mystery for me. Battery Kysor: This battery, formerly called Battery North, had two 155mm GPF guns on Panama Mounts. If you ask the hotel guides they will take you to IV-F-1 (Sector 4, Field Gun #1) at Infantry Point. There are two gun positions and a destroyed centre magazine here. This is another example of local lore not matching history. The gun positions are cleared enough to see that there are not any Panama Mounts there. In fact I doubt a 155mm GPF would fit in there anyway. On the map you will note two 75mm gun positions located in front of IV-F-1. These two positions consist of small round concrete blocks and there is little room between the cliff, them, and IV-F-1. No way could 155mm guns fit there. Also on the map, notice two 155mm gun positions located a bit further inland. Today these are depressions in the sloping hillside. Unfortunately they are partially filled with soil and little trees so I cannot see any Panama Mounts. With a bit of digging, they might be there. I have asked others if they know the exact position of Battery Kysor but no one seems to know for sure. This is the most likely location. I hope this information is of some help to you. Hey, pick easy ones next time. Good luck with your explorations.
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Post by okla on Feb 1, 2015 8:44:38 GMT 8
Hey Fots....Your latest response just reinforces my long held belief that you are fully aware of the location of every Cobra Den, Mouse Hole, Rat's Nest, Spider Web, Ant hill, Hornet's nest (are such creatures living on the Rock? ),etc, not to mention locations of present day and former Batteries. Tunnels and man made structures. I would imagine that Mister Pierce has become another one of your many followers. Cheers.
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Post by fots2 on Feb 1, 2015 9:08:17 GMT 8
Hi okla,
Well, we are all continuing learn about Corregidor’s history and that surely includes me. Perhaps that is what keeps it interesting. My “To Do” list for the next trip continues to grow.
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Post by piercebennett on Feb 2, 2015 8:17:48 GMT 8
Fots, This information is a lot of help to me; It's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! I've been to Hanna before, but I only saw one position. I noticed on the map that the only two positions in the area had two elements to them, so I figured one of the positions fell off to the beach below. The view from position one is nice, but on one trip when I swam out to Conchita, I looked up to where Battery Hanna was from the beach and noticed it was a little more precarious than I thought it was when I was standing on it. If I remember correctly, the position is sort of hanging of the cliff. I probably won't be spending a lot of time on the gun tub next time. Have you ever looked for the second position on the beach? You mentioned that some older positions were used for newer batteries. Did they just emplace different guns on the older positions? Also, Okla is right "Mister Pierce" is another one of your many followers. Thanks again for your help. I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the future- hopefully they will be more straightforward.
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Post by beirutvet on Feb 4, 2015 1:54:06 GMT 8
Hi Fots
My to-do list has become so large it is unmanageable. There is so much I want to see next visit that it is not possible in even a weeks time there on site. What I need is about a years worth on that island or to live in or near Manila so frequent trips are possible.
There is so much more I could have seen on my last trip that I have found on this site. I wish I were aware of you guys before I spent 4 days there. It was in April of 13, and the weather was great. Oh well, thanks to you guys my next trip will be MUCH better planned.
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Post by okla on Feb 4, 2015 5:04:04 GMT 8
Hey Beirut....At least you have had 4 days on the Rock. I would give my front seat in Hell for 4 hours for a quick peek. Seriously, what a joy it would be to have all the time you wanted (if there is even that much available) to prowl that sacred ground Fots style. I don't know if you ever viewed my post telling how I attempted to extend my hitch in FEAF for another year down at Clark, rather than rotating from Korea after my one year tour there. There were two slots in my military occupation field, if memory serves, at Clark AFB and two openings at Kadena (Okinawa). I volunteered for the Philippine jobs, but was informed by my Wing HQ people that the final decision would be made at FEAF HQ in Tokyo on whether I would land in the PI or on Okie.A Fifty/Fifty chance didn't appeal too well with me, thus I opted to return to the states for another 18 months. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to an installation in the Fort Worth area, easy distance from my two "hometowns", so I guess things turned out for the best (I guess). With my luck I would have been destined for Okinawa. I will always wonder, tho. That was my one and only chance to ever tour Corregidor/Bataan.
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Post by fots2 on Feb 4, 2015 10:30:36 GMT 8
Hi Pierce, I certainly agree with you about the remaining gun position of Battery Hanna. Some of the following photos were taken before I realized how much of it now sticks out over the cliff. I have walked the shoreline around the western end of Corregidor and did not see any remnants of Gun Position #2. Note in the off-shore photos how much rubble lies on the beach below where the gun was. I assume it is buried in there somewhere. There is a 1941 Emergency Defense map that gives me the impression that not all original defensive positions were even used during the war, at least not for guns. Some of them would have been good for shelters though, especially ones with concrete magazines. Looking out at Battery Hanna Gun Position #1. Across the north channel of Manila Bay is the province of Bataan where you can see the city of Mariveles and Mount Mariveles. Conchita Island is in the foreground to the left. Carved into it was defensive position X-M-3. A closer look at Conchita Island. Looking down the cliff-face from Gun Position #1. Straight down! Cape Corregidor; the western tip of Corregidor Island. The arrow points to the remaining gun position. Another view of the same location. Rock Point is in the distance. Zoomed view looking up the cliff-face. You can see why I prefer not to stand out on this gun position anymore.
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Post by fots2 on Feb 4, 2015 10:32:32 GMT 8
Hi beirutvet,
It sounds like you will be well prepared for your next visit to Corregidor. You can find interesting things no matter where you walk.
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Post by piercebennett on Feb 4, 2015 13:13:56 GMT 8
Nice shots of Hanna and Conchita Island, Fots.
Do you happen to know how they got up to the gun position X-M-3? When I was on Conchita, a friend and I looked around the back to see if there was any remnants of a way up, but we found nothing. I considered purchasing a drone to get a better look, but I am almost positive I'd fly it right into the sea. Similarly, how do you suppose anyone got to the emplacement on Rock Point? I've never been to Rock Point, so I have no idea. My next trip includes a walk/swim around the head of the island, so hopefully I can see Rock Point firsthand someday.
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