Tunnels on Fort Mills, all others

[Karl Welteke]

Started this thread to collect Corregidor tunnel presentations of any tunnels that are not covered at other threads.

TUNNEL OR MACHINE GUN CASEMATES IX-M-1 AND IX-M-3

There is a tunnel entrance at the east side at the mouth of the James Ravine has intrigued me for a long time. One can see it from the beach. But I have learned it must be part of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 which are on the Corregidor maps.

In 2008 EXO showed me an elaborate tunnel at the east side at the mouth of the James Ravine. In 2010 I visited it again with Steve Kwiecinski and in April, this year, Glen Williford wanted to find the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 and so I learned that the tunnel and the casemates are one and the same.

So it is time to do something with the pictures of those three and earlier visits. A 21 image album was established and it is this URL:
s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20by%20subject/Tunnels%20on%20Corregidor/Tnl%20IX-M-1%20and%20IX-M-3?sort=9&page=1
or
tinyurl.com/lzve4ac

Here are 10 sample images from the album and they are much smaller than in the album.



X405. This opening at the east side at the mouth of the James Ravine has intrigued me for a long time. This picture is from Dec. 2003. I never have been inside yet but I have learned it must be part of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 on maps. By myself I found it too risky to try climbing up to it. It certainly has a lot of concrete and qualifies as a casemate.



X406. This section of a Corregidor map is from maps that the CDSG have given me and I copied them. I had to use it; none of the other maps show the two Machine Gun Casemates clear enough. I marked in the casemate tunnel.



X407. This is how the entrance to the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 looks like from the inside. We slid in on our butt and crawled out on our bellies.



X408. When one descends to James Ravine, at the last turn of the road is this pump shack. One goes passed it as indicated on the picture. By the way this important water pump is in operation again, the last storm had shut it down.



X409. This is the first view when you enter the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3, straight ahead is what I call Exit #1 and to the right the tunnel continues to what I call Exit #2.



X410. Directly at the Exit #1 in the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 is this opening at left and it is going down. That opening to a more elaborate tunnel, one sees logs and concrete. I assume and am sure it leads to that arched tunnel or casemate one can see from the beach at the mouth of James Ravine.



X411. This is the Exit #2 in the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3; it is a few feet long.



X412. This is the Exit #2 in the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3. It looks smaller than it is, one can stand up in it!
This is Glen Williford from CDSG Fame; we teamed up to explore this defense position. This was my 3rd time here, EXO showed me this in 2008 and I teamed up with Steve Kwiecinski in 2010.



X413. This shows clearly that the tunnel of Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 continues from Exit #2. The tunnel is really big, not even a problem for a 6 foot man and it is wide. It is 17 paces long to the attempt to dig a 3rd Exit.



X414. At the end of the large tunnel in the last image an attempt was made to dig a 3rd exit (to the left) but it was never finished. You can see it is not as high and wide as the tunnel getting here.
This is the attempt to dig a 3rd Exit in the tunnel of Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3. I did not pace it but I estimate it be 10 paces long.

[batteryboy]

The actual machine gun casemates were quite apart based on the 36 COE map.



Za775 Corregidor map for Machine guns in James Ravine

Za775.One of the exits towards the beach was suppose to be used as a casemate for a 37mm that covers James Ravine. It was deduced that the arched exit visible was the one were the Model 1916 Infantry gun would have been emplaced. (37mm GE - Gun Emplacement as shown in the map above).

Note from Karl:
This picture was blocked by Photobucket but is now cvorrected, as of 2018-03-29

[fortman]

A very interesting thread. Are there any photos or plans available of the machine gun casemates?

Regards,

Fortman

[fots2]

Good Day fortman and Karl,

Some info for everyone.








This tunnel is interesting for sure. You cannot get into the casemate from the outside unless someone boosts you up to the entrance. From inside the tunnel you can get down to it by climbing over a rail tie or two and rocks but it is not really worth the bother. Not much to see there. Note that the tunnel was lengthened sometime after 1937 as you can see in Karl's report.






James Ravine. The east side (at the left of the photo) is where the casemate is located.






Looking east along the mouth of James Ravine you can see the casemate entrance.


Closer views of the entrance.

[fots2]

Actually I do not think this tunnel has anything to do with X-M-1 or X-M-3. Those are old land defence positions built many years earlier. X-M-1 was completed in 1914 and X-M-3 was completed in 1917. This tunnel was built in 1936.

Also, note on the map; both positions have symbols for the type of structure they were. They are surface structures similar to many others on the island and are not located at the cliff edge facing the water as the 37mm gun casemate is.

I have tramped over the tall grasses and bushes in this area and never found any trace of either X-M-1 or X-M-3. That ravine took quite a beating in 1942 and again in 1945 so I wonder if anything remains of them anyway. We may trip over parts of them someday.

[fortman]

Hi Fots2,

Many thanks! True to form again. Much appreciated.
Exo, I think we should consider having this guy cloned.

Fortman

[oozlefinch]

Back in '87 I was able to easily climb up the bank to get in the casemate. Has anyone ever found the upper, or eastern MG casemate?

[Karl Welteke]

Thanks for all the input, learned a lot.

[Karl Welteke]

TUNNEL OR MACHINE GUN CASEMATES IX-M-1 AND IX-M-3

or the arched tunnel opening at the sea end of James Ravine and on the east side of the mouth of the James Ravine.

Just noticed that in my album I linked at the beginning of this thread all the descriptions are gone! I replaced all the descriptions and I hope this time they will stay. This is the URL:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20by%20subject/Tunnels%20on%20Corregidor/Tnl%20IX-M-1%20and%20IX-M-3?sort=9&page=1

Here are a couple extra sample images:



W682 this entrance picture to the tunnel of the Machine Gun Casemates IX-M-1 and IX-M-3 is from 2008 when EXO showed this location. The entrance has become smaller in 2015!



W683 from the pump shack in the last picture one sees the James Ravine Road end at the pump house and the WWII now defunct water tank. I only added this picture to give you a better geographic orientation.

[Karl Welteke]

BIG H-SHAPED TUNNEL IN THE ENGINEERING RAVINE

This tunnel is always interesting to me because it looked like a tunnel the Fort Engineers could do repair work in. It used to have some high and wide shelves. I have been in there now 3 times now, 2005, 2007 and 2016. I had a hard time wiggling myself out this last time in 2016. Next time I need a line and people have to pull me out.

42 images of this tunnel have been uploaded into this album:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20by%20subject/Tunnels%20on%20Corregidor/Eng-Rav%20big%20H-Tnl?sort=9&page=1

10 sample pictures are presented here but they are much smaller than in the album above.



W684 (0a6) this tunnel is a H-Shaped tunnel and is located on the south slope of the Engineering Ravine.



W685 (0b4) the left entrance of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor Island the former home of the Coastal Defense Fort Mills. This is a 2007 image. That is Paul Whitman, the EXO.



W686 (0d1) this is the left leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor Island the former home of the Coastal Defense Fort Mills. This is a 2005 image. The left leg of the tunnel is concrete lined.



W687 (0e4) this is the end of the left leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor Island the former home of the Coastal Defense Fort Mills. This is a 2007 image. That is Paul Whitman, the EXO.



W688 (0e6) this is the left leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine. You can see the H-cross section tunnel leg opening at right towards the rear. This is a 2016 image, the shelf braces are gone!



W689 (0e7) this is the left leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine. You can see the H-cross section tunnel leg opening at right. This is a 2016 image, the shelf braces are gone!



W690 (0f1) looking into the cross section of the H-Shaped tunnel from the concrete lined left leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine. This is a 2005 image.



W691 (Og7) from the cross section of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor looking into the right leg of this H-Shaped tunnel; we see the right leg of the H-Shaped tunnel run to the right towards the buried entrance there.



W692 (0i2) advancing in the right leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor Island the former home of the Coastal Defense Fort Mills towards its buried entrance, this is a 2007 image with the EXO.



W683 (0i6) this is the buried entrance of the right leg of the H-Shaped tunnel in the Engineering Ravine on Corregidor Island the former home of the Coastal Defense Fort Mills, this is a 2016 image.