Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 8, 2009 18:24:01 GMT 8
Friends
My 5th Corregidor trip during the rainy season. Here is my report and a URL to images of that trip:
s74.photobucket.com/albums/i265/PI-Sailor/Corregidor%20at%20Random/CI%20Random%20Subalbum%20No%201/CI%20Visit%202009%20July%201%20to%204%20with%20AJM%20and%20PFW/
Corregidor Dairy 1st to 4th July 2009
PFW, AJM, KWW
1st Day,1st July, Wednesday
John Moffitt (AJM) had been on the island already since Monday, 29th June. He had alerted us about a wide window of good weather for a week and he promptly went to Corregidor Island (CI).
Paul Whitman (PFW) and I (KWW) also had the desire to go right away but we had another commitment. We were to be guests at the new plaque being placed at the Hellships Memorial in Subic Bay.
It was for the Montevideo Maru, which was sunk by a US Submarine on 1st of July 1942 with mostly Australian POWs and Internees of the Japanese. Over a 1000 Australians and a few other Allied Personnel perished, near the north coast of Luzon. As usual it was not marked with ‘Red Crosses’ as the Japanese sometime did for their ammunition ships.
After the ceremony PFW and I drove to Villa Carmen, Cabcaben, SE corner of Bataan and took a boat as usual to Corregidor. The weather was outstanding sunny and calm and calm was the sea. The weather was perfect all 4 days like that but it was humid and hot ‘to the max‘; I drunk and sweated one galleon each of water and sweat during each day’s excursion.
On this 1st day PFW and I only explored the 2 remaining Navy tunnels in Malinta Hill both of them were subject in discussions on the corregidor.org bulletin as to what true direction they really run. AJM already had spent 1 and ½ day doing this on Monday and Tuesday. So we were just refreshing our memories of the tunnels.
2nd Day, 2nd July, Thursday
This day all 3 of us went Topside and searched an area in the upper reaches of Crockett Ravine. There is an old plan that extended the Middleside Tunnel all the way to there. From Middleside it passed under the east end of the ‘Mile Long Barracks’, under the Telephone Exchange and then to the Crockett Ravine. The plan stated a ‘Steel Pin ‘was placed at the proposed entrance there. We looked for it, didn’t find it but found some other things on our way to the Battery Boston area.
Then we did a thorough search of the AA Battery Boston area which was located near between Battery Wheeler and the west end of the Senior Officer Quarters. Again AJM had done work at this the previous day and showed us what he found. This was the 1st time for me searching this battery in detail.
We also found the only remaining steel pedestal of all the “Three Inch AA guns” on the island. PFW had seen it before and was able to steer us right to it. The main find was the concrete magazine. At Battery Wheeler PFW also steered us to a deep shaft, located in the berm at the rear of the battery.
Next we wandered to the Post Telephone Exchange. This was another place I never looked at in detail. Well, we did it thoroughly.
After that AJM and I checked out the 2 large water tanks which are just a little down from the ‘Eternal Flame’ structure of the Pacific War Memorial. From there we headed down, straight thru the woods, to the YMCA and hit it dead on.
We walked then on civilized path and roads to the Stockade level, passed the former Aviary which is now the residence of an American couple, Steve and Marcia Kwiecinski. They are on a visit back in the States right now.
At the Stockade level I showed him what seems to me to be a portable shelter, which I call a “Half Moon Shelter”. They may be 12 feet long and 7 feet in diameter (wide) at the bottom, ground. AJM calls them ‘cable pulling huts’, we know of four with two being on the Malinta Hill west flank. Then there is this one on the Stockade level and one more next to the North Rd. just above the Engineering Pier or Wharf.
I was pooped after this hot and humid day and was heading to MacArthur’s Coffee to replenish fluid and food for energy. AJM came along but was in better shape then I, “Congratulations John”!
3rd Day, 3rd July, Friday
PFW didn’t feel that good and went his own way. He actually had an attack already on Monday, the 29th June but had improved.
AJM and I looked for a two floor concrete structure, NCO Barracks-Building # 133 and found it after some effort. It is located somewhere NE of the NW end of the Middleside Barracks. I estimate it to be 130 to 150 feet long, all the floors and the roofs are gone. On the south end is large pile of broken and melted San Miguel beer bottles; from the Philippine Scout NCOs or the Japanese NCOs?
Next, we marched along the line of all the 7 magazine structures, at the south slope of Morrison Hill, Middleside. From the last magazine the heavy concrete structure we went straight up the hill.
After about 15 meters up we reached the ‘open air fuel tank base structures’ about 20 of them all in one line. Did the fuel tanks from here end up in Malinta Hill tunnels? Next to this is a massive concrete structure which has fuel storage tanks built in. It has the only remaining steel door still in place although it suffered a few bullet holes. Next to it and west is a structure called ‘Compressor House’; what was the compressed air or gas for?
Straight up from the compressor house is the ‘West Defense Station’. Of all the command structures on the ‘Rock’ it has the most telephone booths. It must have been an important coordinating center in the defense of the island.
Next on the list was the AA Battery Chicago on top of Morrison Hill, Middleside. AJM had done some preliminary research work on a previous visit and he showed me everything he had found. The 3 of the 5 gun blocks and the underground AA magazine were the high points of the Battery Chicago search. But there were many other interesting remnants of the Battery.
Next I was going to show AJM the Mine Field Controls, East and West but failed and later I was exhausted and we gave up. Basically they are located just above Battery James but we came from above, Morrison hill and drifted too far east.
While at Battery James we enjoyed the new unrestricted view of the battery and Bataan from here. The Steve and Marcia Kwiecinski ‘Bolo Team’ had cleared the battery of weed and underbrush and it is now a pleasure to view it and the view from here.
We walked back via the North Rd which also has been cleared by the Corregidor Foundation INC maintenance crews. It was a pleasure walk back on that road. We headed to the MacArthur Café, met up with PFW and relaxed. AJM still had energy left and went back into the Navy Tunnels to clear up more points in his mind.
PFW and I took advantage of the Corregidor pool and soaked our self in the very comfortable warm water.
The next day, the 4th of July, I headed back to Olongapo, home and a VFW 4th of July picnic with the family. I had another interesting visit on CI.
We learned that Sun Cruises, the hotel and ferry operator will shut down operations on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, every week, from about the 20th July to September sometime.
My 5th Corregidor trip during the rainy season. Here is my report and a URL to images of that trip:
s74.photobucket.com/albums/i265/PI-Sailor/Corregidor%20at%20Random/CI%20Random%20Subalbum%20No%201/CI%20Visit%202009%20July%201%20to%204%20with%20AJM%20and%20PFW/
Corregidor Dairy 1st to 4th July 2009
PFW, AJM, KWW
1st Day,1st July, Wednesday
John Moffitt (AJM) had been on the island already since Monday, 29th June. He had alerted us about a wide window of good weather for a week and he promptly went to Corregidor Island (CI).
Paul Whitman (PFW) and I (KWW) also had the desire to go right away but we had another commitment. We were to be guests at the new plaque being placed at the Hellships Memorial in Subic Bay.
It was for the Montevideo Maru, which was sunk by a US Submarine on 1st of July 1942 with mostly Australian POWs and Internees of the Japanese. Over a 1000 Australians and a few other Allied Personnel perished, near the north coast of Luzon. As usual it was not marked with ‘Red Crosses’ as the Japanese sometime did for their ammunition ships.
After the ceremony PFW and I drove to Villa Carmen, Cabcaben, SE corner of Bataan and took a boat as usual to Corregidor. The weather was outstanding sunny and calm and calm was the sea. The weather was perfect all 4 days like that but it was humid and hot ‘to the max‘; I drunk and sweated one galleon each of water and sweat during each day’s excursion.
On this 1st day PFW and I only explored the 2 remaining Navy tunnels in Malinta Hill both of them were subject in discussions on the corregidor.org bulletin as to what true direction they really run. AJM already had spent 1 and ½ day doing this on Monday and Tuesday. So we were just refreshing our memories of the tunnels.
2nd Day, 2nd July, Thursday
This day all 3 of us went Topside and searched an area in the upper reaches of Crockett Ravine. There is an old plan that extended the Middleside Tunnel all the way to there. From Middleside it passed under the east end of the ‘Mile Long Barracks’, under the Telephone Exchange and then to the Crockett Ravine. The plan stated a ‘Steel Pin ‘was placed at the proposed entrance there. We looked for it, didn’t find it but found some other things on our way to the Battery Boston area.
Then we did a thorough search of the AA Battery Boston area which was located near between Battery Wheeler and the west end of the Senior Officer Quarters. Again AJM had done work at this the previous day and showed us what he found. This was the 1st time for me searching this battery in detail.
We also found the only remaining steel pedestal of all the “Three Inch AA guns” on the island. PFW had seen it before and was able to steer us right to it. The main find was the concrete magazine. At Battery Wheeler PFW also steered us to a deep shaft, located in the berm at the rear of the battery.
Next we wandered to the Post Telephone Exchange. This was another place I never looked at in detail. Well, we did it thoroughly.
After that AJM and I checked out the 2 large water tanks which are just a little down from the ‘Eternal Flame’ structure of the Pacific War Memorial. From there we headed down, straight thru the woods, to the YMCA and hit it dead on.
We walked then on civilized path and roads to the Stockade level, passed the former Aviary which is now the residence of an American couple, Steve and Marcia Kwiecinski. They are on a visit back in the States right now.
At the Stockade level I showed him what seems to me to be a portable shelter, which I call a “Half Moon Shelter”. They may be 12 feet long and 7 feet in diameter (wide) at the bottom, ground. AJM calls them ‘cable pulling huts’, we know of four with two being on the Malinta Hill west flank. Then there is this one on the Stockade level and one more next to the North Rd. just above the Engineering Pier or Wharf.
I was pooped after this hot and humid day and was heading to MacArthur’s Coffee to replenish fluid and food for energy. AJM came along but was in better shape then I, “Congratulations John”!
3rd Day, 3rd July, Friday
PFW didn’t feel that good and went his own way. He actually had an attack already on Monday, the 29th June but had improved.
AJM and I looked for a two floor concrete structure, NCO Barracks-Building # 133 and found it after some effort. It is located somewhere NE of the NW end of the Middleside Barracks. I estimate it to be 130 to 150 feet long, all the floors and the roofs are gone. On the south end is large pile of broken and melted San Miguel beer bottles; from the Philippine Scout NCOs or the Japanese NCOs?
Next, we marched along the line of all the 7 magazine structures, at the south slope of Morrison Hill, Middleside. From the last magazine the heavy concrete structure we went straight up the hill.
After about 15 meters up we reached the ‘open air fuel tank base structures’ about 20 of them all in one line. Did the fuel tanks from here end up in Malinta Hill tunnels? Next to this is a massive concrete structure which has fuel storage tanks built in. It has the only remaining steel door still in place although it suffered a few bullet holes. Next to it and west is a structure called ‘Compressor House’; what was the compressed air or gas for?
Straight up from the compressor house is the ‘West Defense Station’. Of all the command structures on the ‘Rock’ it has the most telephone booths. It must have been an important coordinating center in the defense of the island.
Next on the list was the AA Battery Chicago on top of Morrison Hill, Middleside. AJM had done some preliminary research work on a previous visit and he showed me everything he had found. The 3 of the 5 gun blocks and the underground AA magazine were the high points of the Battery Chicago search. But there were many other interesting remnants of the Battery.
Next I was going to show AJM the Mine Field Controls, East and West but failed and later I was exhausted and we gave up. Basically they are located just above Battery James but we came from above, Morrison hill and drifted too far east.
While at Battery James we enjoyed the new unrestricted view of the battery and Bataan from here. The Steve and Marcia Kwiecinski ‘Bolo Team’ had cleared the battery of weed and underbrush and it is now a pleasure to view it and the view from here.
We walked back via the North Rd which also has been cleared by the Corregidor Foundation INC maintenance crews. It was a pleasure walk back on that road. We headed to the MacArthur Café, met up with PFW and relaxed. AJM still had energy left and went back into the Navy Tunnels to clear up more points in his mind.
PFW and I took advantage of the Corregidor pool and soaked our self in the very comfortable warm water.
The next day, the 4th of July, I headed back to Olongapo, home and a VFW 4th of July picnic with the family. I had another interesting visit on CI.
We learned that Sun Cruises, the hotel and ferry operator will shut down operations on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, every week, from about the 20th July to September sometime.