This presentation, pictures and texts, is shared from John Moffitt who posted this material in the Facebook page-Corregidor Historical Society, click here:
A trip to this fort today is a bit risky for a few reasons. First, if Manila Bay is not calm, getting on and off the fort from a banca can be tricky. Those outrigger boats are not ideal for accessing the Sally ports so bringing a wide gangplank is recommended. Second, scrappers have ravaged this fort even taking large steel I-beams between floors to the extent that some sections have collapsed. Third, many years of salt water spray and humidity are eating any exposed metal leaving sharp edges and finally, the lower level is now flooded.
It is very dark inside and you have to be careful everywhere. There are open vertical drop-offs to lower floors and stair cases with no railings. The following photos are deceiving because camera flash is used to make them look bright. Having said all that, this is an interesting place to explore.
Let’s enter the fort and explore inside then go up on top via a battle damage hole above Battery McCrea.
PS: John and I are friends and we have explored the Manila Bay forts together many times but his pictures are always better than mine that is why I like to share these pictures!
PS: As is my practice now, I will post in sections!
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01 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt
02a ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt
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03 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Approaching Fort Drum, Manila Bay was ideal for entering the fort on this trip.
04 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. 14-inch gun Batteries Marshall and Wilson are in view.
05 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. There are also two 6-inch gun batteries, one battery on each side containing two guns each. This is Battery Roberts. Accurate shell fire actually penetrated the steel casemate in 1945.
06 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. For us poor folks, our entry point is by one of the two Sally ports. You rich folks can take a helicopter. Note the gangplank on the banca ready to be deployed.
07 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Looking in the other Sally port, see the dark doorway on the right. This is where you enter the interior of the fort.
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08 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Here are various interior photos. If you remember the history of the retaking of the fort in 1945 then all the burnt walls on the upper floors will not be a surprise.
09 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
10 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
11 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
12 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
13 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
14 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
15 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The bottom floor is flooded these days. Note the cut-off I-beams in these three photos.
16 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
17ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
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18 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Battery Roberts and Battery McCrae were both 6-inch gun batteries. Each battery had two guns mounted vertically. As you will see, both are heavily damaged which I assume happened in 1945 in preparation for assaulting the fort. Interior view of Battery Roberts.
19 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Battery Roberts still has it’s upper barrel sticking out of the gun port.
20 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Looking out shell holes at Battery Roberts.
22 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Another view of Battery McCrae.
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23 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The next six photos were taken inside the two 14-inch gun turrets. Scrappers have removed much of the four gun mounts resulting in the barrels partially or fully falling back inside the turrets.
24 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
25 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
26 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
27 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
28 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
29 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Access to the top of Fort Drum is via the damaged roof of Battery McCrae. On top you notice how close this fort is to Cavite. Even Fort Frank on Carabao Island is not far away. In the opposite direction, Fort Hughes, Fort Mills and even Bataan can be seen in the distance across Manila Bay.
30 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The cratered roof of Fort Drum with Cavite nearby.
31 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Carabao Island is to the right.
32 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The circular cage mast seen in pre-war photos was mounted here
33 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Mounting bolts for one of the two 3-inch pedestal mount AA guns.
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34 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The 5-ton derrick off-loaded cargo into the fort here.
35 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Looking across the top of the fort towards the 14-inch gun turrets.
36 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The upper turret, Battery Wilson.
37 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
38 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
39 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. The lower turret, Battery Marshall.
40 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
41 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt.
42 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. It’s time to get out of here. The two Sally ports are ahead to the left and right.
43 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Our banca is patiently waiting for us. Caballo Island (Fort Hughes) is in the distance.
44 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. A final view of Fort Drum on this trip.
45 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Fort Drum in 1937. (Ruhlen)
46 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Sitting on a gun barrel in 1937. (Walden)
47 ex Ft. Drum., J. Moffitt. Sitting on a gun barrel. (Welsh)