Our Corregidor Historic Society's Trailmaster, Karl Welteke, has been accumulating a large number of images, not just of Corregidor, but of other areas of Bataan, Subic Bay, and their environs. For those who aren't on his mailing list, and for those of us who can't find his old e-mails,  we now have this index.  Click on the button and a new page will be opened from his photobucket account.

2nd March 2011 Hike. This village is about 650 meters up and behind the Dizon Mine. It is also located between the mine and Olongapo City. We drove up to the river that comes from there and made a 6 hour hike up and down, it is a 46 km ride, one way, to there. We came down via the Dizon mine area. Some of the Aeta families have moved down near the mine and a young man said they call it New Sayasay.

For many decades there was a fair size Copper-Gold Mine very near to Olongapo and most of our sailors didn't know it; I can walk there in 6 hours. By vehicle, via San Marcelino it is 46 km one way. (66 images, including maps.)

The 2nd day walk was to Battery Maxwell Keyes. I wanted to check whether any ground defenses were left around the battery and down at the shore line. Also I wanted to have a close look at the south shore between Bottomside and Maxwell Keyes. On these exploring visit one picks up a few tidbits on the way. (85 images)

The goal on the 3rd day was to check out Water-Tank Hill. On the way I spent considerable time in the Philippine Heroes Memorial. Then I continued all the way to East Point via the Battery Denver position and walked back on the north shore where the Japanese landed. (52 Images)

On 22nd Jan. 2006 a new Hell Ships Memorial was dedicated in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ). I was able to attend and shot these 50 images:

This album is about a plaque being placed at the Hellships Memorial in honor of Lt. Dial, skipper of AT-32 who perished here in Subic Bay on a Hell Ship. The plaque was sponsored by his son and grandson.

Three sub-albums about the Kalaklan Point Bridge

Got off my butt and produced another album from my Germany visit last year. In  Leibzig we visited my cousin and family, they took us to the Battle of the Nation Monument in Leipzig on the 5th of Nov 2010. It remembers the biggest battle in the world up to WWI when Prussia, Russia, Austria and Sweden defeated Napoleon in 1813. Of course I knew about the history and really wanted to see this place. Here are 34 images with titles and descriptions

Stade is the county seat of the ‘Stade County’ and I have been there many times or drove thru in my early life. I have lived in 6 different places in this county up to my 17th year and had many experiences with this town. Now my best friends lives there and he took good care of me during this visit. My mother had worked here and when she returned to Germany from the USA she settled here. It is a nice, clean and neat town.

It is a special town to me. We arrived here in 1945 when my mother and us three small children fled before the communist onslaught and we left here when we emigrated to the USA in 1959. This album has 66 images

a repeat album from 1966 images in Angeles City. I stopped by here on my way to Viet Nam in June 1966. I even met my sister in Angeles, she was a stewardess. The pictures are not of good quality but do show some interesting 1966 views of the Philippines

You have heard that I’m very disappointed with my Kodak image sharing account and that is why I’m  slowly transferring my pictures to my photo bucket account. Just transferred another one, ‘The 60th Anniversary of Liberating Corregidor’ on the 2nd March 2005. The Philippine Government made a grand show remembering this important event. I was impressed and liked it, here are 53 images:

Presently, Feb-2011, there is an email exchange in regards the possibility of having a parachute drop onto Corregidor. I don’t have any opinion about the feasibility, not being qualified. But I do know that as recent as 2005 there was one. I also know a C-130 was used, I seen it but failed to take a picture. I didn’t know that is was going to happen, the Philippine Government and the American Embassy failed to inform me or I would have been ready! He, he, he! This event happened on the  60th Anniversary of liberating Corregidor from the Japanese.

My family and I were there and here are 11 images:

My note to the people who are interested to repeat it: it will takes resources, that nobody wants to pay for, in my opinion. And you need permission from the Philippine Authorities. You need to start with Corregidor Foundation Inc. (CFI), the manger of the Island.

On this date we walked to Santa Fe, San Marcelino, Zambales in the Santo Tomas River to see how the diverted Marella River affected Santa Fe and the Santa Fe River. The Marella River is renamed after it flows around the south side of Mount Bagang to Santo Tomas River. But it is now diverted to flow around the north side of Mt. Bagang. Let these pictures tell the story, 48 images:

On the 23 March 2010 five of us walked to the 3 principal points of the Battle of the Points in 1942 at Bataan, Philippines. We parked at Paysawan, bypassed Caibobo, went thru Binuangan and visited Silalim, Anyasan, Quinawan and Agloloma Bays. We wanted to get a feel of the geography of this site of the famous battle. The total walk time was 7 hours to and fro; we climbed up and over 7 ridges each way. Here are the 47 images of this exciting walk.

in case we have a sea lawyer in the crowd, yes, I know there is another point of the Battle of the Points – Logoskawayan Point. It is a lot further south and I been there also some time ago.

Three days ago we walked on the new Dizon Mine Road to Macarang View Pavilion and noticed that a large mining operation is underway in the Marella River lahar fields, underneath the Sitio Dalanawan, Barangay Aglao of San Marcelino. We walked there and checked it out on this date. This mine operation is apparently able to gain a precious element out the Lahar sand. On this hike we also noticed that the Marella River is diverted and now runs north of Mount Bagang. This album has 33 images.

On the 29th Jan 2011 some of us went on a great hike where we haven’t been for some time-the lahar fields in San Marcelino. Nature and people sure can change things in a hurry, I added some before pictures. Most surprising, we noticed a large new mining operation is underway:

Another album of that hike with 20 images of the hikers.

This was the important day, we were all going to follow the steps of trooper Dick Adams, as to where he landed, where he slept the first night etc. But this album also shows some items that are news worthy  or interesting. Here are 42 images and it is a direct link to the album:

This is the way I like to make my trip reports, pictures uploaded to my image sharing account and all images have titles or descriptions. This is the first of three segments, the others will follow shortly, in a few days. This link will take you to the thread of this trip on our Corregidor Forum.

 The Paratrooper Dick Adams, who jumped here in Feb 1945 returned to Corregidor for the 1st time. He brought his family and some of us Corregidor friends joined  him. The standard trolley tour of Sun Cruises was chosen to be the activities for the first day and the album in this threat has 39 images:

First album is out from Richard (Dick) Adams visit to Corregidor with his family. He was a trooper in the HQ Co., 3rd Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR). This PIR assaulted Corregidor on the 16th Feb 1942 from the air and liberated it from the claws of the aggressors. He served all 21 days on the island until the PIR was relieved. Here are 20 images:

The Mariveles area has great scenery. After we looked at the Navy tunnels on the 3rd of Jan. 2011 John and I went to Aguawan, walked around Gorda Pt. and Caracol Pt. One got to get out of one’s house and look at this beautiful world and get these fine 30 views.

Another album of my tip to my past in Germany, this area is now in Poland since WWII

Lagow is a special place for me, it has a lot to do with my history. It was the 1st seat of Government of the Templar Order (one of important Crusader Orders) for this area. In the 1200s they were called on by the Pope to settle this region and they brought in German settlers and so my village “Tempel” was born along with many others. Early in the 14th Century all the Templar processions were giving to the Knights of the  Johanniter Order by the Pope. They built their Burg (fortress) here.

In later centuries, under the Prussian Administration Lagow became a popular vacation destination with hotels and cafes because it is pictures.  People in my village went here to relax and enjoy nature.

This album is about this Burg and surrounding area. All this area was giving to Poland in 1946 by the Allied Powers and all Germans were driven out.

It is a very pictures place. This album has 3 maps to orient yourself and 54 images:

Santa Fe, a barrio of San Marcelino, got completely buried by the Lahars of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. The remaining people moved up the slopes of Mt Pimmayong behind their village. Now the town is separated from civilization by a more than 3 km wide river/lahar field for the whole length of the river. On the 600m high Mt. Pimmayong, behind it, is an old mining road that leads up and presents an outstanding hike with outstanding vistas. Santa Fe is located about 8 km east of San Marcelino, next to the Santo Tomas River and just north of it is what I call the Santa Fe mountain complex; the peak closest is Mt Pimmayong. This album has great all around vista shots, and 30 images.

The  No. 1 Navy Tunnel in Mariveles has been opened on the 13th of Dec 2010 and here are 28 images:

Roger Davis, a very active member of the Coastal Defense Study Group organization (CDSG) wanted to visit these tunnels, but we never managed to do it. He gave me a report on the tunnels which was made by Danny Howell, a retired Marine Officer of Corregidor Fame, who had visited these tunnels several times in the past. Roger got this report via George Munson another active individual interested in the WWII history in this theatre.  Well that all got me interested and so far we found only one open but had 2 feet of water in it. That is No. 3 tunnel by Danny Howell’s description. Paul Whitman and I entered it but failed to get pictures.

 No 4 Tunnel is completely filled with water. Recently another local individual made me aware of another one which I call  No. 5 Navy tunnel but it is hopelessly shut by landslides and judging by the water hoses coming from there it also must be filled with water. I speculate that that No 4  and No. 5 were used by the USS Canopus AS-9 crew in 1942.

 No. 2 tunnel I have not found yet.

 No 1 tunnel may be the biggest one and it appears to be two parallel tunnels next to each other. The right entrance is hopelessly closed but the left entrance looked feasible to open without too much effort. Mr. Nerlito Versoza who practically lives in front of that entrance made the offer. We made a deal and he and his helpers done a great job of opening the left tunnel of the  No 1 Navy tunnel complex. I think some other interested individuals might want to look at that tunnel. Just find Mr. Nerlito Versoza and he will be happy to help.

 Interestingly, Roger Davis holds a copy of a Navy letter from the Sixteenth Naval District Public Works Department dated 17th Jan. 1942 which speaks of  9 tunnels and tasks expansions of those tunnels. We have not found them all yet.

I added 6 rare pictures of HCU-1 in Subic Bay 1966-72, they are the first 6 images in this album: