J
JerseySi
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Ages ago, Moomin posted a thread about Ho2 - one of the easiest German WW2 tunnels to gain entry to over here...
This thread "evolved" into a discussion of all of Jersey's WW2 tunnels, locations, info, etc... Makes for some interesting reading, if a little lengthy!
Long & the short of it, no-one really knew if Ho13 - Beaumont East - was still accessable in any way - certainly if it was it wouldn't be easy by any stretch...
Thanks must go to DJLXP, who sent me a txt with a link to a youtube vid, where some other intrepid explorers had posted a (very dark) video of said tunnel...
Well, all this did was spur us into action! A priliminary recce the other night with Scubasteve, and a return visit tonight with Scubasteve & Bunkermonkey & a whole load of lighting/cameras, and hey presto! Done!
Well, I must say, that this tunnel complex is definately the most untouched since WW2 - it literally looks like one shift of slave workers left at the end of the day, and nobody came back the next morning... Further, unlike all the other tunnels, this one has never been cleared out... 62 years on, this is the story of how it's fared!
As it wasn't even near to completion, there wouldn't have been any guns or other 'interesting' artifacts to be found - hence the lack of interest from the locals
As always, no external pics from me, as it'd only give the game away too easily
We'll start just inside the entrance then.. Easy enough (although uber-stealth was required!), and you'd better not mind getting wet feet!
I'd say 70% of this complex is proper wet, but the deepest past is the initial 60-70feet - knee depth is the order of the day!
Pic looking back at the entrance:
Inside the entry, there were 2 concrete walls constructed - I believe to house a central heating Oil tank for a nearby house)..
Don't think the electric in this 'room' will be any use now though!
Onwards, through the second 'wall' - and the explorers from the youtube vid had left their candle behind... how kind!
Looking into the tunnel system:
Arrival at the first 'split' - unfinished part to the right, to the left & you head into the main complex:
Follow the small tunnel round, and bingo - here comes the main section!
Looking back from the other side of the rocks: (you can see the first of many "first floors"
Looking down the main tunnel
Hows this for a watermark?!
One of a couple of remaining 'pit props' - don't thikn they'll take much weight now though!
First gallery on the left side (full of wood - you'll soon see a theme here!)
Couple of shots of another pit prop:
Onwards - into the 'completed' section - although the walls & roof are done, the floor is not..
One of only a couple of 'completed' side galleries:
The other other way into here - the escape shaft...
You'll note: no escape ladder, unlike every other tunnel... This shows just how unfinished this tunnel is - the escape shafts were initially used to pour concrete into the complex, so the fresh concrete didn't get contaminated with the outgoing granite. This tunnel still has the chute for pouring the concrete:
Remains of an old oildrum nearby:
Scaffold boards - more recent, assuming from a documentary visit, possibly by the CIOS.. Random tin pot too
Looking further down..
Another 'first floor' - these were present in every unfinshed side gallery, and at each end of the main tunnel..
About the only 'artifact' - the remains of the sole of a workers boot...
Into the unfinished section at the north end now - on the maps & plans, said to be 'too unstable to chart'... Well, it wasn't far wrong! We didn't spend long here at all - fear started to get the better of us!
It was even wetter this end, and lots & lots of (remains of) wood too
Underwater
Right at the very end - this end is totally blocked, no way in or out here!
By this time the big torches were getting tired, and so were we, so we called it a night & headed back out through the swimming pool!
This thread "evolved" into a discussion of all of Jersey's WW2 tunnels, locations, info, etc... Makes for some interesting reading, if a little lengthy!
Long & the short of it, no-one really knew if Ho13 - Beaumont East - was still accessable in any way - certainly if it was it wouldn't be easy by any stretch...
Thanks must go to DJLXP, who sent me a txt with a link to a youtube vid, where some other intrepid explorers had posted a (very dark) video of said tunnel...
Well, all this did was spur us into action! A priliminary recce the other night with Scubasteve, and a return visit tonight with Scubasteve & Bunkermonkey & a whole load of lighting/cameras, and hey presto! Done!
Well, I must say, that this tunnel complex is definately the most untouched since WW2 - it literally looks like one shift of slave workers left at the end of the day, and nobody came back the next morning... Further, unlike all the other tunnels, this one has never been cleared out... 62 years on, this is the story of how it's fared!
As it wasn't even near to completion, there wouldn't have been any guns or other 'interesting' artifacts to be found - hence the lack of interest from the locals
As always, no external pics from me, as it'd only give the game away too easily
We'll start just inside the entrance then.. Easy enough (although uber-stealth was required!), and you'd better not mind getting wet feet!
I'd say 70% of this complex is proper wet, but the deepest past is the initial 60-70feet - knee depth is the order of the day!
Pic looking back at the entrance:
Inside the entry, there were 2 concrete walls constructed - I believe to house a central heating Oil tank for a nearby house)..
Don't think the electric in this 'room' will be any use now though!
Onwards, through the second 'wall' - and the explorers from the youtube vid had left their candle behind... how kind!
Looking into the tunnel system:
Arrival at the first 'split' - unfinished part to the right, to the left & you head into the main complex:
Follow the small tunnel round, and bingo - here comes the main section!
Looking back from the other side of the rocks: (you can see the first of many "first floors"
Looking down the main tunnel
Hows this for a watermark?!
One of a couple of remaining 'pit props' - don't thikn they'll take much weight now though!
First gallery on the left side (full of wood - you'll soon see a theme here!)
Couple of shots of another pit prop:
Onwards - into the 'completed' section - although the walls & roof are done, the floor is not..
One of only a couple of 'completed' side galleries:
The other other way into here - the escape shaft...
You'll note: no escape ladder, unlike every other tunnel... This shows just how unfinished this tunnel is - the escape shafts were initially used to pour concrete into the complex, so the fresh concrete didn't get contaminated with the outgoing granite. This tunnel still has the chute for pouring the concrete:
Remains of an old oildrum nearby:
Scaffold boards - more recent, assuming from a documentary visit, possibly by the CIOS.. Random tin pot too
Looking further down..
Another 'first floor' - these were present in every unfinshed side gallery, and at each end of the main tunnel..
About the only 'artifact' - the remains of the sole of a workers boot...
Into the unfinished section at the north end now - on the maps & plans, said to be 'too unstable to chart'... Well, it wasn't far wrong! We didn't spend long here at all - fear started to get the better of us!
It was even wetter this end, and lots & lots of (remains of) wood too
Underwater
Right at the very end - this end is totally blocked, no way in or out here!
By this time the big torches were getting tired, and so were we, so we called it a night & headed back out through the swimming pool!
