I fell in love with Manila Bay, making no less than 50 trips to see the sunsets over the past three (3) years … reasons beyond me and many others; the sunsets at Manila Bay rank tops in the world … and then you add the deep history that surrounds every wake of the bay and you got drama on the water … look out at Corregidor Island as the sun sets and let your imagination run wild!
Despite what you may have read; they have cleaned the Bay Walk up and it is very nice … you can pack your camera, ice down some San Miguels, get there around 1700, enjoy the “people” sights and sunset and have an incredible evening in Manilla … it is definitely “family safe” now-a-days … I cannot get enough of what this bay has to offer, day or night …
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. The entrance is 19 km wide and expands to a width of 48 km. Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, is an anchorage just inside the northern entrance and Sangley Point is the former location of Cavite Naval Base. On either side of the bay are volcanic peaks topped with tropical foliage: 40 km to the north is the Bataan Peninsula and to the south is the province of Cavite.
Across the entrance to Manila Bay are several islands. The largest is Corregidor, which is 3 kilometers from Bataan and, along with the island of Caballo, separates the mouth of the bay into the North and South Channels. In the south channel is El Fraile Island and outside the entrance, and to the south, is Carabao Island. El Fraile, a rocky island some 4 acres (16,000 m²) in area, supports the massive concrete and steel ruins of Fort Drum, an island fortress constructed by the United States Army to defend the southern entrance of the bay. To the immediate north and south are additional harbors.
The bay was the setting for the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 and the siege of Corregidor Island by invading Japanese forces in 1942.
MAP NOTES: Drag Cursor on Map to Pan (some points may be hidden out of view) … Mouse over Map Points for more Information … If there is a (red color) circle with a numerical value inside, this means there are “stacked” Map Points, select and the “stacked map points” will be revealed … select Aerial for a Satellite View and Hybrid for Road View superimposed onto a Satellite View …
This “Black Gold” gave Washington virtually limitless unvouchered funds for covert operations. According to CIA officials, between 1945 and 1947 the gold bullion was secretly moved to 176 accounts at banks in 42 countries. This provided an asset base to reinforce the treasuries of America’s allies, to bribe political and military leaders, and to manipulate elections in foreign countries.
In April 1942 US minelayer Harrison dumped boxes of Filipino coin, to the value of 5 million, into Manila Bay at a depth of 18 fathoms to avoid them falling into Japanese hands. The Japanese did in fact recover 2.25 million. Later, an American recovered the bulk of what was left but there still remains about 1 million to salvage.
For 250 years, from 1565 until 1815, Spanish galleons laden with the riches of the Orient– sailed annually from Manila Bay bound for Acapulco …
Marcos scavenged Billions in gold from the Philippines …
And the “treasure hunters” are all in agreement that there is much more to be found …
