Fort Siloso
Siloso Point and Gun Emplacement
Section 1
Photos in this section were taken in the un-shaded area on the right of the plan above.
LEFT: The entrance ramp to the underground Complex. Going down the ramp, there is a curve to the left. Once round the curve, there are two short sets of stairs leading down to a passage which runs the length of the Complex.
RIGHT: Plan of the complex. Numbers show where photographs below were taken from.
1. Once round the bend in the ramp, there are two short flights of stairs leading down in to the passageway which runs the length of the complex and on down to the Gun Emplacement at Siloso Point.
The doorway opposite the ramp leads in to a store room.
2. Looking back up the stairs to the entrance ramp from the passageway in the tunnel complex. The curve to the right at top centre of the photograph shows where the ramp photographed above right enters the complex.
3. On the left when you enter the passageway are doors on each side. On the left is the Oil Store and on the right a large store room.
4 & 4a. Oil tanks in the Oil Store. In order to prevent any spillage from the tanks leaking into the Passageway, there are steps down into the store forming a ‘bund’, or barrier, to contain any spillage in the room itself.
5. On the other side of the passage opposite the Oil Store is this large store room.
6. Adjacent to the Store Room is this small Watch Room.
7. Looking towards Siloso Point from outside the Watch Room.
8. Looking back to the entrance from outside the Power Room.
9. The underground Power Room was built to provide electrical power for the Fort and for the electrically operated mines which could be strung between the Fort and Tanjong Berlayer to provide an additional layer of defence for Keppel Harbour. Originally, the power generation was coal fired. However, when the Fort was modernised during the 1930s, more efficient oil burning generators were installed. During World War Two, it supplied electricity to the two six-inch guns, the 12 Pounder, and the five searchlight posts in the Fort. Altogether there were five electricity generators driven by Ruston Single cylinder engines.
9ab. Generating equipment in the Power Room.
9b. Generating equipment in the Power Room.
9c. The Power Room after equipment was removed and before the room was partitioned.
Sadly, the generating equipment was removed from the room when the Fort was refurbished. In addition, the owners of the Fort have split the Power Room in two and completely altered one of the entrances from the Passageway. The room they created nearest the entrance ramp now houses audio visual equipment. The changes made give the visitor a completely false image of the Power Room. As an indication of this, the stairs up to the old Submarine Mining Observation station are in the centre of photograph 9b. Today, you would be looking out of a room to see the stairs.
10. Entering the area of the Ventilator Shafts. The False wall is indicated.
11.
A short flight of stairs leads up to where the Submarine Mining Observation Station once was. Note the two brackets on the right hand wall which were used to support a metal gate.
12 & 13. The Ventilator Shafts. The surface exit has been capped as seen in photograph 12.