Fort Siloso: Exploring hidden ruins around the fort

29 January 2022

Of the 3 forts in Sentosa, Fort Siloso is the only one that is preserved as a museum to showcase the history of the war. Even so, there are a no. of ruins around the fort that have been kept hidden from the visitors of Fort Siloso. I checked the tide tables and found a good day for the exploration, as some of the locations would not be accessible during the high tides.

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History

Located on the western tip of Pulau Blakang Mati (known today as Sentosa Island), Fort Siloso was one of the many coastal fortifications built around the 19th century by the British and remains the most intact fortification in Singapore. The Fort was built on Mount Siloso.

Built in 1878, it was one of three forts (the other two being Fort Connaught and Fort Serapong) that had been constructed on the island to protect the New Harbour (later renamed Keppel Harbour) and the straits around Singapore. The Fort played an important role in the Battle for Singapore and served as a Prisoner-of-War camp during and after the Japanese Occupation. In summary, the Fort performed a key defence function and bears testimony to Singapore’s military and war history. Adapted from: https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/national-monuments/fort-siloso

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Exploring Fort Siloso

1615	Search for Coastal Artillery Search Light No. 1
1700	Find Casement No. 1
1715	Find Casement No. 2
1730	Walk around Tanjong Rimau

1615 | Search for Coastal Artillery Search Light No. 1

We entered via the main entrance to Fort Siloso and explored the grounds of the old fort. The fort had been renovated with fresh paint and how housed a museum. We were not quite interested in the 'polished' areas of Fort Siloso, but the old ruins that were left untouched and forgotten. We ducked behind some trees and found a small back trail that led downhill. There used to be organised tours to this area, evident from the yellow ropes tied around to help visitors with the steep descend. Not too far into the trail, we spotted an old ruin with rusted metal windows and doors. This was the Coastal Artillery Search Light (CASL) No. 1. Although the CASL was empty, we could see the grooves in the ground where the search light was once installed. The search light was used during the war to illuminate enemy targets or areas of the battery. We climbed into the CASL through a small window. The room was mostly empty and I noticed that soil erosion has caused the ground to block up almost half the door. The water from the rain or soil seemed to have also corroded the door so badly that there was a gaping hole indicating ground level. You can see how the CASL looked like when it was still in operation: https://www.fortsiloso.com/thefort/casl/casl.htm

1700 | Find Casement No. 1

We then exited the CASL No. 1, towards the coast. There was an old stairs that led down towards the jetty that was now in ruins. Along the coast, hidden by the dense forest we noticed something interesting. It was so well camouflaged that it was difficult to spot even from up close. A steep dirt slope led down to the casemate, where there was a big opening facing the shoreline.

1715 | Find Casement No. 2

We continued along the shoreline. The coast was surprisingly hard to walk around due to the slippery rocks and other sediments brought in by the tides. We were also time bound, as we had to exit the coast before the tides come in again. The 2nd casement was also hard to spot. Round a corner, we climbed back up into the dense forest. After a bit of searching, we found a concrete stairs that ran down into the casemate. It was structurally similar to the first one we found, with a wide opening on one end.

1730 | Walk around Tanjong Rimau

The walk along the shoreline of Tanjong Rimau was peaceful, and looking across we could see the iconic landmarks along Keppel Bay. It was a long walk along the coast, and unfortunately we ran out of time to search for CASL No.2. Not wanting to risk being stranded by the high tides, we quickly exited from the other end.

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My Thoughts

All in all an enjoyable walk along the coast enjoying the beautiful views and sea breeze while discovering hidden ruins. There are rumours of a hidden underground tunnel that connects from Sentosa to Singapore. We didn't find such a tunnel though.