Anti-Aircraft
& Searchlight
("Yamamoto"
Bunker)
This was the control bunker for all Rabaul town's Anti-Aircraft
defenses and searchlights. It is an impressive concrete structure
that has sustained punishment from aerial attacks, and in 1994
was covered in volcanic ash. It is rumored the Admiral Yamamoto
spent his last night in Rabaul at this bunker, before he was shot
down over Bougainville.
Naval Anchor Insignia
The
bunker originally had four separate entrances, but now only one is open, the others
are filled in or collapsed. The entrance has the Imperial Japanese Naval anchor
above the doorway. To the right, is one of the concrete slabs that is broken off
from a direct hit by a bomb.
Metal Remains
A
series of concrete trenches are around the bunker, that provided quick cover and
lead to one of the multiple entrances to the bunker's underground interior. This
rusted bit looks like the butt of a machine gun. The are a number of smaller bits
of wreckage around, and in post war years, the interior of the bunker was set
up as a museum, with photographs and artifacts of the Japanese occupation. These
artifacts were removed and the bunker has been abandoned since the 1994 volcanic
eruption.
Tipple Mount Anti-Aircraft Gun
There
is a triple mount Anti-Aircraft gun outside the bunker. The bunker is surrounded
by reinforced concrete trenches, and four emplacements, on at each corner for
either search lights or Anti-Aircraft guns.
Step inside the Bunker
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