Scarborough Station, Tuesday, 8 March 1949
Buis and Stevens had spent the night in the rather spartan guest quarters of Scarborough Station. Salazar, their escort, explained in extending the invitation, “I think you will find it interesting.”
In many ways it was. They had the opportunity to observe the radar, or as their hosts would say, dradis operators during the watches, each aircraft or ship entering the station’s vicinity being identified and tracked. They shared meals with the station’s officers in their mess, noting that the fare served there was not that different from the rations served to the station’s crew, though perhaps prepared with greater care and served in less confined quarters. They were enjoying breakfast just about sun-up when the blare of a siren startled them. Buis and Stevens made their way to the station’s main deck, guided by their escort.
“It is interesting?”
From the railing that ran around the perimeter the two officers could see a pair of tugs slowly edging a huge concrete structure into place some distance from the station. They threaded their way between the shoals until the structure reached its destination. The structure sported both large and medium caliber antiaircraft guns, as well as radar aerials.
“What the devil?” Stevens had never seen anything like it before. He watched the tugs cast off and then the structure began to sink by one end. Then the portion that had sunk beneath the surface struck bottom and the forward portion flooded down to bring the structure to rest on an even keel.
“It is the work of an Englishman, Guy Maunsell, together with the labor of many of my countrymen. A mobile fort, which can be built near shore and towed to where it is needed. This is the first of several planned for the defense of this station.” Salazar showed a toothy grin.
Buis had expected something, but not this. If the Philippines planted several of these ‘sea forts’ at Scarborough Station its defenses would be complete. Moreover, if they could be afforded, such forts could dot the entire archipelago, plugging gaps in the existing defenses. This, he realized, was something Batavia, if not The Hague, would find very interesting indeed.