Fort Hughes

Fort Hughes (Caballo Island, the Philippines) was part of the harbor defenses of Manila and Subic Bays built by the Philippine Department of the U.S. Army in the early 1900s.

It was occupied by Japanese forces after their conquest of the Philippines.

American forces retook the fort from the Japanese during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. The American troops pumped two parts diesel oil and one part gasoline into the mortar pits, stood off, and ignited mixture with tracer bullets.

Batteries
Fort Hughes contained the following batteries:
 * Gillespie (1-14" DC gun)
 * Woodruff (1-14" DC gun)
 * Craighill (2 Pits) 4 12" M1912 Mortars
 * Leach (2-6" DC guns)
 * Hooker (1-155mm gun)
 * Williams (2-155mm guns)
 * Fuger (2-3" RF guns)

Popular Culture
Although not mentioned directly by name, the novel Cryptonomicon depicts an assault of a similar fortress during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. One of the central characters of the novel, U.S. Marine Sergeant Bobby Shaftoe, dies during the assault. The novel's description of the fort more closely resembles Fort Drum (which was taken by similar means in a later operation) but the incendiary methods used were pioneered at Caballo island's mortar pits.