Ships built in mountain caves?

[Wagion]

OK when I was younger my mom use to travel a lot for and often my sister and I got to go along. On a trip to Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands we went on a bus tour one day way up in the mountains and there was a huge cave with destroyer size ships built in the cave. They where built by the Japanese but never used built in cave to protect them from bombing then they where going to lay huge railroad tracks down to ocean to launch them. I am looking for pictures but haven't found the right photo album yet. My mom and sister remember it but not sure where it was so I am not nuts (at least on this) I can't find anything on the internet about it tried several different search engines.

I can remember visiting other Japanese fortifications and caves through out the Pacific and the where great engineers.

Anyone know anything about this?

[Takao]

The Japanese never built destroyers in caves. Your probably talking about tunnels used for barges.

photos of the barge tunnels on New Britain
http://i.pbase.com/o6/24/427024/1/11011 ... 030120.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o6/24/427024/1/11011 ... 030122.jpg

More:
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/png_karavia.html
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/daih ... nnel1.html
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/daih ... nnel2.html
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/daih ... nnel3.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/walkabout/ ... barge.html

Then again, to a child's eyes, they might well have been destroyers.

[Wagion]

Can't see first two links but second set that might be it thanks. I remember the boats being huge but like you said matter of perspective. This is in Japan thought I swear it was in the Solomon island where we saw them.

[Kingfish]

This is in Japan thought I swear it was in the Solomon island where we saw them.

The second set of photos are from around the Rabaul harbor area, which although is outside of the Solomons chain (I believe they end at Bougainville) is still very close to them.

[Takao]

The Pacific Wrecks site says that there are 4 Daihatsu lined up in the one tunnel, perhaps, you thought they were all one ship.

Barge Tunnel (Landing Craft Protection Cave)
Four Daihatsu Landing Barges lined up nose to tail in a long passage cut into the hill by Japanese and POW labor. Presumably, they were used to ferry supplies around the coast at night, or held in readiness in case of emergency. Parallel tunnels used to house supplies and offices. These boats would have been winched down to the sea on a long track from high above sea level. There were a total of seven tunnels in the area, but the one has anything still inside. Locals guide visitors through the tunnels for a fee of 5 Kina.