Just 250 meters off the southern coast of Espiritu Santo lies a Second World War wreck at a convenient depth for recreational diving. Not only that, the wreck is large, and almost completely intact, making it regarded as one of the best wreck dives in the world.
This sunken ship is the SS President Coolidge, a cruise liner that was converted into a troop carrier during the war. But it didn’t sink due to an enemy attack. In October 1942, the Coolidge carried troops to Espiritu Santo’s bomber base to support Allied Forces in Guadalcanal. Unfortunately, the approaches to Santo were covered in mines to protect against Japanese submarines, the locations of which were not shared with the captain of the Coolidge. The ship struck one of the mines and began to sink. The captain steered the ship to shore, intending to ground it and save as many people as possible, which is why the wreck is so shallow.
Two people died in the sinking of the President Coolidge. One was a fireman in the engine room who died in the explosion. The other was Captain Elwood Joseph Euart, who was helping others get out from below decks. He was the last to leave, but sank with the ship. His remains were only recovered in 2015.
There is a nearby memorial dedicated to Captain Euart along Canal Road, not far from Pacific Dive.
The wreck still contains the tanks it was transporting in its cargo hold, as well as rifles and other equipment, making it an interesting site for multiple dives for advanced divers.
