It is fitting that on Memorial Day Weekend, as the United States remembers the fallen soldiers of past and present wars, the National Geographic Endeavour entered a part of the South Pacific that has played such a large role in the lives of American soldiers during World War II. Vanuatu, and the island of Espiritu Santo in particular, housed a large naval and air base during the war. Although not the center of fighting in the South Pacific, it was a haven for ships and supplies as troops shifted through the Western Pacific to re-take Japanese controlled islands.
During World War II, James A Michener, then a lieutenant in the American Army, was stationed in Santo. Such was the effect of this place on him that he wrote the legendary Tales of the South Pacific from which sprang the musical South Pacific. From Santo, Michener would gaze across the sea to a volcanic island, often with its summit shrouded in cloud and dream of "Bali Hai." On a clear day the sight of Bali Hai, which is actually the island of Ambae, still beckons the imagination of the romantic soul.
Espiritu Santo is home to Luganville, the second largest town in Vanuatu, where pieces of American history are scattered throughout in the form of buildings, decaying airplanes, and even merchant marine ships. It is here just outside the main harbor that the S.S. President Coolidge lies at rest. The President Coolidge was a 22,000 ton liner tasked with carrying troops, supplies, and aiding in evacuations around the South Pacific during WWII. On Monday October 26, 1942, the President Coolidge had set a course for entering into the harbor of Espiritu Santo, but unfortunately had not been informed about the new mine fields that had been laid since her last call. Captain Nelson has been told to stand by for orders before his entry into the harbor, but alas, due to clerical error, no information was passed stating the locations of the mines, and he proceeded along the usual route. As the Coolidge proceeded through the entrance, a destroyer began to signal her from shore and got as far as S-T-O-P (the full message was to later read “Stop you are standing into mines”), which was enough for Captain Nelson to throw the engines into full astern, but at 17.5 knots the ship certainly did not stop on a dime. At 09:30am, the Coolidge struck the first mine, and then a second explosion rocked the vessel. The captain, realizing the direness of the situation, swung hard to starboard and grounded the Coolidge.
Evacuation was immediate, and as the ship slowly listed to port as thousands of gallons of water rushed into the huge tears in her hull, all 5,440 souls onboard were evacuated. There were only two deaths that day, one was an engine room fireman named Robert Reid, who was killed with the first explosion, and the other, an Army Officer, Captain Elwood Euart, who went back into the ship just before she heeled over to make sure all his troops were out.
Today the 654 foot ship lies on a coral covered slope with her stern in 210 feet of water. In 1993, the President of Vanuatu declared it a Marine Park, where thousands of divers every year come to visit the “world’s largest accessible shipwreck.” It is an eerie feeling as one circles the wreck, admiring the soft coral encrustations, and delicate fish which call the ship home; yet these corals are growing upon ship guns, and the fish are living in old mess tins.
Happy Memorial Day!
During World War II, James A Michener, then a lieutenant in the American Army, was stationed in Santo. Such was the effect of this place on him that he wrote the legendary Tales of the South Pacific from which sprang the musical South Pacific. From Santo, Michener would gaze across the sea to a volcanic island, often with its summit shrouded in cloud and dream of "Bali Hai." On a clear day the sight of Bali Hai, which is actually the island of Ambae, still beckons the imagination of the romantic soul.
Espiritu Santo is home to Luganville, the second largest town in Vanuatu, where pieces of American history are scattered throughout in the form of buildings, decaying airplanes, and even merchant marine ships. It is here just outside the main harbor that the S.S. President Coolidge lies at rest. The President Coolidge was a 22,000 ton liner tasked with carrying troops, supplies, and aiding in evacuations around the South Pacific during WWII. On Monday October 26, 1942, the President Coolidge had set a course for entering into the harbor of Espiritu Santo, but unfortunately had not been informed about the new mine fields that had been laid since her last call. Captain Nelson has been told to stand by for orders before his entry into the harbor, but alas, due to clerical error, no information was passed stating the locations of the mines, and he proceeded along the usual route. As the Coolidge proceeded through the entrance, a destroyer began to signal her from shore and got as far as S-T-O-P (the full message was to later read “Stop you are standing into mines”), which was enough for Captain Nelson to throw the engines into full astern, but at 17.5 knots the ship certainly did not stop on a dime. At 09:30am, the Coolidge struck the first mine, and then a second explosion rocked the vessel. The captain, realizing the direness of the situation, swung hard to starboard and grounded the Coolidge.
Evacuation was immediate, and as the ship slowly listed to port as thousands of gallons of water rushed into the huge tears in her hull, all 5,440 souls onboard were evacuated. There were only two deaths that day, one was an engine room fireman named Robert Reid, who was killed with the first explosion, and the other, an Army Officer, Captain Elwood Euart, who went back into the ship just before she heeled over to make sure all his troops were out.
Today the 654 foot ship lies on a coral covered slope with her stern in 210 feet of water. In 1993, the President of Vanuatu declared it a Marine Park, where thousands of divers every year come to visit the “world’s largest accessible shipwreck.” It is an eerie feeling as one circles the wreck, admiring the soft coral encrustations, and delicate fish which call the ship home; yet these corals are growing upon ship guns, and the fish are living in old mess tins.
Happy Memorial Day!
