SS President Coolidge in Luganville, Vanuatu
SS President Coolidge was an American luxury ocean liner that was completed in 1931. She was operated by Dollar Steamship Lines until 1938, and then by American President Lines until 1941. She served as a troopship from December 1941 until October 1942, when she was sunk by mines in Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, part of current-day Vanuatu. President Coolidge had a sister ship, SS President Hoover, completed in 1930 and lost when she ran aground in a typhoon in 1937.
In 1980 Vanuatu won independence from France and Britain, and on 18 November 1983, the government of the new republic declared that no salvage or recovery of any artifact would be allowed from President Coolidge.
Since then the ship has been used for recreational diving. Divers see a largely intact luxury cruise liner and a military ship. They can swim through numerous holds and decks. There are guns, cannons, Jeeps, helmets, trucks and personal supplies, a beautiful statue of The Lady (a porcelain relief of a lady riding a unicorn) chandeliers, and a mosaic tile fountain. Coral grows around, with many creatures such as reef fish, barracuda, lionfish, sea turtles and moray eels.
President Coolidge is perhaps the most accessible shipwreck of her size and type. The wreck is one of the most desirable dives due to relatively shallow site, easy beach access, and visibility. The depths involved mean that, with care and decompression stops, recreational divers can explore large parts of the wreck without specialized equipment. The massive size of the wreck, combined with the gradual downward slope, mean that care must be taken monitoring depth, as the diver's horizontal frame of reference may be skewed, preventing awareness of the continual gradual descent.
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Luganville - Vanuatu - The President Coolidge
A wreck dive of the President Coolidge in Vanuatu. It is one of the best preserved wrecks from WWII
S.S. President Coolidge Santo - Vanuatu
SS President Coolidge - Santo, Vanuatu 1994
Diving the SS President Coolidge, Santo Vanuatu 1994
Video by Neville Grovermann
Edit by Joel Pringle
SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu, Cargo Hold 1&2 and Million Dollar Point
DIVING THE WRECK OF THE SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE - ESPIRITU SANTO - VANUATU
Ever wondered what it might be like to swim through an underwater museum ? In this clip Paul White from Aore Adventure Sports and Lodge takes us on a tour of cargo holds one and two, medical supply area and the freshwater tanks on the wreck of the SS President Coolidge in Espiritu Santo Vanuatu.
The wreck of the Coolidge is listed to become a world heritage site and you can see why.
I shot this clip as part of an upcoming dive guide for Espiritu Santo, if you are a keen wreck and reef diver I highly encourage you to visit there and sample the world class diving on offer.
Shot with a Panasonic GH4 - 7-14mm Lumix lens.
Thanks to Air Vanuatu, Panasonic, Aore Island Resort and Aore Adventure Sports and Lodge.
Music by STELLARDRONE.
SS President Coolidge underwater, Espiritu Santo island, Vanuatu
Cruise liner converted to troop carrier during WW2, sunk near Luganville, Espiritu Santo island of Vanuatu on 26th October 1942. Nearly 70 years ago. Videography by Kevin Green
70th Anniversary of Sinking the SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu Vol 3
The group at deco: SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu
everyone at deco
Fish Life on the USS President Coolidge & Million Dollar Point - Luganville, Vanuatu
A collection of clips shot while diving on the wreck of the USS President Coolidge & Million Dollar Point in August 2009
Exiting the Wreck: SS President Coolidge in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
Diving on the SS President Coolidge July 09
KBs diving off Espiritu Santo. Gear-up, dive areas. General external and internal video and stills in poor light. Drop tanks, trucks, medical supplies, the Lady etc. Moray (Nessie) appearance. Various video and stills in the Deco stop area.
dive on the ss coolidge vanuatu
SS Coolidge Dive in Vanuatu Luganville Joyce and Goof
World war 2 ship
Entering ship
SS President Coolidge - Swimming Pool
Video taken 1995 and digitised 1996 and re-edited 2013 of a dive to the
Swimming Pool on the Coolidge, the largest easily accessible shipwreck
in the world.
Prodive Sydney Penetration: SS President Coolidge in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
SS President Coolidge Wreck Dive
Santo, Vanuatu - 1 Jan 2013
Without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.
Disclaimer:
I am NOT the owner of the music clips played in this video and do NOT claim any of their rights.
Scuba Diving SS President Coolidge (HD) Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
The S. S. President Coolidge was a luxury liner, of 21,936 gross tons, it was completed in 1931 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport News, Va. It was 615 feet 6 inches in length, had a beam of 81 feet 3 inches, and a draft of 28 feet 2 inches.
In June 1941, the Coolidge went into service with the American Army as a transport ship for reinforcing garrisons in the Pacific. It was later converted as a troop carrier in 1942, she could carry over 5,000 troops. She set sail from her home port of San Francisco, California for New Caledonia and Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.
A large military base and harbor had been established on Espiritu Santo and the harbor was heavily protected by mines. Information about safe entry into the harbor had been accidentally omitted from the Coolidge 's sailing orders, and on her approach to Santo on 26th of October 1942, Coolidge, fearing Japanese submarines and unaware of the mine fields, tried to enter the harbor through the largest and most obvious channel. A mine struck the ship in the engine room, and moments later a second mine hit her near her stern.
Captain Henry Nelson, knowing that he was going to lose the ship, ran her aground and ordered troops to abandon ship. Not believing the ship would sink, troops were told to leave all of their belongings behind. 5,340 men got safely off of the wreck to shore. There was no panic as the troops disembarked, many even walked to shore.
Some sections of the wreck collapsed, which now rests on her port side with her bow at a depth of 21 metres (69 ft) and her stern at 73 metres (240 ft).
The President Coolidge is one of the top ten wreck diving sites in the world. I Only did one dive here and this footage does'n even come close to how much more there is to discover but it was an amazing dive never the less.
Music:
SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu, The Stern and Deck ABC
Vanuatu, Diving the USS Coolidge 9.21.08
Diving the wreck off Luganville, Vanuatu
Stern Dive President Coolidge Vanuatu
Great deep dive on a wonderful wreck. A bit of cleaning by Peter helped to make the COOLIDGE stern lettering a bit cleaner but will need further work!