On Wednesday 26 November, the Vanuatu Tourism Office and Vanuatu’s South Pacific WWII Museum hosted a series of celebrations in Luganville (Espiritu Santo) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the SS President Coolidge (the Coolidge), including a special ceremony and the unveiling of an exhibition on the US troop carrier and its role in Vanuatu’s WWII history.
Attended by VIPs from around the world, including High Commissioners and Ambassadors from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France and Japan, the day commenced with a ceremony at the memorial of the Coolidge’s captain, Elwood J Euart. Delegates stood together to witness the raising of the Vanuatu and US flags and the tolling of the Coolidge’s bell, honouring the lives lost in the sinking of the ship in 1942. A wreath was laid at the base of Captain Euart’s memorial by the US Chief of Mission to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, Joe Zadronzny, and the Museum’s Chairman, Bradley Wood.
After the ceremony, guests gathered on the beach and watched as divers explored the hidden underwater world and history of the Coolidge, a now famous dive site and a holiday highlight in Vanuatu. School children from Luganville cast flower petals into the water, and a wreath was released into the sea. A US Air Force aircraft treated attendees to a fly-by over Luganville, in a spectacular conclusion of the ceremony.
Following this, the South Pacific WWII Museum unveiled a special exhibition featuring never-before-seen artefacts that were recovered from the Coolidge wreck before it was listed as a heritage site by the Vanuatu Government in 1972.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, one of the ship’s whistles was sounded for the first time since 1942, rewarding guests with the opportunity to hear the ‘voice of the Coolidge’ once again. Other exhibition items include the ship’s original bell, which is on public display for the first time. The exhibition will run for two weeks, until 9 November 2022.
The Vanuatu Tourism Office Short Haul Markets Manager, Paul Pio said, “The Coolidge has a special place in Vanuatu’s history and today offers travellers, particularly divers, an iconic experience. The commemorations today and the opening of the exhibition are a celebration of this. Diving continues to be one of Vanuatu’s top attractions for international visitors, with the Coolidge just one of many beautiful spots to explore.”
To learn more about Vanuatu’s history, must-visit dive sites and for more inspiration on visiting Vanuatu, head to www.vanuatu.travel/au.
For more information on the anniversary events at the South Pacific WWII Museum, head to www.southpacificwwiimuseum.com
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