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SS President Coolidge
 Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu |
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SS President Coolidge, Espiritu Santo Island, VanuatuIt’s touted as the world’s largest shore-accessible wreck: The 654-foot-long passenger ocean liner-cum-troopship is just a two-minute swim from shore, with a deck that starts at a depth of about 65 feet. Doesn’t sound extreme? The behemoth rests on a 45-degree slope, with its deepest point about 240 feet down. Given the number of holds and penetration points, the site can be as easy or as challenging as you decide to make it.
Guns, cannons, jeeps, gas masks, medical supplies, ammunition and other intact gear still lie within the coral-encrusted walls. Given the ship’s first life as a luxury ship, the art-deco details such as chandeliers provide another layer of interest. One highlight beloved by photographers is the first-class smoking room’s carving of the lady and the unicorn, a sharp contrast to the spartan lives of those troops who later served aboard.
The vessel now rests on its port side, making navigation slightly more difficult, but the sea conditions couldn’t be more favorable. Much of the time expect calm, clear waters that attract marine life ranging from moray eels to dugongs. Turtles also regularly stake out real estate.
But perhaps the most memorable and chilling feature of the Coolidge are the men’s personal effects: typewriter, hairbrush, talcum-powder bottle. No other wreck provides such an intimate look into the lives of those aboard who braved duty.
MAKE IT HAPPEN: For divers with their own gear, a shore dive to the wreck costs $51.06 with
Allan Power Dive Tours.