Dive site
SS President Coolidge
Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
- Typical depth
- 70 m
- Type
- Wreck
- Level
- Technical
Notes
Converted US troop transport that struck friendly mines on 26 Oct 1942 entering Segond Channel. 199 m on her port side; bow at 21 m, stern at ~73 m — one of the largest readily accessible shipwrecks in the world, with shore entry from Luganville.
Marine life
- Macro
- flatworms, nudibranchs
- Other
- 'The Lady' — a porcelain bas-relief in the first-class smoking room is the wreck's signature artefact
- Corals
- hard coral colonising the bow rails and superstructure
- Reef fish
- lionfish, batfish, barracuda, sweetlips
- Cephalopods
- reef octopus
Wreck
- Vessel
- SS President Coolidge
- Class
- luxury ocean liner converted to troop transport
- Origin
- United States
- Sunk
- 1942 — struck two friendly American mines entering Segond Channel, 26 Oct 1942
- Length
- 199 m
- Penetration
- Possible — with training
Site features
- Wreck
- Penetration
- Deep Wreck
- Trimix
- Overhead Environment
- Historic
- Shore Entry
- Intact Superstructure
- War Grave
When to dive
- Best
- Apr–Nov
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb
Vanuatu's dry season (April–October) gives the calmest seas; the Coolidge sits in Segond Channel close to Luganville with shore entry, so weather rarely cancels dives. Cyclone risk peaks January–March.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Water temp
- 26–29 °C
- Current
- Mild
- Access
- Open access
- Min cert
- Advanced Open Water + wreck specialty for the bow at 21 m; deep + wreck-penetration training and stage gas for the engine room, holds and stern at 50–70 m. Multi-day, multi-dive itinerary is the norm.
Location
15.5167° S, 167.2167° E
Dive clubs that visit this site
2 operators list this site on their website
- Allan Power Dive ToursBanban, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu · Dive centre[source]
- Pacific DiveLuganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu · Dive centre[source]
Sources
Curated from 1 source
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