Espiritu Santo - President Coolidge

Allan Power Dive Tours, one of the main dive operators on Santo	Painting of the S.S. President Coolidge, now Vanuatu's leading dive site	S.S. President Coolidge wrecked in Santo Harbor in 1942	The S.S. President Coolidge was launched in 1931 for the Dollar Steamship Lines and American President Lines
At 615ft (187m), the President Coolidge is a very large ship, just 82m shorter than Titanic	After striking a friendly mine, the captain ran the Coolidge aground saving the 5340 soldiers and crew on board	Earthquakes shifted the wreck back into the channel where it now rests on its side in 18-70m of water	Points of interest for divers on the wreck of the SS President Coolidge
Cross section of the SS President Coolidge - bow	Cross section of the SS President Coolidge - stern	Location of the wreck of the Coolidge on a map of World War II-era Luganville	Map with the location of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides
The Lady and the President - the Life and Loss of the S.S. President Coolidge	Allan Power runs two dives daily from his shore base near the wreck site	The Lady of the S.S. President Coolidge - it's a deep dive to go see her	Tropical foliage at Alan Power's dive site
The site of the wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge, Santo	Shore dive to the wreck of the President Coolidge	In the shallows near shore	Shoreline at the site of the Coolidge
Swimming out to the Coolidge	From here, the bottom quickly drops off into deeper water	Coral formations near the Coolidge	The visibility on this day in October was average
Reef near the Coolidge wreck	Reef near the Coolidge wreck	Rope leading down to the wreck of the President Coolidge	Bow of the S.S. President Coolidge now resting in about 20m of water
There are many different dive routes on the Coolidge - I'm on the "Promenade Deck" route to a maximum depth of 33m	On top of the wreck	Chain Locker of the S.S. President Coolidge	The forward deck of the Coolidge, now at a 90 degree angle
Equipment on the foward deck	Winch with the anchor chain of the Coolidge	Left forward 3" gun added to the S.S. Coolidge during its military retrofit as a troop transporter	Right forward 3" gun of the S.S. President Coolidge
Shells for the Coolidge's 3" guns	Shells for the Coolidge's 3" guns	Shells for the Coolidge's 3" guns	Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge
Anchor of the S.S. President Coolidge	Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	Fallen masts, S.S. President Coolidge	Artefacts scattered around the forward hold
Inside the forward hold of the S.S. President Coolidge	Treaded vehicle among the remains of trucks and jeeps in the forward hold	Tire emerging from 70 years of sediment and growth	Fan corals on the side of the wreck
Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	Section of deck rotted away leaving only the support beams	Peering into the wreck of the Coolidge	Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge
Bubbles emerging from divers inside the wreck of the Coolidge	Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	Promenade Deck of the S.S. President Coolidge	A small opening leading into the ship
The dive guide modelling with a World War II American helmet and coral-encrusted rifle	A can with World War II artefacts like gas masks	Promenade Deck of the S.S. President Coolidge	Promenade Deck of the S.S. President Coolidge
Exploring the Promenade Deck	Swimming through the remains of the Promenade Deck now on the top of the wreck	Coral on the wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	Coral on the wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge
Coral on the wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	The top of the wreck	Soft corals growing on the wreck of the Coolidge	Fish are not terribly abundant although there were some giant batfish in one of the holds
Wreck of the S.S. President Coolidge	A 70 year old bottle set upright on the wreck	The Coolidge is one of the most accessible large wrecks in the world	Wreck of the President Coolidge
Wreck of the President Coolidge	Wreck of the President Coolidge	Wreck of the President Coolidge	Coral on the Coolidge
Back at the bow of the President Coolidge for the return to the shore	The bow of the S.S. President Coolidge	The guide feeds waiting fish during the safety stop on ascent	Feeding fish in Vanuatu
Feeding fish in Vanuatu	A mix of tropical fish, Santo	They keep us entertained for a few minutes then we continue along up the slope	Coral garden in the shallow water near the wreck of the Coolidge
Titan Triggerfish - Santo, Vanuatu	Titan Triggerfish - Santo, Vanuatu	Coral - Santo, Vanuatu	Coral - Santo, Vanuatu
Sea Star - Santo, Vanuatu	Sea Star - Santo, Vanuatu	Coral near the wreck of the Coolidge - Santo, Vanuatu	Coral in the shallows near the President Coolidge
Coral in the shallows near the President Coolidge	Coral in the shallows near the President Coolidge	Clownfish - Santo, Vanuatu	Clownfish - Santo, Vanuatu