S.S. President Coolidge
Conditions & tides
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About this site
The S.S. President Coolidge is a World War II wreck lying on her port side just metres from shore in the Segond Channel off Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Built in 1931 as a luxury liner and refitted as a troopship, she sank in October 1942 after striking two Allied mines while approaching Base Buttons. Her captain beached her toward shore so everyone could get off, and only two lives were lost.
The ship is about 200 m long and 25 m wide and rests on a steep slope. The bow is the shallow end at around 20 m, the cargo holds start near 33 m, the Lady statue lies at about 40 m and the stern is down at about 70 m. Inside are jeeps in the holds, a surgery with medical supplies, and guns and cannons.
The bow is the gentlest section, and the parts of the wreck down to roughly 15 to 30 m are the easier ones. Enclosed or silty areas inside the ship are harder going.
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You can dive it from shore or by boat, and shore dives mean a good swim that uses more gas and bottom time. Water is 25 to 30 C with generally good visibility, and diving works year round. Longshore currents are strongest around the full moon, which can also cut visibility.
Turtles, octopus, eels, scorpionfish, clownfish, nudibranchs, mantis shrimp and flashlight fish live on the wreck, along with a large moray and an anemone garden. It is a protected historical site, so nothing should be removed.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
ClownfishClownfishReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
Mantis shrimpMantis shrimpReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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