Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

SS President Coolidge

A luxury liner turned troopship, with jeeps in her holds and a porcelain lady waiting in the dark.

Photo: National Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain

Depth: 21–73 m
Sank: 1942
Built: 1931
Length: 199 m
Tonnage: 21,936 GRT
Type: Passenger ship
Cause: Mine

The ship

Newport News Shipbuilding (yard number 340) launched her in February 1931. She was built for the Dollar Steamship Lines' trans-Pacific service. Her sister was President Hoover. American President Lines took her over in 1938. From December 1941 she served as a troopship.

How she sank

On 26 October 1942 the troopship was carrying about 5,000 soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Regiment. She entered the main channel into Espiritu Santo harbour. She struck a US mine that was missing from her sailing orders. A second mine hit near the stern. Captain Henry Nelson judged her lost and tried to beach her.…

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