The SS President Coolidge is one of the world’s most famous and accessible shipwreck dives. Originally built as a luxury ocean liner, she was later converted into a U.S. troop transport during World War II. After striking mines near Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu, she sank in 1942—leaving behind an extraordinary underwater time capsule.
What makes this wreck unique is the striking contrast between luxury cruise remnants and wartime military cargo, all now resting within recreational and technical diving depths.
For a deeper look into her full history and the story of her sinking, you can read more in our dedicated history post.
Below are the top 10 most fascinating treasures you can still see on the SS President Coolidge wreck dive, plus one unmissable bonus!
1) Guns & Ammunition
The shallowest highlight of the SS President Coolidge is the 3-inch deck gun located on the starboard side of the wreck. Resting at just 15–18 metres, it’s one of the most accessible and iconic features, easily reached by open water divers following the Starboard Side and Salvagers Cut dive route.
Inside the gun mounting, you can still find piles of ammunition shells—often arranged for photos by divers over the years. The area has also become a regular resting spot for resident sea turtles, adding an unexpected wildlife encounter to this historic artifact.
Between Cargo Holds 1 and Cargo Hold 2 on Deck E, divers may also spot what appears to be a bomb lodged against the overhead structure. Its sealed position suggests it may still contain trapped air, so it should be observed cautiously and not disturbed.
Further inside the wreck, Cargo Hold 6 still contains remnants of ammunition crates, although many were removed or salvaged after the sinking.
2) Cutlery & Cookware
On the starboard side of the SS President Coolidge, just above Cargo Hold 2, sits a large cook pot that was once brought up from the lower sections of the ship. Over time, divers have turned it into an informal collection point, filling it with recovered or placed artifacts such as gas masks, boots, scabbards, plates, teapots, and cutlery.
Nearby, you’ll also find a line of corroded guns, now heavily encrusted and largely unrecognizable due to decades of marine growth.
The pot rests at approximately 18 meters, positioned outside the wreck structure, making it accessible to open water divers following the Starboard Side and Salvagers Cut dive route.
Cutlery and small galley items can still be found scattered throughout the wreck. The highest concentration is around the lower section of Cargo Hold 2 at roughly 35 meters, where the ship’s crew galleys were originally located. Additional items can also be seen deeper within the main galley areas of the ship.
3) WWII Willys Jeeps
Deep inside the rear right section of Cargo Hold 1 on the SS President Coolidge, divers will notice a series of unassuming, rectangular objects resting in the darkness. At first glance they look like ordinary boxes—but when illuminated from above, they reveal one of the wreck’s most remarkable surprises: a shipment of American military jeeps, still flat-packed as they would have been in their original shipping crates.
Resting at around 25 meters, this site is typically accessed by advanced divers following the Cargo 1 & Chain Locker dive plan. The preserved condition of the crates offers a striking glimpse into wartime logistics, frozen in time since the ship’s sinking.
Throughout Cargo Hold 1 you will also find more fully built jeeps with headlights and steering wheels, which make for a good photo.
4) Sinks & Toilets
On most dives, sinks and toilets wouldn’t be considered particularly remarkable—but inside the SS President Coolidge, even these everyday fixtures become fascinating time capsules.
As a 200-meter-long troop transport that carried thousands of soldiers, the ship was equipped with numerous bathroom facilities spread throughout its decks. Today, the most accessible examples for divers can be found inside Cargo Hold 1, where remnants of sinks and toilets remain in situ.
Additional bathroom structures can also be seen exposed on the seafloor at around 45 metres, where sections of the former promenade deck now rest. These deeper remnants offer a striking glimpse into the ship’s original layout, preserved in an entirely unexpected underwater setting.
5) Passengers Personal Effects
When the SS President Coolidge sank during World War II, it was still in active service, carrying thousands of troops bound for Espiritu Santo. During the chaotic evacuation, many soldiers were forced to leave their personal belongings behind.
Today, these soldiers’ effects remain scattered throughout the wreck, preserved beneath the sea. Divers can discover items such as boots, helmets, glasses, and other personal gear tucked within various compartments of the ship.
Rather than being concentrated in one area, these artifacts are spread across the wreck, creating frequent and powerful reminders of the human stories behind one of the world’s most renowned WWII shipwreck dives.
6) Medical Supplies
Hidden within one of the more secluded cargo holds of the SS President Coolidge lies an extraordinary medical supplies cache. While it might be expected that delicate materials would have been destroyed during the sinking, many items remain surprisingly well preserved after decades underwater.
Divers can still observe bottles of liquid, sealed powders, and other medical provisions that have remained intact and protected from seawater exposure.
Resting on shelving at around 30 meters, this area is typically accessed by advanced divers following the Medical Supplies Dive Plan.
One of our favorite treasures is the buoyant quinine vials found along the ceiling of a corridor. These can be carefully pulled free, only to shoot back upward once released—an effect caused by trapped air inside the containers.
7) Aircraft Drop Tanks
Deep within the lower decks of the SS President Coolidge lies one of the wreck’s most unusual sights—a large collection of eerie, egg-shaped structures known as aircraft drop tanks.
These WWII-era drop tanks were designed to carry extra fuel for long-distance flights and were typically jettisoned before combat. Now resting on the bottom deck of the wreck, they offer a fascinating glimpse into wartime logistics and aviation history.
While each individual tank may appear simple, the sheer number and scale of them create an impressive and slightly haunting scene for divers. Exploring this area of the SS President Coolidge adds a unique dimension to the dive, showcasing yet another layer of this world-famous shipwreck’s story.
8) Light Fittings
Across the vast interior of the SS President Coolidge, divers can still find a wide range of original light fittings scattered throughout the wreck. Many are simple bulb fixtures, with sections of wiring still attached, while others are more ornate designs featuring glass panels and detailed metalwork.
Although a large number have fallen from the walls over time, many remain partially preserved—often buried in silt and waiting to be uncovered. When illuminated with a dive torch, these fittings can still produce an atmospheric glow, offering a striking glimpse of the ship’s original interior lighting and design.
9) The Lady
One of the most iconic features of the SS President Coolidge is “The Lady,” a striking porcelain statue dating back to the ship’s luxury liner days. The sculpture depicts an Elizabethan woman riding a unicorn, reflecting the vessel’s pre-war elegance and design.
When the SS President Coolidge was converted for military service and later sank, the statue had been boarded over, remaining hidden until divers eventually uncovered it within the wreck. After being dislodged during an earthquake, the statue was carefully recovered and repositioned inside the ship’s dining room at a depth of around 40 meters.
Due to its depth, visiting The Lady requires a deep diving or decompression certification.
Over time, a tradition has developed where divers kiss the statue for good luck. However, this practice is discouraged, as the porcelain has become increasingly fragile and physical contact can contribute to its deterioration, posing risks to both the artifact and divers.
You can read more about her in our Dive Plan for “The Lady.”
10) Engine Control Dials & Telegraph
Deep within the wreck of the SS President Coolidge lies the original engine control room, one of the most atmospheric and technically fascinating areas of the ship. This space was once the operational hub where engineers monitored and controlled the vessel’s mechanical systems, relaying critical information back to the bridge and captain.
Located at approximately 45 meters depth, the engine control room is not suitable for recreational divers and is typically accessed only by those with decompression or technical diving certification.
Inside the confined space, divers can still see the original glass-faced engine control dials, which display steam pressure readings frozen in time from the moment the ship sank. The room also contains the ship’s telegraph machine, once used for sending and receiving engine orders—offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the operational heart of this historic WWII wreck.
You can read more in our Dive Plan for ‘The Engine Control Room’.
Bonus! Flashlight fish
Finally, this last item is more of a living treasure than a static artifact, but an unmissable one nonetheless. A unique highlight of diving the SS President Coolidge is encountering the elusive flashlight fish, a resident species known for its striking bioluminescence. These small fish emit a blue-green glow from light-producing organs beneath their eyes, creating an unforgettable natural display in the darkness of the wreck.
Flashlight fish are typically observed in the deepest, darkest sections of the Coolidge, most often during night dives. One of the best areas to encounter them is in the 25–30 meter range around the rear sections of Cargo Holds 1 and Cargo Holds 2.
Accessing this experience requires advanced diving experience, as it involves deeper penetration into the wreck. Due to the complexity and conditions of a night penetration dive, most operators require divers to complete Cargo 1 and/or Cargo 2 dive plans in daylight first, ensuring familiarity with the layout before returning in the dark.
See These Treasures for Yourself …
Once upon a time, the SS President Coolidge held far more visible treasures, including skylights, a swimming pool, and the ship’s barber chair. However, over time, the relentless effects of the ocean have taken their toll, with many of these features succumbing to corrosion, collapse, and gravity.
Today, much of what remains lies buried beneath debris and shifting silt, hidden from immediate view but not entirely lost. Like many of the wreck’s other secrets, these treasures still exist for those skilled and experienced enough to explore deeper within the Coolidge’s vast underwater landscape.
It is also a stark reminder to appreciate and experience the preserved history while it is still accessible, before this remarkable wreck is further reclaimed by the sea.
So to book your fun dives and courses on the Coolidge, get in touch with us today.
