Cargo Hold 4 on the SS President Coolidge offers a unique and fascinating contrast to the ship’s forward cargo holds. Unlike Cargo Holds 1 and 2, this section has no overhead deck hatch for entry.
Originally, access was through large twin doors located on both the port and starboard sides. Today, divers enter through a large salvage cut on the starboard side, or by swimming through one of the decks from Cargo Hold 2.
During its time as a luxury passenger liner, Cargo Hold 4 was primarily used for transporting motor vehicles. However, on its final voyage during World War II, the hold was repurposed to carry a significant volume of medical supplies and military equipment. Much of this cargo was intended to support Allied troops stationed at Guadalcanal.
After the Coolidge sank, US Navy divers managed to recover a large amount of the supplies. This included things like Sulfa Drugs, Penecillin, morphine, Vitamin K, bottles of plasma, Surgical sutures in glass vials and most notably Quinine.
Quinnine is an anti-malarial drug of which the SS President Coolidge was carrying roughly 235 – 268 kilograms / 519 – 591 pounds at the time she sank. This was equivalent to approximately 250,000 doses and represented a major portion of the U.S. military’s anti-malarial reserves in the Pacific at the time.
When the Coolidge settled on its side, the contents of Cargo Hold 4 fell to the seafloor. However over time divers have recovered a tray of medical supplies which they have balanced on what used to be the ceiling beams. Inside the bottles are:
This try sits at roughly 30m/98ft, marking the deepest point of the dive. However more experienced and qualified divers can carefully explore the at the bottom of the hold where additional artifacts such as field cookers, telescopes, and ammunition are covered by the silt.