After the SS President Coolidge was struck by two mines on her port (left) side on October 26, 1942, the compartments immediately began filling with water, causing her to list. As she sank, she eventually settled with her starboard side facing upward.
According to some accounts, the U.S. Navy sent divers down on surface-supplied air with torches to retrieve items from the wreck. Mainly mail and critical medical supplies—most notably quinine, an anti-malarial drug. There were said to be 250,000 doses on board, representing the entire Pacific reserve at the time. Other soldiers stationed on Espiritu Santo reported receiving salvaged supplies such as equipment—and even Coca-Cola.
The first man inside the SS President Coolidge after she sank was said to have shot straight back out, claiming to have seen “all the bodies.” Yet given that there were only two casualties during the sinking, it’s possible he came across Captain Elwood Euart’s body—or was simply suffering from nitrogen narcosis at the time.
No one knows for sure, but it’s believed that around this time, the large cut-outs in the hull over cargo holds 2 and 3 were made to access the ship’s contents.
Over time, the SS Coolidge faded into relative obscurity. A few divers visited over the years, such as Reece Discombe, who managed to recover one of her bells. But the wreck remained mostly untouched until 1968, when a salvage vessel called the Pacific Seal arrived in Espiritu Santo. Onboard were divers, salvage equipment, and a man named Allan Power, who had been tasked with photographing the operation.
The divers’ main task was to recover the brass propellers from the stern of the ship, which they did with some difficulty. After leaving for other salvage work in New Caledonia, they returned for a short period and also recovered 50 tons of artillery shells, rifle rounds, and tyres, which they sold to the locals before departing once again. However, Allan Power chose to remain behind—a man who would later become the unofficial caretaker of the Coolidge and is widely credited with starting diving tourism in Espiritu Santo.
Some of the early salvage work—particularly the use of explosives—caused significant damage to the wreck, leading to a large oil leak. So in 1972, salvager Ian Lockley was brought in to survey the site for oil. He also installed a shark cage by Captain Euart’s door, though it was reportedly as useless then as it is now—since there weren’t many sharks to begin with, and none after he installed it!
The survey found an estimated 650 tons of bunker oil still onboard. Samples were sent to Shell, where they were tested and found to be in surprisingly good condition—even after 35 years underwater. The oil was eventually sold to the P&O SS Arcadia, where it was used in the ship’s furnaces.
Lockley was also responsible for the large engine room cut-out still visible in the hull today. Here he removed metal and machinery to access copper wiring, marking the final phase of salvage work conducted on the SS Coolidge.