Once situated above the fireplace in the first class smoking room, “The Lady” is one of the most infamous artefacts on the SS President Coolidge.
So the story goes, this beautiful porcelain statue of an Elizabethan woman riding a unicorn was boarded over when the SS President Coolidge was turned into a WWII troop carrier. Then one day, as divers were making their way through the ship, one man glimpsed something white shining in the darkness. Upon further investigation they uncovered the intricate statue hidden behind some rotting wood.
However Espiritu Santo is no stranger to earthquakes and one day “The Lady” was so violently shaken that she fell off her original perch. Divers recovered her but the frame, one hand and the unicorns horn were sadly already broken.
So she was briefly brought to the surface, fixed up and then placed back inside the ship. According to local guides, they first put her back around 30m but became concerned that passing yachts may try and recover the prized piece. So she was moved one last time to the dining room doorway and now rests at around 40m, just within recreational dive limits.
For the full story of the SS President Coolidge, from luxury ocean liner to World War II troop transport, read our complete history of the SS President Coolidge.
Every dive to the Lady is planned according to the divers’ certification, experience, gas supply and the conditions on the day. The following describes a typical guided route to one of the SS President Coolidge’s most poignant and iconic sights.
The dive begins with a descent down the midship mooring line, followed by a swim towards the bow to enter through Euart’s Door — the sea door where Captain Elwood Euart tragically lost his life during the sinking of the SS President Coolidge, after remaining aboard to help fellow soldiers escape.
Entering into the lobby, the route continues through a large doorway past an old furnace and into the first class dining saloon. This is a narrower space between what was once the floor and ceiling; above, the glass portholes and their hatches hang down, while below lies the vast open space of the dining saloon.
On reaching the bulkhead, divers drop down to find the porcelain statue of the Lady, lying on her side in the doorway between the first class dining room and the main galley.
On a recreational dive, only a few minutes can typically be spent with the Lady before ascending and returning back along the corridor the way you came in. Slightly above the Lady, on the ceiling-side wall, an ornate glass light fitting can also be seen, along with a second chandelier lying in the silt of the vestibule below on the way out.
To exit the Coolidge, divers swim back up and out through Euart’s Door before continuing along the starboard side of the wreck. The return to the surface is made either via the bow mooring line or by following the route to the coral gardens to complete the safety stop.