Vanuatu's largest island — the SS President Coolidge wreck, the Blue Hole, and a WWII Pacific battlefield the jungle has spent 80 years reclaiming
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in Vanuatu — a mountainous volcanic island in the northern archipelago with a remarkable concentration of natural and historical assets. The SS President Coolidge (a converted luxury liner sunk in 1942 after striking friendly mines near Luganville) is considered the world's most accessible large wreck dive: fully intact, 200m long, resting in 21–70m of water accessible directly from the beach. The Matevulu Blue Hole and Champagne Beach are among the Pacific's most photographed natural features.
Espiritu Santo was the site of the largest American military base in the South Pacific during World War II — at peak, over 100,000 US troops were stationed here, building airstrips, hospitals, and warehousing for the Pacific island-hopping campaign. The SS President Coolidge sank on 26 October 1942 after striking two of its own protective mines while bringing 5,000 troops to Luganville; two men died. At the war's end, the US government offered its Santo equipment to France and Britain for minimal cost; the offer was declined. General MacArthur ordered the equipment destroyed — Million Dollar…