Brad Wojcik Coolidge donation
Early in June, we were contacted by Brad Wojcik in the United States. He told us the wonderful story of his father’s career in the merchant navy during World War II. But of greatest interest to us was that his father John served as a Steward on the SS President Coolidge when it went down […]
Locals snap up bargains at Bigfala 2021
From the moment we threw open the flaps on the marquee, we knew we were going to be busy. The Museum’s annual Bigfala Sale concluded on Friday last week after almost two weeks of raising much needed funds for the South Pacific WWII Museum. The Sale, the brainchild of Museum Chairman Bradley Wood, sees a […]
Coolidge 79th Commemoration
Today marks the 79th anniversary of the sinking of the SS President Coolidge off the south east coast of Espiritu Santo. Each year, the South Pacific WWII Museum recognises this remarkable moment in Santo’s history with a short service at the Elwood J Euart memorial, across the road from where the ship sank and still […]
Million Dollar Point like never before
Museum Chairman Bradley Wood said he is absolutely thrilled to have the support of VTO. “We’ve been working towards this event for a very long time, so to have the Vanuatu Tourism Office behind us, makes all that hard work extra worthwhile,” he said. “We can’t thank VTO enough for coming on board.” Adela went […]
VTO supports commemoration
On October 26, we will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. President Coolidge off the coast of Santo in 1942. Much is planned for the day and The South Pacific World War II Museum is delighted to announce the support of the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) for the commemoration. VTO […]
Whistle set to sing
Last month we reported on the amazing progress being made with the restoration of the S.S. President Coolidge whistle in Luganville. We are delighted to report that we’ve reached another milestone. The whistle has been polished, reassembled and is now complete. It’s been quite a journey for the almost 100 year old brass whistle that […]
Message in a bottle
Millie Ogden, CEO of 3 Link Communications in Port Vila offered to help the museum with planning for the Coolidge commemoration and exhibition. Her company will be providing us with a satellite uplink to ensure we can livestream the commemoration on the internet. Further details of how you can watch the event will be put […]
Museum Renovations
In the lead up to the S.S. President Coolidge Commemoration and Exhibition on October 26, the South Pacific WWII Museum required quite a makeover to get it ready for the Coolidge exhibition. In fact we had to remove every item in the Museum to enable us to re-dress every wall, display cabinet and some floor […]
Jeep for Museum
Not all the news this week is Coolidge related. Those with an eagle eye, may have spotted a new addition to the Museum’s collection at the opening of the Coolidge exhibition. Tucked away under our verandah roof was the newest edition to the Museum’s collection. It took many months – actually years, thanks to Covid – […]
The Museum’s Dauntless wreck
A huge thrill for the South Pacific WWII Museum this week following the discovery of aircraft wreckage in Port Vila. During a recent visit to the Vanuatu capital, museum chairman Bradley Wood spotted the tail and engine of what appeared to be a World War II aircraft. Through further research and with the assistance of […]