Elementor Header #9440: Clean, modern header design with navigation and logo.

Author: James Carter

James or Jimmy as he's more widely known, has been working on the South Pacific WWII Museum project since 2014. Now the Museum's Project Manager and part of the Board team, Jimmy's passion for the WWII history of the Pacific sees him keeping busy across all aspects of the South Pacific WWII Museum.

Swire shipping container

Swire shipping container being unloaded by a Daewoo forklift

In yet another major donation to the South Pacific WWII Museum, Asia-Pacific shipping giant Swire Shipping has provided the Museum with a shipping container. You may be wondering what we will do with it? The plan is to join it onto the back of the Museum building during our renovations and provide a doorway between […]

NZ High Commission assists Museum

NZ High Commission staff visit museum with historical artifacts and photos.

Following the significant financial support, facilitated by New Zealand High Commissioner Nicola Simmonds, our upcoming renovations are set to transform and expand the museum. The grant will be instrumental in doubling the size of the museum, allowing for the re-establishment of a dedicated section for more general World War II exhibits. This will allow us […]

Museum doubles its size

Tour group in a museum gallery, some looking at exhibits, others listening to a guide.

Following weeks of exceptional dedication from a committed team of tradesmen and our museum staff, the Museum’s latest gallery was unveiled on Friday, 12 January. We were thrilled to have the British High Commissioner, Nicolette Brent, in attendance, along with her husband Karl – a former Royal Marine – and Nicolette’s mother, who is currently […]

Honouring the crew of the USS Strong

USS Strong museum exhibit with ship photos and a submarine hatch.

On 10 March 2021, Tammi Johnson from Project USS Strong DD467 contacted the South Pacific WWII Museum. Tammi, a long-time supporter, had a personal connection to the USS Strong – her great-uncle, Ensign Billy Clay Hendrick Jr., was lost when the ship sank in the Solomon Sea on 5 July 1943. After learning about her […]

Bunkers, Wrecks and Wonders

Couple on a deserted airstrip, Guam, part of the Bunkers, Wrecks and Wonders blog.

Local tour operator and long-time Luganville resident Mayumi Green is now offering fully customised World War II history tours across Espiritu Santo, designed especially for visitors who want a deeper, more personal connection to the island’s wartime past. With over three decades of experience living on Santo, Mayumi has developed an extraordinary understanding of the […]

Pacific charm offensive

Small terrier dog peeks out of a metal pot, surrounded by boots.

He was the tiny dog with a huge heart. And as far as anyone can tell, Smoky became the world’s first documented therapy dog.

Cross that bridge

Aerial view of a coastal town with a river and bridge, surrounded by lush green trees.

The Sarakata River bridge is almost an icon of Luganville. Some newly discovered images show its rebuild by US Navy Seabees in 1943.

Fly by night

Damaged warship adrift at sea, possibly a cruiser or destroyer, with smoke rising.

The Japanese carried out their first night air attack as Task Force 18 headed for Guadalcanal. It was an embarrassment for Admirals Halsey and Nimitz.

‘Slow But Deadly’

Blue Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber with number 39 in flight

The aircraft that has been widely credited for winning the war in the Pacific thanks to its success at Midway- The Douglas SBD Dauntless.

The logistics of war

Logistics of war: Stored supplies and trees in a landscape

Base Button on Espiritu Santo was of a staggering size and by the end of the war around 500,000 personnel had passed through the base.