Videos
Through
the lens
A visual record of war and memory
The South Pacific World War II Museum is building a growing archive of film and video documenting both wartime activity in Vanuatu and the development of the Museum itself. These recordings provide valuable visual context—capturing people, places and events that shaped Espiritu Santo during and after the war.
The material presented here represents an early selection from that archive, which will continue to expand over time as new footage is sourced, restored and recorded.
Espiritu Santo Short Tours
This series of short films explores key World War II locations across Espiritu Santo. Produced by the Museum in 2019, the videos highlight surviving infrastructure built by the U.S. Navy Seabees and provide context for the island’s role during the war. The series continues to grow as additional locations and stories are documented.
USS Idaho in Espiritu Santo Dry Dock
This footage documents the USS Idaho undergoing repairs within the massive floating dry dock ABSD-1 at Espiritu Santo in 1944. Constructed in ten sections in the United States and assembled locally, the dry dock was a major engineering achievement. The film captures the scale of naval operations and the strategic importance of Santo as a repair base.
Lockheed P-38 Recovery
Footage from the recovery of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning on Espiritu Santo provides a rare record of the process. Filmed over several days, it documents the extraction of the aircraft from its long-hidden location and the early stages of preservation. The material offers insight into the practical challenges of recovering wartime wrecks.
US Army Films – Espiritu Santo
These archival films were recorded during the American presence on Santo in World War II. They include footage of naval hospitals in operation, construction work by Seabees, and daily life on the base. The collection also features First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during her 1943 visit to boost morale among stationed personnel.
LCVP Arrival on Santo
This footage records the arrival of a replica LCVP landing craft acquired for the Museum. After an extended acquisition process, the vessel was transported to Santo and delivered to the Museum’s storage facility. The video captures an important step in expanding the Museum’s physical collection.
F4U Corsair & B-25 Mitchell Wrecks
This gallery features footage of two aircraft wrecks located on Espiritu Santo. The Corsair site was previously known only to a small number of locals, while the B-25 Mitchell can be accessed through the nearby village. The material highlights ongoing efforts to locate, document and understand wartime aircraft losses across the island.
Museum Clips
This section brings together video documenting some of the development of the South Pacific World War II Museum. It provides a visual record of where we were right at the start to where we are today.
Explore Santo in context
The Museum is part of a much larger wartime landscape. Across Espiritu Santo, airfields, wharves, hospitals and supply bases once formed a vast and vital Allied network.
To help place these locations in context, we’ve created an interactive map of the island’s south-east region. It brings together as many known sites as possible, allowing you to explore how the Museum connects to the wider story of the Pacific War. Click the map to find out more.
