SS President Coolidge Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu On Oct. 26, 1942, wartime port officers at Espiritu Santo were surprised to see SS President Coolidge - a onetime luxury vessel pressed into service as a troop carrier - steaming steadily in Segond Harbor and straight into a protective gauntlet. They broke radio silence to deliver a terse, extremely urgent message: "STOP! You are entering a - " But before they could say "minefield," an explosion had ripped open the 654-foot ship's aft fire room. Less than a minute later, a second mine detonated, crippling the engine room. Its captain coolly steered the crippled vessel into shallow water and beached it - the situation appeared so secure that men abandoning ship were told to leave their personal possessions, with the assurance that there would be plenty of time to retrieve them later. But the situation under the surface proved more bleak than first thought. Less than an hour passed before the great ship slipped off the shore and into the sea, rolled onto its port side and sank with its bow in about 60 feet of water; its stern coming to rest at 200 feet. The loss of life was surprisingly small - one sailor in the initial round of explosions, together with an Army captain who had returned to search for him. Today, the Coolidge remains a remarkable picture of its time. The big ship's onetime opulence is still evident in details, such as the famous and often-photographed lady-and-unicorn ceramic figure - its colors still bright - the tiled water fountain and expensive dishware left in the galley. Yet the wreck is also littered with the accoutrements of common soldiers, from helmets and jeeps to medical supplies and typewriters. You can dive the light-filled promenade decks or penetrate deep into the bowels of the ship. Because it lies at a steep angle close to shore, the Coolidge can be done as either a boat dive or a shore dive, and the wide range of depth and penetration possibilities means that it is available to anyone from Advanced Open Water divers to tek divers trained in penetration. You can even explore the wreck from bottom to top just traversing the corridors, engine rooms, crew quarters and other interior spaces of this massive wreck. Most divers can easily spend an entire, satisfying week diving nothing but the Coolidge. Quick Guide: For a full list of Padi Dive Centers and Resorts, visit padi.com. Additionally, the Vanuatu Tourism Office (vanuatutourism.com) is a central guide to available activities, operators and accommodations on all 83 islands in the Vanuatu archipelago. The VTO also offers a newsletter to keep visitors up to date on all tourism news and developments. Check out Caradonna Dive Adventures (caradonna.com) and Caribbean Dive Vacations (caribbeandivevacations.com) for a selection of dive travel-package options.