Welcome to
The South Pacific WWII Museum
From the birthplace of Tales of the South Pacific and the legendary heroism of aviators, soldiers, and sailors, comes a forgotten wartime history. On Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu, tranquil coconut plantations were transformed into Base Button, the largest military base in the South Pacific during World War II, hosting over 500,000 service members.
Today, we honour this legacy by sharing it with descendants of those who supported the Allied war effort with the South Pacific WWII Museum. Plans are underway to create a larger, world-class museum, preserving the remarkable history of the New Hebrides for future generations of Ni-Vanuatu and visitors worldwide.
Honouring the many
Latest news from the Museum project.
USS Strong takes centre stage
The Museum has created a very special memorial to commemorate the 46 lives lost when the US Navy destroyer, USS Strong sank off the Solomon Islands in July 1943. You can read more about the memorial here.
News in brief
Apr 6 – Very much a diverse mix of fascinating stories this month. A new photo collection heads up news from the museum with some fabulous new display pieces to add to our Luganville home. There’s a story on Japanese spies on Santo, some new news on Elwood J Euart and a great piece on author James Michener. All that and more in the March issue of our newsletter. Enjoy it here.
Mar 6 – An exciting newsletter this month with five different authors contributing a diverse range of stories. Author Robert Richardson’s new book about a crash on Santo is out, plus Robert has written a fascinating insight into the defence of Santo. Andy Werback tells us about the sinking of a pontoon on the floating dry dock. Dennis Strand provides some family history about Matthew Wells on Malo. Enjoy the newsletter here.
Feb 3 – We’re kicking 2025 off with a fascinating collection of stories. We’re publishing a wonderful letter home from a soldier based on Santo – well… we think it was Santo. We also report on a Japanese submarine that was likely sunk not far from Santo. Plus there’s a great story on the Native American ‘Code Talkers’ who created an uncrackable code for the Pacific theatre. Enjoy the newsletter here.
Dec 26 –
It’s our last newsletter of 2024! What a year it’s been, which is reflected in the December issue. We’ve had a new donation of incredible photographs and ephemera. We look at how Christmas was celebrated throughout the Pacific in WWII. Of course we feature the devastating events down in Port Vila and those who did such a remarkable job saving so many lives. Plus there’s lots more in this bigger than usual December newsletter.
We hope you have a happy a safe Christmas and a joyful New Year and enjoy the newsletter here.
Dec 5 –
This month’s big news were visits by the new Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Port Vila and the Japanese Ambassador to Vanuatu. There’s also a story on the history of the Aviation Supply Depot on Santo and much more. We hope you enjoy the November newsletter that you can find here.
Nov 4 –
An interesting mix of stories this month. With everything from our latest donations and new staff members to unseen photos of the Coolidge, tales of a former landholder and of course the Coolidge commemoration, it’s been quite a month. We hope you enjoy the October newsletter that you can find here.
New Museum gallery opens
Say hi to Raymond Lemy Nacisse
Our newest Museum staff member comes from a diverse background of volunteering. (story)
