The excitement is building
The South Pacific World War II Museum will be unlike any museum in the world today. Not only will it be a fully immersive, interactive experience about the Pacific Theatre during World War II, it will stand in the middle of where everything took place – on the site of a former World War II US Navy base in Luganville, on the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. Not only will the museum be an exciting tourist destination, but it will create jobs and provide unique training opportunities for the local Santo people and bring a welcome source of income for the local economy.
This website will form the hub of news, updates and everything you want to know about the museum and its progress during the fundraising and construction phases of its development. Additionally, our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages will provide information such as how you can help with the establishment of this exciting Pacific island destination. The website will also bring you the latest from our photographic collection – which continues to grow by the day – as well as video content about the war in the Pacific, and anything else we think might be of interest to you.
What’s New
In our video gallery this week we’ve added some incredible footage showing the USS Idaho arriving at the Floating Dry Dock that was based in Espiritu Santo during World War II.
The 75th Memorial of Captain Elwood J Euart &
Launch of The South Pacific World War II Museum Project
October 26, 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the SS President Coolidge. This is your opportunity to join us to honour Captain Elwood J Euart and the countless other lives taken during the South Pacific conflict through the launching of the South Pacific World War II Museum Project – an initiative of the Elwood J Euart Association. There are a number of events happening on Espiritu Santo during this time and if you’d like to know more about what’s planned and hopefully join us here in Luganville for them, simply click here.
“You could effectively say we will be the biggest museum in the world because it covers all of the south corner of Santo. If you want to take it further then you can go out, see it, feel it, and get that warm fuzzy feeling if you like for where it actually took place.”
So where are we located?
The South Pacific World War II Museum will be built on the island of Espiritu Santo, one of the islands that make up the Pacific Islands nation of Vanuatu. You can zoom in to see just where that is on the map below.
Dreams and aspirations
Bradley Wood, Founding Chairman of the South Pacific World War II Museum, has been a passionate supporter and driver behind the establishment of a museum on Santo. In this interview Bradley describes the plans for the construction of the museum in Luganville, the major city on Santo in Vanuatu and the role he sees the museum playing in educating visitors.