Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Grave of the President (1984)

play
clip The President goes down

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

In 1942 the ocean liner President Coolidge was carrying troops and equipment to Espiritu Santo. She accidentally struck two allied mines and sank. Initially it was thought that the ship would stay on the reef, but water filled the holds then she began to slip into deep water and panic broke out.

Curator’s notes

The drama unfolds as the ocean liner slips off the reef and sinks. The disaster is well told using a series of still photographs, maps and recollections from a veteran.