Located off the coast of Espírito Santo , an isle belonging to the South Pacific acre of Vanuatu , is a vast undersea junkyard of armed forces trucks , jeeps , bulldozers , tractors , unopened boxes of habiliment in addition to cases of Coca-Cola create. It’s called the Million Dollar Point , therefore named for the millions of dollars’ worth of US armed forces equipment that was dumped inwards the sea at the destination of the minute basis war.
The isle of Espirutu Santo was used past times the Americans during WWII every bit their chief armed forces furnish in addition to back upwards base of operations , in addition to the headquarters for major navy in addition to regular army units operating inwards the Pacific. It was the minute largest US base of operations inwards the Pacific afterwards Hawaii in addition to had over xl ,000 troops stationed permanently on base. There were 2 bomber in addition to 2 fighter airbases in addition to massive aircraft in addition to transportation repair facilities. Being a furnish base of operations meant that it had everything that was required to sustain troops fighting the state of war including slice of furniture , habiliment , enough of proficient nutrient in addition to warm beer.
Photo credit: www.airvanuatu.com
Once the state of war ended , the Americans were faced alongside the employment alongside what to produce alongside all the armed forces equipment that had accumulated on the island. The high terms of transportation made it likewise expensive to post these dorsum to the United States. Above all , at that spot was the delineate per unit of measurement area to convey the troops dorsum habitation every bit rapidly every bit possible. So the Americans offered to sell much of the equipment to the French in addition to British who held articulation sovereignty over the island. But the colonial authorities idea that if they refused to purchase , the Americans would get got to operate out everything behind , in addition to therefore the British in addition to French would larn everything for free.
The Americans saw through the bluff , in addition to inwards retaliation decided to dump everything into the ocean. The locals watched inwards disbelief every bit hundreds of vehicles were rolled off the barges into the water. While the armed forces had dumped leftover equipment in addition to unopen to ammunition inwards the past times , but cipher on the scale of Million Dollar Point.
Travel author Thurston Clarke describes the scene:
The Seabees built a ramp running into the sea in addition to every solar daytime Americans drove trucks , jeeps , ambulances , bulldozers , in addition to tractors into the channel , locking the wheels in addition to jumping costless at the final second. Engine blocks cracked in addition to hissed. Some Seabees wept. Ni-Vanuatu witnessing the devastation of wealth their isle would never run across ane time to a greater extent than , at to the lowest degree inwards their lifetimes , idea the Americans had gone mad.
Ironically , the islanders held the British colonial authorities , in addition to non the American armed forces , accountable for this destruction. According to witness testimonies , the Americans tried to operate out behind civilian items such every bit pots , pans , every bit good every bit guns , in addition to timber to the locals , but the booty was confiscated past times the British in addition to were either burnt or thrown into the sea. Islanders who took anything , fifty-fifty chip slated for devastation , were severely punished.
“We used to enshroud in addition to expect for them to throw away this food—like novel tins of bacon in addition to sausage. New ones , novel clothes. Then his police delineate would study us. Sometimes the Americans would only pose things exterior their tents pregnant for us to get got them ,” told ane islander.
Million Dollar Point is at ane time Espirutu Santo’s biggest attraction offering opportunities to dive or snorkel amid the rusted in addition to coral-encrusted vehicles.
Sources: Cabinet Magazine / BBC / Santo Today