When the US military left Vanuatu after the end of World War II, they left behind a lot of stuff. Airstrips, buildings, and roads they couldn’t do much about. Can’t take a runway with you, after all. But they also had tons and tons of stuff like Jeeps, tanks, building supplies, Coke, etc.. At the time, Vanuatu was still known as the New Hebrides and were under both British and French control. Anyway, the US military reportedly offered to sell all of their equipment and stores to these countries for just six cents on the dollar. Sensing blood in the water, they didn’t take the American’s up on the offer. They knew the Americans weren’t going to pack up all that dusty stuff and bring it home with them. We didn’t have the ships or the motivation to do it.

But, America tends to not like having someone else get the best of them. So they figured, if we’re getting nothing for this equipment anyway, we may as well make sure nobody else gets it. As the story is told, it took just two days for the Americans to drive every piece of equipment they had out along the pier and dump it right off into the water. Trucks, tanks, and judging by the glass still on the beach today, a million bottles of Coke. Presumably, they then climbed onto their airplanes, flipped everyone the bird as they closed the door, and flew home.

Today it’s just a fun place to spend an afternoon. Pay the local family a few bucks for access, scoop up some old Coke bottle glass, and explore the man-made reef that’s slowly developing.

Imagine the amount of pollution that must have bubbled up from the bottom for the next decade or so.

Nature always takes over in the end.

Rain coming across the water. Time to get off this tower.