Espiritu Santo

History

Early European exploration

A Spanish expedition of three ships, led by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, landed in 1606 at Big Bay on the north side of the island. Queirós named the land La Austrialia [sic] del Espíritu Santo in acknowledgment of the Spanish king's descent from the royal House of Austria, and believing he had arrived in the Great Southern Continent, Terra Australis. They entered the bay on 1 and 2 May: the latter being the day of Saints Philip and James, Queirós named it Bahía de San Felipe y Santiago. The local chief tried to chase the Spanish explorers back to their ships, which led to an exchange of arrows and musket-fire, in which the chief was killed. The ships remained for a month at their anchorage "Puerto de la Vera Cruz", with armed sailors making incursions inland for provisions. Queirós announced his intention to found a city, Nova Jerusalem, and appointed municipal officers. In early June, with provisions running low, they left the bay to explore the neighbouring coastline. Queirós' lead ship became separated, and, whether through adverse weather or mutiny, was unable to make anchor in the bay. The almirante (second-in-command, and captain of the second ship), Luis Váez de Torres, searched the coast for signs of shipwreck but found none. He remained until late June, then sailed to the west coast with the intention of circumnavigating what he considered to be an island, not a continent. The wind and current were against this aim, so he left the island sailing west, eventually encountering the previously unexplored southern coast of New Guinea. Torres then found the strait that bears his name between northern Australia and southern New Guinea.

After the departure of Queirós and Torres, Espiritu Santo was not visited again by Europeans until 160 years later, by Louis de Bougainville in 1768 and James Cook in 1774.

European settlement

During the 19th century, Australian, British, French, and German settlers settled in the territory of the New Hebrides. In 1878, the United Kingdom and France declared all of the New Hebrides to be neutral territory. In 1887, the Anglo-French Joint Naval Commission took charge of the territory. On 9 August 1889, Franceville, an area around present-day Port Vila, declared itself an independent commune under the leadership of elected mayor/president Ferdinand-Albert Chevillard, and with its own red, white and blue flag with five stars. It became one of the first self-governing administrations in recorded history to practise universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. However, this was short-lived as it was soon suppressed, and by June 1890, Franceville as a commune was reported to have been "practically broken up", and the Naval Commission had resumed control.

Between 1903 and 1905, one of the first major geological studies of Melanesia was produced by Australian geologist Sir Douglas Mawson (later renowned for his expeditions to Antarctica). After spending from April to September 1903 exploring the islands with W.T. Quaife, Mawson produced a report which included geological maps of the islands of Efate and Santo. This was his first major independent geological work. The men travelled to the islands aboard the Ysabel, under the auspices of the British Deputy Commissioner of the New Hebrides, Captain Ernest Rason. HMS Archer was also used on the trip. Mawson's detailed report, "The Geology of the New Hebrides", was published in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales in December 1905.

In 1906, the naval commission was replaced by a more structured British-French Condominium. During this period, Hog Harbour, on the northeast coast, was the site of the British district administration, while Segond, near Luganville, was the French district administration.

World War II

During World War II, particularly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the island was used by American naval and air forces as a large military supply and support base, naval harbour, and airfield. Luganville Airfield, also called Bomber Field #3, was a large airfield built by the Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion in 1943. Also built on the island was Bomber Field No.2 which became Santo-Pekoa International Airport after the war. Palikulo Bay Airfield, also called Bomber Field #1, became part of the main road after the war. Luganville Seaplane Base served the seaplane and Turtle Bay Airfield also called Fighter Field #1 served the fighter planes.

The SS President Coolidge was a converted luxury liner that hit a sea mine during the war and was sunk. The shipwreck off Espiritu Santo later became a popular diving spot.

The presence of the Americans contributed later to the island's tourism in scuba diving, as the Americans dumped most of their used military and naval equipment, and their refuse, at what is now known as "Million Dollar Point".

In highly fictionalized form, this was the location of James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, and of the following Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific.

1980s rebellion

Between May and August 1980 the island was the site of a rebellion known as the "Coconut War", during the transfer of power over the colonial New Hebrides from the condominium to the independent Vanuatu. Jimmy Stevens' Nagriamel movement, in alliance with private French interests and backed by the Phoenix Foundation and American libertarians hoping to establish a tax-free haven, declared the island of Espiritu Santo to be independent of the new government. The "Republic of Vemerana" was proclaimed on 28 May. France recognised the independence on 3 June. On 5 June, the tribal chiefs of Santo named the French Ambassador Philippe Allonneau the "King of Vemerana", and Jimmy Stevens became the prime minister. Luganville was renamed Allonneaupolis. Next, negotiations with Port Vila failed, and from 27 July to 18 August, British Royal Marines and a unit of the French Garde Mobile were deployed to Vanuatu's capital island, but they did not enter Espiritu Santo as the soon-to-be government had hoped. The troops were recalled shortly before independence. Following independence on 31 July 1980, Vanuatu, now governed by the Vanuaku Party with Father Walter Lini as Prime Minister of Vanuatu, requested assistance from Papua New Guinea, whose army suppressed the rebellion, keeping Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu.