Up near the Funafuti port by the side of the road sits an old relic of a bulldozer, rusting away.

The old bulldozer carries the words “Northwest Engineering Co”, from Chicago, Illinois, on a plate which looks like it’s on the rear of the machine.  Foliage was growing from among the rusting machine when I saw it in 2010.  The scoop/bucket/blade on the front has long gone, but the remains of the tracks are easy to see, even though they were filled with coral and debris.

This may have been earth moving equipment brought by the US military during World War Two (possibly even creating the “Borrow Pits“), but I’m not sure.  The metal appeared brittle, and I was surprised that with constant exposure to the sea, it was still as intact as it was.

I wonder how it looks after another 5 or 6 years.  Does anyone have any more recent photos?