9°19′8.5″S 159°47′36″E / 9.319028°S 159.79333°E
Vilu Military Museum, also known as the Vilu War Museum, is a small open air museum in Vilu, on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The museum houses the remains of American and Japanese equipment left over from the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II.
The museum was founded by Fred Kona in 1975,[1] who operated the museum until his death in 1994, after which his family took over operations.[1] The museum is open air and contains the remains of Japanese and American aircraft and artillery pieces destroyed during the Guadalcanal campaign of 1942–43, which saw several major battles take place on and around Guadalcanal. Some of the wrecks located in the museum were moved from other locations, and the museum also maintains a number of memorial plaques,[2] including one for the Royal New Zealand Airforce[3] and HMAS Canberra.[4]
The museum was abandoned during a period of civil unrest on Guadalcanal, but later reclaimed. The museum is occasionally visited by American and Japanese tourists.[2]