In 1955, the Merchant Vessel (MV) Joyita and its crew disappeared in the Pacific Ocean, never to be seen again.
The MV Joyita was a luxury yacht built in Los Angeles for Roland West, a famous Hollywood director in the 1920s and 1930s.
The ship was launched in 1931. He named it after his wife, Jewel Carmenille, who was a well-known silent film actress.
For most of the 1930s, Joyita, which means “little jewel” in Spanish, cruised the west coast. Then, in 1936, West sold the vessel to a private owner.
The U.S. Navy acquired it during World War II. It patrolled the waters near Hawaii until 1946. By the 1950s, Joyita was being used as a fishing vessel.
Joyita was mostly made of cedar and oak. The boat also had a cork lining for additional buoyancy. The ship was lighter than the water it sailed on, which meant it was basically unsinkable. However, that turned out not to be true.
On October 3, 1955, MV Joyita headed off to the Tokelau Islands. Only one of her two engines was running due to a last-minute equipment failure, but it was a short and relatively safe journey with good weather conditions, so that was not much of a concern.
The ship was carrying medical supplies, wooden construction materials, and 25 people, of which 16 were crew members and nine were passengers.
The journey was expected to take just two days. But Joyita never made it to port and was reported three days overdue. No distress calls had been received.
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The New Zealand Air Force began a search-and-rescue mission on October 6. They covered a huge area of open water but couldn’t find any sign of Joyita.
Several weeks later, in November, the merchant ship Tuvalu encountered a ship drifting ahead. When the ship did not respond to calls, the captain decided to investigate.
The Tuvalu’s crew found the ship to be empty of people, and tons of cargo had been lost. The Joyita did not seem to be in danger of sinking, but it was clear that something had happened on board. There was a lot of damage, broken glass, and bloody bandages on the deck.
In addition, mattresses lay on top of the only working engine, and all the clocks on board were frozen at 10:25. The lifeboats and dinghy were missing as well.
Later, further investigations revealed a leak from a corroded pipe, allowing water to enter the hull. Still, the Joyita was at no risk of sinking.
The crew and passengers decided to abandon the ship for some unknown reason. There was no evidence of violence on board despite the damage.
No trace of the crew or lifeboats was ever found. Until any remains happen to wash up, we will never know for sure what happened.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
