Table of contents:
- From Hollywood Yacht to Fishing Boat
- Lost and suspicious find
- Investigation Notes
- Versions and conclusions
Video: Were Soviet submarines involved in the disappearance of the ship, or the missing crew of the Joyita
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
There are many legends around the world about ghost ships, whose crews disappeared without a trace in the depths of the sea. The "Flying Dutchmen" are periodically carried away by the current aground, thrown by the storm wind onto the rocks, and sometimes they even collide with ships sailing in the night. In 1955, the ship "Joyita" was discovered in the Pacific Ocean, from which the crew, passengers and even cargo disappeared without a trace. The incident was blamed on Soviet submariners, Japanese pirates and even drug dealers. And although the official version turned out to be more prosaic, some details do not seem justified even today.
From Hollywood Yacht to Fishing Boat
Joyita was built in 1931 at the initiative of the Hollywood director R. West. At that time, the vessel was up to the standard of a luxury yacht with cedar hull, exquisite teak trim and innovative equipment. A few years later, West's mistress died on a yacht under mysterious circumstances, and he sold the ship to Milton Bacon out of harm's way. In October 1941, shortly before the Pearl Harbor clash, Joyita became a military boat guarding Hawaii.
After World War II, the ship was acquired and refurbished by a fishing company. For safety reasons during frequent exits into open waters, the Joyita was completely covered with cork, which made the small vessel practically unsinkable. In 1952, the ex-yacht changed its owner again, which became Katarina Luomala, and in fact - her lover, Captain Thomas Miller. Seasoned sea wolf Miller was not very good at fishing and practically went bankrupt after expeditions, stuck with no money in Samoa. "Joyita" insistently demanded maintenance and replacement of failed components. The captain refused offers to sell the yacht.
Lost and suspicious find
At dawn on October 3, 1955, the Joyita departed from Samoa harbor in the direction of Tokelau (450 km or 2 days of sailing). Onboard there were 16 crew members and up to a dozen passengers. Along the way, the ex-yacht seized medicines, empty oil drums, firewood and food as cargo. The trip was initiated by the official Roger Pearless, who needed to get to his new destination. In Tokelau, the ship did not arrive at the appointed time. The search for the ship turned out to be unsuccessful. And after 5 weeks, when the search engines were about to give up, Joyita was found.
The ship deviated from the route by a whole thousand kilometers, radically changing the northern direction to the southwest. The drifting vessel was filled with water, but kept afloat thanks to the cork sheathing. However, there were no people, no cargo, no life jackets on board. Such circumstances immediately gave rise to talk about another ghost ship.
Investigation Notes
Based on the remaining amount of fuel in the tanks, it was concluded that the engine stopped after about 40 hours from the start of the journey. During this period of time, "Joyita" was supposed to be 50 kilometers from the intended place of arrival. A thousand kilometers on a changed course was overcome already with the engine turned off on waves and underwater currents. Based on the position of the switches, "Joyita" lost its "operational capacity" in the dark. It was clear that someone had turned on the onboard radio, but failed electronics failed.
Everything indicated that people disappeared from the aircraft almost immediately. Food supplies in refrigerators and drinking water remained intact. Not a single note or message could be found on the ship, which suggests a rush to leave the ship. But even if we assume that the ship was out of order for some emergency reason, the actions of the ship's crew raise questions. The properties of the Joyita's cork were well known to the captain, so he could only guess what could make people go down on rafts.
Versions and conclusions
The number one version of the death of the Joyita was the opinion of the sailors from Tuvalu, who believed that the ex-yacht collided with another vessel. But a detailed study of the hull with no signs of damage swept aside such assumptions. In the meantime, Fijians were putting forward the most implausible theories. Both Soviet underwater spies and Japanese pirates were accused of missing people from the ship. The British tabloid even admitted that drugs were transported in the hold, which were stolen along with witnesses. Natural causes, for example, a huge wave, a tornado, or the eruption of an underwater volcano, were also not disregarded.
Based on the results of the investigations, the official commission was offered a prosaic, but most confident version. The probable cause of the incident is a faulty cooling tube through which water poured into the hold. The existing pumps could not cope with pumping out such a volume of water, and attempts to seal the leak also failed. The cork confidently kept the ship on the water, but for some reason people left it on rafts, after which they died. On the rafts with which the Joyita was equipped, ten people could fit at most. The rest, most likely, were forced to swim in the water, holding onto the ropes. The current, as expected, carried them away from the ship, and people were left in the middle of the ocean without food, fresh water and communication with the land. Most likely, some died of thirst and hunger, others were overtaken by sharks. During the search operation, scraps of life jackets with holes from shark teeth were washed ashore.
Captain Miller knew about only one serviceable engine of all available, an inoperative radio station and a missing capacious lifeboat, but he risked making money from lack of money. Another thing is not clear: he could not help but understand that the chances of surviving on a raft are many times less than staying on an unsinkable ship. There were suspicions that at the moment the water rushed into the hold, Miller was seriously injured or completely unconscious. Scattered medicines from the first aid kit and traces of blood were found on board. So the point is not worth it.
The fate of another Soviet submarine was no less dramatic. The crew of the K-19 survived three catastrophes that became for the sailors of the Soviet Hiroshima.
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