Horseshoe reef on which the Joyita wrecked in 1957 is a ring of coral a little more than a mile in diameter.
The reef is situated 12 miles north-east of the light-houses on Wakaya Reef and Batiki Island.
R.A Derrick’s “The Fiji Islands” in detail described about the reef.
“It is thus situated in one of the main seawaysthe channel followed by overseas vessels passing through archipelagic and is considered one of the most dangerous reefs in Fiji waters.
“Its windward faces are awash at high water drying three feet and here, during rough weather, the sea breaks heavily forming a loop of surf from which the name of the reef is derived.
“The leeward face is a series of submerged reefs having on the north-west side a narrow passage leading into the enclosed basin which is up to 12 fathoms deep.”
The Joyita was only one of a number of ships which had been wrecked on Horseshoe Reef. The article on the Joyita being wrecked on the reef was published in this newspaper on January 9, 1957.
In 1917, the inter-island vessel Amra stuck heavily, but she was able to limp into Levuka Harbour leaking badly.
In 1934 an overseas ship, the Hoegh Trader with a cargo of Californian Redwood timber struck the reef and became a total wreck. For months afterwards timber was drifting ashore on islands in the group.
After the Hoegh Trader mishap, enquiries disclosed that the reef actually lay about half a mile north west of its charted position.
On the night of November 23, 1949 when visibility was much reduced by rain, the auxiliary cutter Island Queen Lailai ran on Horseshoe Reef with sails set and engines running and sank within 15 minutes.
Passengers and crew were saved
The wreck lay for a day or two on a submerged ledge, with parts of the superstructure visible through the water. Before salvage could be attempted currents carried it to a much greater depth.
In 1950, the Ivor Jenny while on her way from London caught fire in mid-ocean soon after leaving Panama.
On Boxing Day she added to her troubles by running on the Horseshoe Reef. She was later re-floated and made her way to Suva.
It was years before the claims arising from the double mishaps of fire and stranded were finally settled. Joyita on January, 1957 lay on Horseshoe Reef at a crazy angle of 45 degrees with her name Joyita defiantly pointing to the sky.
As she lay in distress, her crew straddling the decks, Kadavulevu made all haste to the scene with salvage equipment. Joyita lay in the lee of the wind, well up on the reef.
The seas were moderate
If she floated off Horseshoe Reef before Kadavulevu arrived she was bound to sink, but there was a chance that she would be saved only if the salvage equipment could be gotten on board in time.
