The lost sovereigns of Suva Fiji.

Hello Everyone

Here is another treasure legend of interest.


A cry of mbula! Meaning welcome greets tourists following in the footsteps of Captain Bligh to this former home of fierce warrior cannibals. Fiji is strategically placed at the cross roads of the western pacific.

It is a island group of mainly frizzy haired Melanesians with Polynesian blood mixed with 200 years or so European convicts, sailors, deserters, whalers, Black birders and a mixed bag of societies casts off from all over the globe.

Piracy was never on any large scale in these tropical seas and today the cannibals have more refined tastes such as the luxuries of the modern world. In a paradise with surfing and tropical sunsets, it seems sad that it there is no gory tales of pirate treasure. However there is a more modern treasure legend that haunts these islands.

This treasure story dates back to 1907 when a passenger steamer SS Fiona sailed into the harbor of Suva the capital of Fiji. In those days passengers and cargo was loaded and unloaded by small lighters which ferried passengers and cargo to and from shore.

There was a big swell and a strong box containing 1000 sovereigns were lost overboard. This duly fact was reported in an Australia newspaper. There was no follow up report if the treasure was ever recovered.

Perhaps some where it is still there today, in the beautiful harbor of Suva is a treasure now worth up to an easy million dollars, lays half buried by the sands of time in the sea floor of the lagoon?

If only I could hold my breath.

Hardluck 


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Hello Goldnboy

You can see the size of the harbor by the picture. Its a fair size to search. But it could be narrowed down if we can find an old photograph of the ship at the time of the loss we may be able reference its location by where she anchored by any visual landmarks?

At a guess the money was lost in the outer edge of the harbor where the reef act as a natural barrier to the swell. This is where the waves would of been largest.

From the statement of the newspaper story the ship was never tied up at any wharf. But anchored in the outer harbor in deeper water and was unloaded  and loaded by small boats.

The strongbox would of been out of diving depth for native divers and commercial divers of 1907. But perhaps a diver of today if they can find the right location could possibly get lucky.

Hardluck 

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