What Happened aboard the MV. JOYVITA?

At the break of dawn on October 3, 1955, the MV Joyita, carrying 25 passengers (16 of whom were members of the crew) and four tons of cargo, departed Apia, the capital of Samoa. The destination was the Tokelau Islands, a two-day journey of 270 miles across the south Pacific Ocean. Around 2 days of travel. Was it just misadventure or did something sinister happen?