Z.529 Hosanna (1980)
On 14 February 1980, the fishing vessel Hosanna sailed from Plymouth with five men aboard. She was heading for Scheveningen in the Netherlands. She never arrived. No distress call was received, no survivors were found, and for the next 46 years, her disappearance remained one of the English Channel’s most intriguing maritime mysteries.
Built in Belgium in 1965, the 25-metre steel fishing cutter had a colourful history. Registered Z.592, she became involved in the offshore pirate radio scene during the 1970s, supplying the legendary Mi Amigo, home to Radio Caroline.
In July 1979, Hosanna ran aground near Scheveningen. The damage raised serious concerns about her seaworthiness. Six months later, she was sold to British owners in Plymouth and re-registered GU.5200.
Her final voyage would end in tragedy.
Somewhere in the Dover Strait, Hosanna vanished. A mysterious radar contact, an abandoned liferaft discovered near the Goodwin Sands and an oil slick prompted a search. Nothing was found. Five men, including a 14-year-old Dutch boy, had disappeared without trace.
Theories flourished. Had she been struck by a larger vessel in thick fog? Had she deliberately vanished? Rumours of sightings abroad persisted for decades.
Then, in September 2026, Mutiny Diving finally put a name to an unidentified wreck lying on the seabed off Dover.
Today, Hosanna rests upright in approximately 52 metres of water, close to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Her wheelhouse has disappeared, but the hull, rounded stern, four-bladed propeller and substantial fishing machinery remain.
This is a challenging technical wreck dive, with the upper structure around 45 metres and the main deck approximately 47 metres deep.
Dive a wreck with an extraordinary story. A pirate radio connection, five missing men and a maritime mystery that endured for 46 years.
For experienced wreck divers, Hosanna offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to explore a recently identified wreck whose story is still being uncovered.
