Z.592 MFV Hosanna
On 10th August 2026, divers from Mutiny Diving descended onto an unidentified wreck in the Dover Strait. What they found began to unravel a mystery that had lasted for more than 46 years. The wreck was eventually identified as the Belgian fishing vessel Hosanna Z.592, later registered as GU 5200, which disappeared in February 1980 with five people aboard.
THE DISAPPEARANCE
Hosanna left Plymouth on 14th February 1980, bound for Scheveningen in the Netherlands.
No Mayday was received. During the evening of 15th February, a ship-to-shore telephone connection involving Germain Ackx and his wife was attempted. Later attempts to establish contact with Hosanna were unsuccessful. On 16th February, a liferaft marked Z.592 was recovered in the Dover Strait. An oil slick was reported nearby on 18th February. Despite an extensive search, neither the vessel nor her crew was found. For more than four decades, the precise location of Hosanna remained unresolved.
FOLLOWING THE EVIDENCE
The investigation eventually returned to contemporary search and rescue records from February 1980. Several documents referred to positions in relation to a navigational buoy called CS2. There was just one rather significant problem, the CS2 shown on modern charts wasn’t in the same place. Research into the history of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme revealed the answer.
The Channel Separation buoys were altered when revised routing arrangements came into force on 1st July 1982. The buoy identified as CS2 in 1980 occupied the area associated with today’s CS4. That discovery shifted the investigation back towards the contemporary positions recorded immediately after Hosanna disappeared.
THE FIRST DIVE
A promising unidentified wreck lay at approximately 51°08.287′N, 001°34.809′E, between the wrecks of the SS Sambut and the SS Carmen.
On 10th August 2026, Mutiny Diving skipper Chris Webb placed divers on the site. The vessel lay upright at a depth of 52m, deck at 47m and bow at 45m. Much of the wheelhouse had disappeared, but the wreck immediately began producing clues.
Fishing gear and trawl equipment were visible, along with a four bladed propeller and remains consistent with a working fishing vessel of Hosanna’s size and period. The missing wheelhouse initially removed one of the most obvious opportunities for identification, but objects from around the wreck suggested there was considerably more to investigate.
THE CLUES BELOW
Among the finds was a brass wheelhouse lamp. Inside the accommodation and working areas were period electronics including a Sailor R104 MF receiver, a Decca navigation instrument and equipment associated with Belgian maritime communications. A Belgian 25 cl beer glass provided another small but distinctly human clue. Individually, none of these items proved the identity of the wreck.
Together, alongside the wreck’s position, dimensions, construction and surviving equipment, they began pointing strongly towards Hosanna.
RETURNING TO THE WRECK
On 24th September 2026, Mutiny Diving descended on the wreck again. Members of the Guijt family were aboard for the day while further comparison was made between the wreck, historical photographs, vessel dimensions and equipment found below.
The second dive provided the additional evidence needed to bring the different strands of the investigation together. The unidentified wreck could finally be identified as Hosanna Z.592 / GU 5200. After more than 46 years, the location of the missing vessel was known.
REMEMBERING THE FIVE
Hosanna wasn’t simply an unidentified wreck waiting for a name. Five people disappeared with her:
- Germain Ackx, 44
- Piet Ackx, 16
- Hector Snauwaert, 31
- Pieter Guijt, 33
- Pieter Albertus Guijt, 14
On 24th September 2026, members of the Guijt family were able to visit the site and lay flowers above the wreck. As the floral tributes were placed on the sea, a pod of dolphins appeared beside the boat.
After decades of uncertainty, it was an extraordinary moment.
THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
The identification was the result of archive research, historical navigation records, modern hydrographic data and, ultimately, divers putting eyes on an anonymous wreck on the seabed.
Sometimes wreck identification comes from a bell, builder’s plate or clearly visible name.
Hosanna was different.
Her identity emerged piece by piece, from an obsolete navigational buoy, positions recorded in 1980, wreck dimensions, fishing equipment, electronics, objects recovered or filmed on the wreck and two separate investigation dives.
The first, on 10th August 2026, raised the possibility.
The second, on 24th September 2026, helped confirm it.
Forty-six years after Hosanna disappeared, those pieces finally came together.
FROM AN UNKNOWN WRECK TO HOSANNA
The identification was the result of archive research, historical navigation records, modern hydrographic data and, ultimately, divers putting eyes on an anonymous wreck on the seabed.
Sometimes wreck identification comes from a bell, builder’s plate or clearly visible name. Hosanna was different. Her identity emerged piece by piece, from an obsolete navigational buoy, positions recorded in 1980, wreck dimensions, fishing equipment, electronics, objects recovered or filmed on the wreck and two separate investigation dives.
The first, on 10th August 2026, raised the possibility. The second, on 24th September 2026, helped confirm it. Forty six years after Hosanna disappeared, those pieces finally came together.