MV ''Holmglen II'' was a steel-hull coastal trader built in 1956 by Maartenshoek,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

-based shipyard Bodewes Scheepswerven for the Holm Shipping Company of New Zealand. It was 485 gross register tons, had a max speed of and was powered by a four-cylinder

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

. On 23 November 1959, the ship left

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, New Zealand, for

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via

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, under the command of Captain Edward Joseph Eugene Regnaud. On the evening of 24 November, a

mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...

from ''Holmglen'' was received by the Taiaroa Head Signal and Radio Station, and a voice believed to be that of the captain reported, "am heeling heavily to port ... accommodation awash ... preparing to launch boat." The message was acknowledged by Taiaroa and answered by ''Holmglen'', who said to stand by for further communication, but this was the last communication and she was not heard from again. A sea and air search was conducted, and the wreck of ''Holmglen'' was found by another Holm Shipping Company vessel, MV ''Holmburn''. After the crew of ''Holmburn'' spotted an oil slick, they used sonar to locate the exact position, which was later confirmed by the Royal New Zealand Navy underwater video and divers. ''Holmglen'' lies in of water about south-east of Timaru, and all 15 people died. An investigation by Maritime New Zealand was unable to determine the cause for the sinking. On 10 November 2008, Blenheim dive master Kevin Bailey drowned while diving the wreck.

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