As the first pictures of the wreck came through, the BBC's Paul Murphy was with some of those who lost relatives in the Gaul

Ken Collier is on a UK government survey ship investigating the wreck 300 metres below the surface of the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway.

At the time the Gaul was lost in 1974, no distress signal was sent, and rumours have persisted that it was torpedoed because it was involved in Cold War spying activity against the Soviet fleet.

However the current survey appears set to disprove this theory after making what the government describes as "significant findings".

Pictures were beamed to the ship from a remote vehicle

Mr Collier from Hull watched as pictures were beamed back from unmanned midget submarines to the ship, Mansal 18.

Afterwards he admitted that what he saw made a less sinister explanation more likely, since hatches and a door on the trawler were clearly open.

Ken Collier tells Breakfast News about the findings

Mr Collier, whose father Stan died on the Gaul, told BBC Breakfast News: "It's looking very much like we are going to find the truth.

"The two main hatches on the deck were wide open and it's beginning to look at this time like it was swamped by heavy seas.

"It's looking that it's been an accident more than espionage or any of the other rumours that we have had."

Deputy PM John Prescott is a Transport Minister and Hull MP

The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "This is a very significant find. We must now await a full assessment by the expert Marine Accident Investigation Branch team on site."

He added that discovery of the open doors "justifies our decision to go out and re-survey the end of the vessel."

However he urged people not to jump to conclusions about the cause of the sinking.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott urges people not to jump to conclusions

"As we found with the loss of the bulk carrier the Derbyshire, often the conclusions are quite different to those that were found when we did a proper analysis.

"We need to do a proper analysis of this film by the experts," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I've always doubted the theories that the Russians took the vessel," he added.

"I hope and, I know the relatives will hope, that at least they can find the truth and we can put this matter to rest and people then can accept that what really happened to the Gaul was that it sank under bad weather conditions, if that is the conclusion."

The relatives have said they want to able to bury their dead and finally solve the riddle which has blighted their lives.