The Gaul, registered in Hull, sank off Norway in 1974 with the loss of all 36 crew.

In April the UK Government re-opened an investigation into the sinking of the vessel and launched a new search to trace, exhume and test bodies that were washed up.

'Spy mission'

An investigation after the trawler's sinking found it had capsized in heavy seas.

No distress message was sent and the only wreckage recovered was a small buoy.

But there has been intense speculation that the Gaul was on a spying mission and sunk by the Soviet navy or struck by a Nato submarine.

'Peace of mind'

The government team will collect DNA samples from the bodies found in the Murmansk region of northern Russia. Then they will try to match them with those taken from the crew's relatives.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "If we can establish whether or not the remains belong to former crew members, I hope it will ease the uncertainty for the relatives of those who were lost and bring them peace of mind."

A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch found no evidence of espionage.

Its publication this year was sparked by the discovery of the wreck of the Gaul in August 1997. Evidence was then collected from the site.