British scientists have returned from Russia with evidence they hope will help solve one of the remaining maritime spy mysteries of the Cold War that led to the death of 36 sailors.
For the past 25 years the victims' families have been pressing for official documents to be opened to reveal whether a British-based fishing trawler was involved in espionage before it mysteriously sank off the coast of Norway.
No distress signal was heard before the vessel disappeared, and rumours that the ship had been involved in monitoring the Soviet navy were given credence after the British Ministry of Defence admitted similar vessels had been used for Cold War spying operations.
The Gaul went down in an area of the Barents Sea that was patrolled by Nato and Soviet submarines, and relatives believe the ship might have been used by the British authorities to photograph Soviet naval operations.
Fishermen aboard similar British vessels have admitted they often passed on information on naval manoeuvres, and relatives believe the trawler might have sunk after being deliberately rammed by a Soviet ship.
An investigation held seven months after the Gaul disappeared concluded that it had capsized and foundered in heavy seas, though no direct evidence supporting this theory was found.
The wreck was discovered only two years ago in an expedition organised by British and Norwegian television companies that were unable to locate any bodies.