Seabed wreckage of the sunken trawler the Solway Harvester has been positively identified by a Royal Navy warship.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the wreckage was pinpointed on the seabed 11 miles east of Douglas, in the Isle of Man.

Prior to the announcement, MAIB officials had only been able to say that the wreckage was similar in size to the Scottish vessel, which sank on Tuesday night with the loss of all seven men on board.

A spokesman said the minehunter HMS Sandown was able to confirm the identity of the wreckage and the families of the men have been informed.

"It has been positively identified as the wreck of the fishing vessel Solway Harvester," said the spokesman, who added that the warship had now left the scene.

The wreckage of the Kirkcudbright-registered scallop dredger was initially detected by sonar equipment on Wednesday.

A survey vessel charted by MAIB, the Mansal 18, carrying a remote-operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is due to arrive in the area on Tuesday.

If the bodies of any of the seven fishermen who died are located in the wreck, they will be recovered, the MAIB said.

"Because Manx legislation on the recovery of crew from sunken vessels differs from that of the UK, the Isle of Man coroner has said that if any are located, they are to be recovered," said the spokesman.

Weather improved

Police said it was hoped the bodies could be recovered within days of the survey ship's arrival.

Weather in the area of the tragedy has improved, and Chief Inspector Dudley Butt of the Isle of Man police said: "Once we have confirmed that any of the crew are on board, we will do what we can to recover any of the bodies.

"If it is physically possible, our aim is to recover the bodies, identify them and repatriate them."

HMS Sandown sailed to the area from Port Ellen on the Scottish island of Islay.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the warship had been chosen for the task because of her high-definition sonar gear, and her ability to identify and video-record wreckage using an ROV.

The devastated fishing community of Whithorn has been struggling to come to terms with the loss of seven of its fishermen and will gather on Sunday for a church service.

Alasdair Morgan, the Scottish National Party MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, said the return of the men for burial was now the most important thing for everyone affected by the tragedy.

He said: "Once that has been done we can actually get on with the inquiry.