Naval divers from the LE Aoife will tomorrow begin examining the unregistered wreck reported off the Donegal coast to determine whether the vessel is the Carrickatine. The trawler went missing almost two years ago with the loss of six crewmen.
The LE Aoife left the Haulbowline base in Co Cork yesterday and is expected to arrive at the wreck late today. It lies 3 1/2 miles east of Tory Island and was reported by the skipper of a fishing vessel which snagged its nets in the area.
The wreck is believed to be some 40 miles from the last reported position of the Carrickatine, at the Stanton Banks, 60 miles north of Malin Head.
The largest search and rescue mission mounted off the Irish coast began when the trawler failed to return to its home port of Greencastle in Co Donegal on November 16th, 1995.
The families have come to terms with the possibility that the vessel may never be found, according to Father George McLaughlin, the parish priest of Moville.
The boat had been skippered by Mr Jeremy McKinney and was crewed by his brother Conal, Mr John Kelly and his son Stephen, their cousin Mr Terry Doherty, and Mr Bernard Gormley, who celebrated his 18th birthday the day before the trawler disappeared.
The Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, said that the families of the six men would be kept closely informed of the operation, which is expected to take some days. He cautioned against any "premature conclusions" that the Carrickatine had been found.