An ocean recovery expert is confident that he has found a fishing boat that went missing nearly three months ago with three fishermen on board.
David Mearns believes that a shipwreck found off the north Wales coast is that of the Nicola Faith because it is "largely intact".
He has been leading a private search for the boat which vanished off Conwy in January, and says key features of the wreck found earlier this month meant he felt it was the vessel.
The Nicola Faith vanished on January 27, with the loss of skipper Carl McGrath, 34, and crewmates Ross Ballantine, 39 and Alan Minard, 20.
The bodies of all three men were later discovered.
And earlier this month, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch [MAIB] announced that a sunken vessel said to be "of significant interest" was found 1.9 nautical miles from Colwyn Bay at depth of 15 metres .
Today, Mr Mearns said on Twitter that he believed the sunken vessel was in fact the Nicola Faith.
He said: "The length and breadth of the wreck found by the MAIB match the known dimensions of the Nicola Faith.
"A platform mounted above the transom extended the original length of the boat to 12.1 metres.
"The wreck is lying on its bottom at a 30-degree angle to port.
"The 1300 kHz BLUEVIEW sonar revealed lines floating above the wheelhouse and fishing gear forward of the aft tower.
"A ridge of sand (in red) has built up at the stern because of tidal flow.
"The wreck is largely intact.
"The exposed starboard hull shows no damage.
"Key features like the radar mast above the wheelhouse and high tower above the stern surely identify it as the Nicola Faith, to be confirmed by the MAIB and police divers later today."
He released sonar imaging showing the appearance of the vessel discovered.
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents said he has issued a "Notice of Direction to Prohibit Access" around the wreck, meaning it must be left undisturbed until further notice, pending further investigation by the MAIB.
The MAIB's notice is made under the powers in the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2012 and the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
