Divers from St Andrews University believe they could be on the verge of solving a maritime mystery through an expedition to the bottom of the River Forth.

A team of experts from the archaeological diving unit, the school of geography and geosciences and the Burntisland Heritage Trust hopes to discover whether a shipwreck is the doomed baggage vessel of King Charles I, the Blessing of Burntisland.

The team confirmed earlier this year that the wreck was a similar size and shape to the royal ferry that sank in a storm in 1633 with the loss of 35 men. It was laden with a priceless cargo of silver and jewels.

Richard Bates of the school of geography and geosciences said: "The team will be using state-of-the-art sonar imaging techniques to examine the site."

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The researchers would take photographs and create accurate charts, as well as inspecting the wreck debris. "By doing so, we hope to help prove or refute claims that the ship is the Blessing of Burntisland," Bates said.

King Charles, who was on a coronation tour of Scotland, watched the ferry sink from the deck of his flagship, the Dreadnought. It is thought the vessel may have been overloaded.

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Mark Lawrence of the archaeological diving unit said: "Standard archaeological dating techniques will be applied to the timber elements of the wreck, so we can be sure that it falls into the correct time frame.'' The debris has already been designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 because of its possible historical associations. The diving unit is responsible for examining wrecks protected under the act on behalf of the government.