The sail training ship Asgard II, which sank off the French coast last month, is said to be largely intact in 80m of water close to where she went down.
However, a decision on whether the vessel can be salvaged cannot be taken until further investigations are carried out.
A robot was used earlier this week to assess the condition of Asgard II. The inspection revealed that the vessel is upright on the seabed.
However, damage to one of the hull planks has been observed though it is unclear if this resulted from the impact with the seabed or was the original cause of the sinking.
The crew of five and 20 trainees were rescued when Asgard went down in the Bay of Biscay on the morning of 11 September. The ship's captain, Colm Newport, said at the time there was a sudden ingress of water, which caused the vessel to lose stability.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea and the other directors of Coiste an Asgard, the voluntary committee that ran the vessel, have again thanked everyone who has sent messages of support and good wishes on the 'unfortunate accident'.
