A WEYMOUTH diving team plunged to the depths of the Channel to retrieve the bell of a renowned sailing ship - and now the owners want it back.

Divers on board Skin Deep recovered the bell from the 70m-deep sea floor 20 miles off Cap de la Hague in France.

The four-masted steel barque Pangani was built by Hamburg-based shipping company F.Laeisz, which is now hoping to reclaim the ship's bell to put on display.

The ship, built in 1903, was sunk on a voyage from Antwerp to Chile after colliding with French steamer Phryné. Only four members of the crew were saved.

The crew of Skin Deep, skippered by Ian Taylor, set out from Weymouth and, after a reported sighting by another diver, searched the wreck for the bell.

Andy White was one of five divers who made the descent to recover the prized bell.

He said: "It was jammed in a piece of wreckage and we had to attach lift bags to it and fill them with air to take it to the surface.

"It took about 35 minutes from us entering the water to get it to the surface. Some of us had to stay down there for two hours."

He added: "We've contacted the Receiver of Wreck who has informed us that the company are interested in us returning the bell back to them.

"Skin Deep has recovered quite a few bells in the past, probably around 20 to 30. This one was interesting though, as it was the first one where the company who owned it was still in existence.

"I believe they have got a sort of museum."

Deputy Receiver of Wreck Alison Kentuck said: "They have let us know that they recovered the bell and I have informed them we already knew who the owner was and potentially they may want it back. The bell is the most symbolic part of the ship.

"The laws on the seas are very much the same as on land and you don't lose title to something just because you have lost it for one reason or another.

"If it has been legally recovered then the person who has recovered it can be entitled to a salvage award. The value of this very much depends on what has been recovered."

Mr White said: "What we get awarded in salvage is an estimate, it's what they think it's worth. But it could be anywhere between two and five thousand pounds."