Two sisters' legal battle to protect a Second World War wreck containing their father's remains will continue today.

Rosemarie Fogg and Valerie Ledgard, both from Worthing, will be at the High Court in London to hear the latest deliberations over whether sunken merchant navy ships can be protected as war graves.

Their father James Varndell died with 20 others when the merchant ship SS Storaa was torpedoed by German E-boats ten miles south of Hastings in November 1943.

He was a Royal Navy Gunner assigned to the ship to help protect it from attacks.

The sisters are concerned divers will be permitted to salvage the wreck of the boat.

They believe their father and his fellow crewmen deserve to rest in peace.

Naval ships sunk in battle are given protected status but until now merchant navy vessels have not had the same protection.

The sisters have argued that ships carrying naval officers like their father should be protected.

In December High Court judge Mr Justice Newman quashed a decision by the Secretary of State not to protect the wreck of the SS Storaa.

The Ministry of Defence's appeal against that ruling will be heard this week.