A CRUMLIN woman is currently serving off the coast of Libya as part of a mission against the Gaddafi regime.

20-year-old Able Seaman Rhiannon Bolwell is serving onboard helicopter carrier HMS Ocean as part of NATO’s mission to protect Libyan civilians.

The former Oakdale Comprehensive School pupil’s role is as a communication and information systems specialist onboard the Royal Navy’s largest warship.

Able Seaman Bolwell set off onboard HMS Ocean from Plymouth in April for a seven week deployment to carry out amphibious training and exercises in the Mediterranean alongside other ships belonging to the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group.

The task group was created last year and consists of ships, aircraft and Royal Marines ready to react at short notice to unforeseen global events.

With the crisis occurring in Libya, the ship was quickly re-tasked whilst off Cyprus to carry out Maritime Strike missions into Libya using Apache helicopters.

Able Seaman Bolwell said this means they will now be deployed longer than they initially thought.

But she said: “This is what we have trained to do. We’re all in it together and we keep each other going.”

The 20-year-old joined the Royal Navy in May 2009 and completed her basic training at HMS Raleigh in Cornwall. After completing a specialist communications course at HMS Collingwood in Portsmouth, she joined HMS Ocean in February last year.