In her own words: the female sailor held captive in Iran

The woman who was captured by Iran's Revolutionary Guards while serving with the Royal Navy in Iraq spoke of her devotion to both her family and her job just hours before she was seized.

In an interview with The Independent, leading Seaman Specialist Faye Turney described how the crew of HMS Cornwall were well aware of the perils of operating in an area that had been targeted by suicide bombers. The 25-year-old mother, one of 15 sailors and Marines captured on Friday off the coast of Iraq, said: "I know by doing this job I can give [my daughter] everything she wants in life and hopefully by seeing me doing what I do, she'll grow up knowing that a woman can have a family and have a career at the same time."

Diplomatic pressure to free the 15 captives is to be stepped up today as defence officials produce evidence to prove the British servicemen and women were in Iraqi waters.

As Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, cut short a visit to Turkey to fly back to Britain for a statement today to the Commons, defence chiefs were planning to produce the global positioning system (GPS) co- ordinates as proof that they were not on Iran's side of the disputed waterway.

On the day before the British crew was captured Leading Seaman Turney had described how morale on HMS Cornwall had been buoyant since its arrival in the northern Arabian Gulf weeks earlier. She said: "The atmosphere on the boat is really good. We were made aware that some things can be really dodgy. [But] we've not really had anything that bad at the moment - that's always a good sign.

"My parents made sure I was under no illusions that I could, and can, go to war at any time. Sometimes it can be like a cruise being in the Navy but sometimes you may be called upon. And if you are then you just have to get on with it, That's what you're paid for."

For the past few weeks Leading Seaman Turney, along with the rest of the crew of HMS Cornwall, had been part of a massive military operation instigated three years ago after suicide bombers in three dhows attacked the Al Basra and Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals, killing three Americans. A three-kilometre exclusion zone was thrown up around each of the terminals - which pump out 90 per cent of Iraq's crude oil. They are patrolled by Iraqis, the British, Americans and Australians.

On Friday Leading Seaman Turney was part of a boarding team of 15 in what the British insist were categorically Iraqi waters when they were taken captive by by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in speedboats mounted with machine guns.

A day earlier she had talked of her devotion to her three-year-old daughter, Molly, and the guilt of leaving her behind at home in Plymouth to be cared for by her husband Adam, a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy.

Of her daughter she said: "She's bubbly, very headstrong, very girly, an absolute gem, a real diamond, a treasure. She's getting more of a character each day. It's a shame I'm missing that but she's a top girl and will grow up to be a very reliable, independent, strong young woman, which is exactly what I want for her.

"I love my job, I really do love my job but I love my daughter also. If I didn't love my job I wouldn't be able to do it but if I had to make a choice my daughter would win every time - without a shadow of a doubt, no question about it.

"I'm too up-and-about to sit behind a desk - I would support her if she wanted to do the same. As long as she's happy, I will support her."

The captured sailors and Marines have now been held by Iran for five days. The only other member of the group to be named is 21-year-old Paul Barton.

Ministers were yesterday discussing producing photographs of the ship the Royal Navy teams were searching when they were surrounded by the Iranian guards. The ship's engine had broken down and it is still moored where the incident took place.

Senior diplomatic sources said it was not clear what the Iranians' motives were, but they were discounting fears that the 15 are being held as hostages.

"It is very difficult to know what the motives are," said one Whitehall source. "Some say it is a response to our UN resolution over the weekend [imposing sanctions on Iran for its pursuit of a nuclear weapons programme] despite the fact that they were taken on Friday."

The Foreign Secretary made "robust" protests to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran by telephone yesterday over the failure to grant consular access to the 15 detainees. London does not know where they are held, or who is holding them, although there were rumours they were being held in the capital. "What we are looking at is pretty muddled," said the source. "We don't know who has got them. We don't know their location but we are working with people with whom they have contact."

Tony Blair appeared to threaten an escalation in the diplomatic crisis if they were not released. He said: "I hope we manage to get the Iranians to realise they have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase."

But Downing Street quickly played down suggestions that the Prime Minister was hinting at the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from London or military action.

An official spokesman stressed that London was seeking to defuse the situation, and said Mr Blair was referring to the publication of the evidence that they were not in Iranian waters when they were taken.

As the diplomatic wrangling intensified, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We have been clearly stating we are utterly certain that the personnel were in Iraqi waters. We so far have not made explicit why we know that because we don't want to escalate this.

"We may have to go to the step where we become more explicit why we know. We don't want to do this too soon because we prefer to resolve this quietly. If that is not possible, we may have to be more explicit.

"We want to resolve this quickly without having a public confrontation with them."

Asked what proof the British might produce, the spokesman replied: " There is a boat which we inspected."

Reports that Iran had fired a missile at a US ship in the Persian Gulf sent oil prices soaring last night, but Lt Cmdr Charlie Brown, of the US Navy, said the rumors were untrue. The British government also said that none of its forces had been attacked.

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