Queen of the seas

Girl power... Royton navy girl Lorissa Seville shows she had what it takes for a life at sea

A SAILOR from Oldham is showing her girl power by playing a pivotal role aboard the pride of the Royal Navy.

Lorissa Seville (21) is serving on board the 18,500-tonne assault ship HMS Albion and is part of a major deployment to the Mediterranean and Middle East.

The Able Seaman is now part of international efforts to protect civilians in Libya.

Lorissa, from Royton, said: “It’s great to serve on the Royal Navy’s flagship. I’m the first member of my family to serve in the Armed Forces and I feel I’m doing my bit to represent the UK abroad.”

A former Our Lady’s pupil, Lorissa was on the ship during multinational amphibious activities.

However in a dramatic diversion, the crew were directed to the Libyan border to increase pressure on Colonel Gadaffi and lead a maritime quick reaction force of ships, helicopters and Royal Marines.

It was fast-paced action as she was taken off her normal duties in the logistics department and given a role in the operations room, where she was responsible for penning a minute-by-minute record of the action.

She added: “Through my headset I could hear the pilots reporting as they engaged the targets.”

Not only is she part of the HMS Albion crew, Lorissa, who started her career at the Swatch repair centre in Oldham, also recently became one of the few women to serve on submarine HMS Vengeance.