A NORTH Yorkshire sailor has revealed his experiences of being stationed off the coast of Libya for the last three months.

Royal Navy minehunter HMS Bangor left its home port in Scotland at the start of June and headed to the Mediterranean to support NATO forces in the country as it was swept by rebellion.

The ship operated close to the shore and was under constant threat of artillery fire from troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, with its crew including Petty Officer (Mine Warfare) Steven Moss, from Scarborough. The 40-year-old’s role as one of two mine-hunting detectors on HMS Bangor was to conduct defence watches and operate the Seafox mine disposal system, as well as acting as operations room supervisor.

He said: “We spend so long training for times like these that it is fantastic to get a chance to do our jobs in a real high-threat environment."