Mummy's home! Hostage Faye is reunited with her daughter

Yesterday Faye Turney - the young mother who became the face of the hostage crisis - was finally reunited with her three-year-old daughter.

The ecstatic 26-year-old wrapped her arms around little Molly, who had spent the last fortnight oblivious to the trauma that her mother was enduring thousands of miles from home.

Cradling her delighted daughter, Leading Seaman Turney was also reunited with her husband Adam, who could barely contain his relief that the ordeal of the previous 14 days was over.

During those days, some of the 15 sailors and Marines had been left in solitary confinement, it was claimed.

It was also revealed that one of them had admitted Britain had been gathering intelligence on Iran in the Gulf.

Those issues were put aside as the freed captives met up with their overjoyed families. The 15 touched down at Heathrow at 12.02pm and were immediately flown by Sea King helicopter to Royal Marines Base Chivenor, near Barnstaple, North Devon.

Shortly before 2.30pm, they filed out on to the lawn in front of the officers' mess where they spent a few moments hugging each other in blazing sunshine while they waited for the helicopters to leave.

And then, finally, their waiting families were allowed out to see them.

Several parents rushed forward to grab their children and hold on to them, looking as if they might never let go again. Raucous laughter could be heard as the former detainees grouped together with their relatives for photographs.

Some chatted with their families, while others were overcome with the emotion and broke down and wept.

After the joyous reunion the freed sailors released a statement describing it as a "dream come true".

Operator Mechanic Arthur Batchelor said: "We started this thing together as a team and I am glad to have been reunited with our families as a team."

The day had started very differently for the 15 when they embarked on a BA flight from Tehran's Mehrabad international airport at 6am yesterday. Passengers on board reported that on take- off there was total silence among the sombre sailors, who feared celebrating too soon.

But soon, as the flight got under way they started to unwind, shaking off their fatigue with complementary champagne.

When they touched down six hours later, a relieved round of applause broke out aboard Flight BA6634. After the reunion Chief Marshal Sir

Jock Stirrup said: "They have had a rough time of it - their families have had an even rougher time. But we have got them back now, which is great."

The 15 were enjoying food and drink with family and said to be "in good spirits" at the Army mess last night.

In a joint Five News and Sky News interview recorded on March 13 but not broadcast until after the sailors had been freed, Royal Marine Captain Chris Air had acknowledged he was operating close to the buffer zone between Iranian and Iraqi waters, adding: "It's good to gather int [intelligence] on the Iranians."

An MoD spokesman said: "Gathering information while patrolling is all part of modern operations."