The ''Peacock'' class is a class of patrol

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

built for the Royal Navy. Five were constructed, and by 1997 all had been sold to the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though preceded by earlier mar ...

or the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

Original use

The five ships of this class were originally part of the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy. The ships were built by Hall, Russell & Company of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom and were commissioned into Royal Navy service between 1983 and 1985. They were specifically built for service in Hong Kong with the 6th Patrol Craft Squadron; for work in tropical climates they were fully air conditioned and were capable of remaining at sea during typhoons. As well as ‘flying the flag’ and providing a constant naval presence in region, they could undertake a number of different roles including Seamanship, Navigation and Gunnery training and Search-and-Rescue duties for which they had facilities to carry divers (including a decompression chamber) and equipment to recover vessels and aircraft. They also worked with the Marine Department of the

Royal Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

and with Customs & Excise to decrease the constant flow of illegal immigrants, narcotics and electronic equipment into the colony. For these roles each vessel could carry two Avon Searider SR5M rigid-hulled inflatable boats and a small detachment of

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

Philippine Navy

HMS ''Peacock'' (P239), HMS ''Plover'' (P240), and HMS ''Starling'' (P241) were sold to the Philippines and were officially turned over to the

on 1 August 1997 after Hong Kong was returned to China. In Philippine service they are designated s, and have been considerably 'up-gunned' with a 25 mm

M242 Bushmaster The M242 Bushmaster chain gun is a 25 mm (25×137mm) single-barrel chain-driven autocannon. It is used extensively by the U.S. military, such as in the Bradley fighting vehicle, as well as by other NATO members and some other nations in ground ...

and two 20 mm Oerlikon guns. The Philippine Navy undertook several phases of upgrades on the three corvettes, with the first one completed in 2005 replacing the old radar and navigation systems. The second upgrade involved the improvements on its marine engineering systems, and a third upgrade included the improvement of combat systems.

Irish Naval Service

HMS ''Swallow'' (P242) and HMS ''Swift'' (P243) were both sold to the

in 1988. They were respectively renamed as (P42) and (P41), and were commissioned under their current names by the Taoiseach Charles Haughey on 16 January 1989. The two ships take their names from traditional Irish mythology: Órla, a grand niece (great niece) of Brian Boru, the 11th-century

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

.;Irish Naval Service the LÉ ''Órla'' webpage
and Ciara, a saint born in Tipperary around the year 611 AD. They replaced the three s, the last of which the Irish Navy had recently retired before the delivery of the ''Peacock'' class. The two ships were decommissioned on 8 July 2022 and are due to be replaced by ex-HMNZS Lake-class inshore patrol vessels, ex ''Rotoiti'' and ''Pukaki'' IPV in 2023. They are planned to be scrapped by the Irish Department of Defense rather than sold to another country like the Philippine Navy.

Operators

* Irish Navy (ex-RN 1988–2022) *

(ex-RN 1997–) * Royal Navy (former 1982–1997)

References

External links