The ''Scimitar'' class were a
class
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of
fast patrol boat
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...
formerly in service with the
British
British may refer to:
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* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English ...
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
.
The two vessels of this class were of a commercial design known as the Lifespan Patrol Vessel built by Halmatic (now
BAE Systems Surface Ships
BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
), and formerly served in an inshore waterways
anti-terrorist
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or e ...
role in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
. They were acquired for the Royal Navy in 2003 for service with the
Gibraltar Squadron
The Gibraltar Squadron is a unit of the British Royal Navy. It is the only seagoing Royal Naval unit based in Gibraltar, attached to British Forces Gibraltar. It currently includes two ''Cutlass''-class fast patrol boats with a maximum speed ...
, releasing two boats that had filled this role for service with the
Cyprus Squadron.
With the decommissioning of the survey launch in February 2018, the two ''Scimitar''-class boats became the smallest commissioned vessels in the Royal Navy. The two vessels were returned to the U.K. from Gibraltar in 2020, having been replaced there by two ''Archer''-class boats, but were reported as still operational in Portsmouth at the end of 2020. Both vessels were decommissioned in a joint ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base on 30 March 2022.
Vessels in the class
See also
*
References
External links
*
Military boats
Patrol boat classes
Ship classes of the Royal Navy
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