Peacock-class

The Peacock class comprises five corvettes built by Hall, Russell & Company in Aberdeen. Commissioned between 1983 and 1985, the ships were designed for service with the Royal Navy’s Hong Kong Squadron. The class succeeded the Castle class in British service and was followed by the River class in the United Kingdom and the Lake class in Ireland.

The vessels were designed specifically for tropical climates, featuring full air conditioning and the stability to remain at sea during typhoons. Capabilities include search-and-rescue, for which the ships carry a decompression chamber for divers and equipment for the recovery of aircraft and vessels. For patrol and interception, each ship carries two Avon Searider rigid-hulled inflatable boats and a detachment of Royal Marines.

During their service in Hong Kong, the vessels were assigned to the 6th Patrol Craft Squadron. Their duties included maintaining a naval presence, providing navigation and gunnery training, and performing search-and-rescue operations. They operated in coordination with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and Customs & Excise to monitor illegal immigration and narcotics trafficking.

In 1988, the Irish Naval Service purchased HMS Swallow and HMS Swift, renaming them LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla. These ships replaced retired Ton-class minesweepers and remained in service until July 2022. After being replaced by Lake-class inshore patrol vessels, they were towed to Belgium for scrapping in 2024.

The Philippine Navy acquired HMS Peacock, HMS Plover, and HMS Starling in 1997 following the transfer of Hong Kong to China. Designated as the Jacinto class, these units underwent a three-phase modernization program. The first phase, completed in 2005, updated radar and navigation systems, while the second and third phases involved improvements to marine engineering and combat systems. These three vessels remain active in the Philippine Navy.