Scimitar-class

The Scimitar class consisted of two fast patrol boats operated by the Royal Navy between 2003 and 2022. Built by Halmatic, the vessels were based on a commercial design known as the Lifespan Patrol Vessel. Before their Royal Navy service, the boats operated in an anti-terrorist role in the inshore waterways of Northern Ireland under the names MV Grey Fox and MV Grey Wolf.

The design featured two diesel engines and two shafts. The vessels were equipped with I-band navigation radar for sensing and processing. Following the decommissioning of HMS Gleaner in 2018, the class represented the smallest commissioned vessels in the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy acquired the vessels in 2003 for the Gibraltar Squadron. This deployment allowed for the reassignment of two Archer-class boats to the Cyprus Squadron. The class, comprising HMS Scimitar and HMS Sabre, served in Gibraltar until 2020. They were subsequently returned to the United Kingdom and stationed at Portsmouth while Archer-class boats assumed their duties in Gibraltar. Both vessels were decommissioned in a joint ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base on 30 March 2022. After its decommissioning, Scimitar underwent conversion into a medical vessel named MV Lady Jean for service on Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The Scimitar class was succeeded by the Cutlass class.