Scimitar-class patrol vessel
The Scimitar class is a class of fast patrol boat in service with the British Royal Navy.
The two vessels of this class are of a commercial design known as the Lifespan Patrol Vessel built by Halmatic, and formerly served in an inshore waterways anti-terrorist role in Northern Ireland. They were acquired for the Royal Navy in 2003 for service with the Gibraltar Squadron, 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. Both vessels were reported as "no longer operational" as of July 2020, having been replaced, on an interim basis, by two Archer-class patrol boats. The long-term plan is to replace the existing Gibraltar Squadron vessels with two new-build boats that were ordered in July 2020.Vessels in the class
