Gay-class patrol boat

HMS Gay Bombardier, fitted out in the motor torpedo gunboat design, undergoing trials in Portsmouth Harbour in 1953
Class overview
Name	Gay class
Builders	Vosper & Company Thornycroft Morgan Giles Ltd., Teignmouth Taylor, Chertsey McGruer & Co Ltd, Clynder
Operators	Royal Navy
Succeeded by	Dark class
Built	1952–1954
In commission	1953–1971
Completed	12
Retired	12
Preserved	1
General characteristics
Type	Fast patrol boat
Displacement	50 long tons (51 t) (standard) 65 long tons (66 t) (deep)
Length	75 ft 2 in (22.91 m)
Beam	20 ft 1 in (6.12 m)
Draught	4 ft 1 in (1.24 m)
Propulsion	3 × V12 Packard engines 1,500 hp
Speed	40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h)
Complement	13
Armament	Either: 2 × Bofors 40mm guns 2 × 21-inch torpedoes Or: 1 × 4.5-inch gun 1 × 40mm gun

The Gay class were a class of twelve fast patrol boats that served with the Royal Navy from the early 1950s. All were named after types of soldiers or military or related figures, prefixed with 'Gay'. The class could be fitted as either motor gun boats or motor torpedo boats, depending on the type of armament they carried.