The Arab-class gunvessels were a pair of composite gunboats built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1870s.

Designed by Nathaniel Barnaby, the Royal Navy's Chief Constructor, both ships was ordered from the Govan yard of Robert Napier and Sons in 1873 and laid down the same year as yard numbers 333 and 334.

[1] The hull was built of iron frames and ribs, and planked in wood.

[1] This "composite" construction was both cheap and easy to repair and allowed the wooden planking to be coppered, reducing marine growth.

A single screw was provided, which could be hoisted clear of the water to improve the ship's hull lines when sailing.