The class was designed for patrol and fishery protection tasks in coastal and inshore territorial waters.

They were built by Richard Dunston for £1.1m each, and were designed for service in the Inshore Division of the Fishery Protection Squadron.

[3][4] As a result, Peterel and Sandpiper were employed as training tenders for the Royal Naval Reserve and never undertook an operational patrol.

After a decision was made on their future, they were fitted with an enclosed bridge and assigned to Britannia Royal Naval College for training duties.

Kingfisher, Redpole and Cygnet were assigned to Northern Ireland Squadron to replace the older Ton-class minesweepers.