The vessel had previously been operated alongside her sister ship Grey Fox as part of Operation Lifespan in Northern Ireland since 1993 as LPV (Lough Patrol Vessel) Grey Wolf[2][3] both vessels were based in their own special dock at Massereene barracks with access to 6 Mile Water in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland where she was commanded and manned by a crew of seven Royal Marines and two Royal Navy personnel conducting maritime counter terrorism, surveillance, intelligence and anti-smuggling operations.

In addition, Spanish MP Jose Ignacio Landaluce from the People's Party vowed to take up the issue in parliament.

In May 2016 Spain's Civil Guard Police force vessel Rio Cedena twice tried to cut across the path of the submarine USS Florida in Gibraltar territorial waters.

[7] In July 2017 it was revealed that the Gibraltar Squadron would receive two new warships which will be more "capable", "faster" and have "bigger guns", to replace Sabre and Scimitar "within the next two years".

[10] After operating in UK waters for a period, Sabre and Scimitar were decommissioned in a joint ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base on 30 March 2022.