MV HMS Gifford

HMS Gifford (pennant number P3111) was one of 23 Ford-class seaward defence boats (a type of inshore patrol craft) built for the British Royal Navy in the 1950s. Constructed by the Scarr shipyard in Hessle and launched on 30 June 1954, it was part of a series of vessels named after villages ending in "-ford". After a brief service, HMS Gifford was placed in reserve by 1956. It was reactivated in 1967 and, in 1968, transferred to the Nigerian Navy, which renamed it NNS Bonny. Under its new flag, Bonny participated in the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), performing coastal patrol and support duties against the secessionist forces of Biafra. The vessel, about 35.7 meters long with a displacement of roughly 120 tons, was armed with a 40 mm Bofors cannon and smaller 20 mm guns, reflecting its original design for harbor defense and patrol. NNS Bonny remained in service until decommissioned in 1983. It has since been preserved as a museum exhibit at the Nigerian National War Museum in Umuahia, where it stands on display as a notable relic of the war.