She was originally built for the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service as the lead ship of the 'Example Batch' which was identical to the Archer Class being built simultaneously for the Royal Navy. Example and her sister ships were transferred to the Royal Navy when the Royal Navy Auxiliary Service disbanded in 1994.
She was built by Watercraft, Shoreham By Sea and launched in 1985.
Displacement is 49t with a length of 20.8m, 5.8m beam and 1.8m draft.
Propulsion is via Rolls Royce Perkins CV12 Turbo diesels generating 1,200 bhp (895 kW), this gives her a top speed of 18 knots and range of 550 nautical miles at 15 knots.
Armament can consist of 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns and / or a 20mm cannon.