Blackburn Roc

In the mid to late 1930s the new concept of a single engined fighter with a power operated turret cama about in Great Britain. It was first based on the idea that the fighter could pull up besade a bomber while its turret blasted away with four heavy machine guns. This was in the timesin which bombers had nose and tail gunners, but rarely a gunner on the side. The Blackburn Suka, a prior carrier bome dive bomber, also carried a heavy power turret, and the Roc was developed from it. Once development began, 136 of them were ordered by the RN in April of 1937. Arrnament was solely a Boulton Paul power turret with four .303 -in machine guns. Performance was very poor, and it was doubted wether the Roc would be able to catch up with a bomber at all, let alone overtake one and shoot it down. They entered service in No. 806 Squadron in Feb. 1940, and after limited service they were almost entirely replaced by Sea Hurricanes. Most of them ended service before mid- 1941, and with their turrets removed were employed in various second-line duties.


	The Internet Museum of World War II Aviation \| home Great Britain \| Blackburn Roc \| Firebrand \| Defiant \| Beaufighter \| Mosquito \| Fairey Firefly \| Fairey Fulmar \| Gladiator \| Gloster Meteor \| Hawker Hurricane \| Hawker Tempest \| Hawker Typhoon \| Spitfire Blackburn Roc In the mid to late 1930s the new concept of a single engined fighter with a power operated turret cama about in Great Britain. It was first based on the idea that the fighter could pull up besade a bomber while its turret blasted away with four heavy machine guns. This was in the timesin which bombers had nose and tail gunners, but rarely a gunner on the side. The Blackburn Suka, a prior carrier bome dive bomber, also carried a heavy power turret, and the Roc was developed from it. Once development began, 136 of them were ordered by the RN in April of 1937. Arrnament was solely a Boulton Paul power turret with four .303 -in machine guns. Performance was very poor, and it was doubted wether the Roc would be able to catch up with a bomber at all, let alone overtake one and shoot it down. They entered service in No. 806 Squadron in Feb. 1940, and after limited service they were almost entirely replaced by Sea Hurricanes. Most of them ended service before mid- 1941, and with their turrets removed were employed in various second-line duties. Blackburn Roc