Which Rocs ended up as machine-gun nests?

Short answer

The last four Rocs stationed at HMS Daedalus, in Gosport, which lasted until late 1944 no longer airworthy, with their turrets still used for anti-aircraft defence. Gosport had received 16 Rocs in June 1940 for No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which Rocs ended up as machine-gun nests?

Blackburn RocHugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK (CC BY SA), vía commons

A naval fighter with a turret

The Blackburn Roc (company designation B-25) was a naval fighter aircraft designed and produced by the British company Blackburn Aircraft. Like the Skua, the B-25 Roc was a two-seat, low-wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction. Its main armament was the same mechanically powered Boulton Paul Type A turret used on the Defiant, with four 7.7 mm (.303 in) Browning machine guns. The prototype first flew on 23 December 1938, flown by Blackburn test pilot H. J. Wilson. Early flight trials revealed handling that was not merely acceptable but superior to that of the Skua. The aircraft nevertheless showed poor performance in some respects, in particular a top speed of only 223 mph (194 kn; 359 km/h).

Floats and a squadron that never came to be

A conversion kit was designed allowing a set of floats taken from a Blackburn Shark to be fitted. Plans to form a fighter squadron equipped with floatplane Rocs were abandoned.

From aircraft to fixed anti-aircraft defence

In June 1940, No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit at Gosport received 16 Rocs to replace its Blackburn Sharks. The last four Rocs stationed at HMS Daedalus, in Gosport, survived until late 1944, all by then non-airworthy, with their turrets still in use for anti-aircraft defence.