Saro Lerwick
The Saunders -Roe ( Saro ) p.36 Lerwick was a British high-wing monoplane flying boat of 1938, which was used in World War II.
The Lerwick replaced the outdated biplane flying boat Saunders -Roe London. The name derived from the town of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands off.
It has been developed Lerwick for the RAF Coastal Command. It should be used as a patrol aircraft against enemy submarines and as escorts for convoys together with the Short Sunderland. The first flight took place in November 1938.
The aircraft was an all-metal construction and had two 1,375 hp Bristol Hercules II engines. The Lerwick had three turrets, one in the nose of the aircraft, one on the hull and one at the rear.
The aircraft proved to be a real bad design. It was unstable both in air even at the start, this has led to loss of several machines. Despite several revisions of the Lerwick therefore had to be pulled from service in 1941. Many were stored and finally scrapped in 1943.
A total of 21 Lerwicks were built.
Units with Lerwicks
- No. 209 Squadron RAF: 1939-1941
- No. 4 (Coastal ) OCU: 1941
- No. 422 Squadron RCAF, a Canadian unit under RAF control (use up to 1942 )