From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Development and fitting of a 40 mm gun for Power Boat Company and Frazer Nash's.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 176\3\ img053 | |
| Date | 10th September 1940 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}11/ML.10.9.40. re 40 mm. GUN. 2 1. POWER BOAT COMPANY. We visited the Power Boat Company at Southampton. Weight is a primary consideration on their boats and they asked to have the simplified, light mounting rather than the Oerlikon. They have had the first gun allotted to them and it will be fitted to a 3-Merlin engined anti-submarine boat. This is the first time that we have been told that the Oerlikon mountings were too heavy, though we always thought their weight was prodigious, and we are now going to try and send the first gun away with the pedestal type mounting. Supermarines are building a prototype boat and particularly want a 40 mm. gun with a power driven mounting as part of the original equipment. They asked us if we would co-operate. We understand that you agree with the principle and we will therefore tell them that if and when we have a satisfactory unit we will let them know. 2. FRAZER NASH'S. They have been very slow over the power driven mounting but we are gradually getting the design and detail drawings completed. In any event, it looks like being ready before the fully automatic gun. As discussed with you, we are going ahead getting a separate source of power supply, in the form of a small petrol engine, so that the fully - Continued - | ||