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).
Secret memo discussing the development and supply of marine engine units for Commander Du Cane of Vospers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 133\3\ scan0015 | |
| Date | 1st December 1938 | |
| 1128 SECRET. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/R.1.12.38. Comdr. Du Cane of Vospers was at the Works on the 30th, and we discussed the small Marine units with him. Sometime ago, you will remember, we gave him full particulars of P.III and Bentley engines with a view to seeing whether there was not a market for them on Marine work. His decision at the time was that the Bentley power unit was just too small in that though it gave a better performance than the Meadows, which he was using, the difference was insufficient to justify the changeover, particularly as it was doubtful whether we should be able to compete at the price. The P.III unit, as at present being produced, apparently, has a selling price of £625, which is altogether too expensive for the performance required. Comdr. Du Cane, however, is getting out a new boat for the Air Force and Imperial Airways' requirements in which he is proposing to use two power plants, each of which must be capable of producing a sustained output of 130 h.p. and a peak output of 150 h.p. He has confidential reasons for believing that unless he makes a mess of this boat, he will certainly get some orders for it. At the moment, the only engine which he can get hold of, which he thinks will do the job, is the 12-cylinder Lagonda. He has contacted with them, and they seem very eager to work with him. He would, however, much prefer an in-line engine if he can get one as his experience of vee engines in boats as shown up the numerous installation disadvantages from which they suffer. There is no doubt that our line eight engine would be ideally suited for this job. Based on the performance of the six which we have been running, it will develop 140 h.p. @ 2,500 r.p.m., which means that it will be having an exceedingly easy time @ 130 h.p. Du Cane wants two engines in six weeks' time. We are reluctant to let Lagondas extend their field of action since they are direct competitors of ours. We would like to suggest that in addition to the four cast iron units agreed upon, we put forward two additional ones and allocate them for this job. It appears to us that the question of secrecy | ||