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).
Difficulties in designing a tool box for a 40 mm gun due to changing Admiralty specifications.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 175\3\ img266 | |
| Date | 17th November 1940 | |
| To: Ve. c. Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/HH. TOOL BOXES FOR 40 MM. GUN Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/HH has been trying to draw a tool box for the 40 mm. gun for the past month. Recently he stopped work on the job because the specification of the contents of the box was continually changing. We have no surplus drawing capacity to try and keep pace with day to day changes of policy on the part of the admiralty. We consider it is ridiculous to make a tool box suitable for a trawler and supply it to high speed motor torpedo boats. For the time being, all guns are going to the Power Boat Company. Actually, we consider the first box drawn made in white wood was a very sound proposition. It weighed 50 lbs. The tools that have since been called for could well have been accomodated elsewhere. If the tool box is too big and heavy (from the latest information the final box being drawn will weigh about one hundredweight) it will be most difficult to bring it on deck and inconvenient to stowe it. Most of the locker accomodation below decks on Motor Torpedo boats has to be shaped to miss other gear. It should be far easier to stowe cleaning tackle in a permanent locker than to accomodate a very large tool box. We have received the attached letter from Young. We have told him verbally that the multiplicity of Admiralty instructions have been responsible for the delay. He agrees that a very large tool box in which everything is stored that could conceivably be required for the gun, is likely to be the wrong way to go about the job. It appears that the only way to get the matter settled satisfactorily, is to send R.R. representatives down to Hythe to talk to Selman and see what the boat calls for. We are arranging to send Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/HH early next week and anyone you would like to nominate. They should be able to do the return journey by road in a day. Having ascertained what the job asks for, we consider that we should issue this and if the Admiralty think they know better, they should provide an alternative to this themselves. -continued- | ||