MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY Ltd
We restore and preserve historic aircraft and artefacts for public display.
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen
Rolls Royce Merlin Engines
Rolls-Royce developed the Merlin engine which was first run in October 1933 with production engines becoming available from 1936. Almost 150,000 were built by the company at Derby, Crewe and Glasgow, and they saw use mainly in the iconic British fighter and bombers aeroplanes of WWII and the immediate post-war years. A conventional four-stroke engine, it had two banks of 6 cylinders arranged in a "V" driving a single crank shaft; the swept volume was 27 litres. The reduction gearbox on the front allowed both engine and propeller to run at the optimum speed. The supercharger fitted at the rear was also developed from a single-stage, single-speed design to a two-stage, two-speed design with an intercooler. Over the production life, there were many variants with the power rating rising from nominally 1000 HP to just over 2000 HP. Versions for marine and land vehicle application were also produced.
A further 55000 Packard Merlin engines were produced in the USA. These had minor design changes and tighter manufacturing tolerances.
Details of MAPSL's other Merlin restoration projects will be added when time permits.
Two Rolls Royce Merlin Engines
Two Rolls-Royce Merlin II engines, possibly from WWII Fairey Battle aeroplanes, underwent restoration in the MAPSL Workshops before being returned to the Spitfire Company (Biggin Hill) Ltd. They will be going on public display at a yet to be decided venue. The work lasted for 18 months
Rolls Royce Merlin XX Engine S/N 52477
More than 28000 Merlin XX engines were produced at the Rolls-Royce factories at Derby, Crwe abd Glasgow and by Ford at Manchester. This type of engine was used on Halifax and Lancaster Bombers and on Defiant and Hurricane fighters. It developed 1375 HP at take off.
This engine, built in the Glasgow works, was the port outer engine Merlin fitted to Handley Page Halifax II bomber, serial W1048,TL-S. The aircraft was based at Linton-on-Ouse with No. 35 Squadron which, on the night of April 27, 1942, was part of a force detailed to attack the German Battle-cruiser 'Tirpitz' hiding in a Norwegian Fjord. During the raid, TL-S was damaged forcing the pilot to make a wheels-up landing on the frozen surface of Lake Hoklingen in Norway. The aircraft sunk within 12 hours but the crew survived despite the intense cold. TL-S had logged just 13 hours of flying time.
The engine was recovered from the lake in 1973 and taken to the RAF Museum at Hendon. In 1979, MAPSL (then the Aircraft Preservation Group of the Medway Branch RAeS) was actively seeking a project to refurbish, and the Merlin arrived in the workshop from the museum for restoration to static display.
It required a great deal of restoration work, having been immersed in the lake for 31 years. Despite this, it was remarkable to find that internally it was as good as when it left the factory; this probably results from the low oxygen level at the bottom of the lake. Oil taken from the sump was found to be acceptable for use now whilst the starter motor was transferred to a Spitfire and used for an engine test. After five years work, the Merlin was returned to Hendon where it was displayed alongside the museum's Halifax.