WIX Archives

Will, are u still in China? N/T

Posted by Tony on Fri Nov 02, 2001 07:29:57 AM

In reply top Taiwan fishing boats used to use Merlins. posted by Will Fowler on Thu Nov 01, 2001 10:57:14 PM





: I heard that after the R.O.C Airforce retired the Mossi's
: they operated they were broken up and the engines were bro
: ught by coastal fishman for their boats, I had my mrs do s
: ome snooping around the local fishing ports whilst I have
: been here but alas the boats that used them have long sinc
: e passed into history, shame.
:
: Regards,
:
: Will
:
: : Mr Scheil Sir
: :
: : I simply had no idea. Thanks Joe, for a very very intere
: st
: : ing, UNPUBLISHED (as far as I am aware) insight into the
: u
: : se of Merlins and Packards.
: :
: : I think it's time to tell us all, about that undoubted l
: ig
: : ht you've been hiding under a bushel....
: :
: : Did"They were expendable" affect you deeply too..?
: :
: : For all of you, who have never heard a Merlin/Packard sc
: re
: : am at full Military boost, go watch this film
: :
: : Tony :0)
: : (JFK was the man)
: :
: :
: : : : Which boats used Packard/RR V-1650 series engines?
: : :
: : : A. None of them! As the war surplus Merlins were use
: d
: : in
: : : hydroplane racing, along with the Griffon, and the Bo
: at
: : s
: : : were Packard powered, it was always assumed by most th
: at
: : t
: : : hey must have been Merlins. Boat racing used up and p
: er
: : ha
: : : ps preserved the Merlin for posterity, but hundreds we
: re
: : d
: : : estroyed racing.
: : : Packard Motor Car Company was by the 1920's beginning
: to
: : a
: : : dvertise Land, Sea and Air supremacy and had produced
: en
: : gi
: : : nes and winning records on all fronts. Packard began
: it
: : s
: : : marine engines for defense in 1939 with a redesign of
: th
: : e
: : : famous Gar Wood engine they had raced so successfully
: ea
: : rl
: : : ier. It was called the 2M, the 1M reserved for the ra
: ci
: : ng
: : : mill, but was still too much of a racing design. The
: n
: : ex
: : : t was the 3M-1500 of 800hp. (1500 cid) a successful d
: es
: : ig
: : : n. It grew to the 4M-2500 a 1200hp engine powering th
: e
: : 85
: : : ' and 104' boats from Elco, Higgins and Vosper. This
: be
: : ca
: : : me the standard marine PT engine and grew to 1800hp by
: w
: : ar
: : : s end.
: : : This prolific engine was a pure Packard design and was
: c
: : on
: : : sidered "the most perfect marine engine of its type" i
: n
: : of
: : : ficial communication to Packard. The 4M 2500 was bui
: lt
: : i
: : : n 17 different configurations but the standards are be
: lo
: : w.
: : : ..
: : :
: : : 60 degree V-12, 100 octane gas, rt hand rotation 6 3/8
: x
: : 6
: : : 1/2 inch bore and stroke 2600 fpm piston speed displa
: ci
: : ng
: : : 2490ci weighing 2950lbs with 4 valve DOHC heads. As
: yo
: : u
: : : can see, larger that the Griffon and heavy! There was
: a
: : ls
: : : o a Packard 16, the 1M 3300, and had 2500 hp. A few w
: en
: : t
: : : to Navy training craft postwar. All subsequent develo
: pm
: : en
: : : t for surface ships was aimed torward diesels as the 1
: 00
: : o
: : : ctane gas was considered too dangerous by 1950.
: : :
: : : Packard was a precision racing engine builder and this
: a
: : ll
: : : owed them to consider building the Merlin in late 1940
: .
: : O
: : : n may 28 1940 Packard agreed to produce the Merlin XX.
:
: : Th
: : : e V-1650-1 was a fully interchangeable two piece block
: d
: : es
: : : ign while the RR factory was still producing the one p
: ie
: : ce
: : : Model 28 block. The company regretted taking the job
: o
: : n
: : : as all the British threads, measures and tooling had t
: o
: : be
: : : copied in house to assure interchangability. However
: t
: : he
: : : y began to love the best liquid cooled engine as their
: o
: : wn
: : : . Packard refined the engine in concert with RR and r
: ed
: : uc
: : : ed moving parts, cost and increased horsepower. The s
: up
: : er
: : : charger on the 1650-5 was a Packard refinement and was
: c
: : al
: : : led two speed, but was in a sense an overdrive, and ap
: pr
: : ov
: : : ed by RR. Testing began in August of 1941 and at the
: en
: : d
: : : Packard constructed 55,523 Merlins.
: : : As for the PT's there were 808 ordered, 774 delivered,
: 7
: : 0
: : : losses, 219 to Russia, and 481 surplused or scrapped.
: : :
: : : A long post, but a subject dear to my heart. Interest
: in
: : gl
: : : y the Brits were worried of their dependance on Packar
: d
: : at
: : : wars end and were also leary of the high octane fuel
: re
: : qu
: : : ired for these boats. The result was the incomparable
: N
: : AP
: : : IER DELTIC, a diesel 3 crankshaft 18 cyl, 54 piston en
: gi
: : ne
: : : with tremendous power and operational use. See the N
: ap
: : ie
: : : r Deltic Tech page or the ptfnasty page. The ultimate
: P
: : T?
: : :
: : :
: : : Cheers Boys,
: : : Joe Scheil
: : :
: : :

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