Hawker P.1009 'Sea Typhoon'

[kitnut617]

The sleeve valve was something championed by a guy called Richardo (think that's how you spell his name).  He was a consutant to the Air Ministry and he persuaded RR, Bristol and Napier to develop it, actually the Sabre got it's start from De Havilland as the original 'H' engine was designed by Frank Halford and the production of it was done by Napier, the Dagger being one of them.  The main problem was the hardening of the sleeve itself and Bristol solved the problem but it hampered the Sabre for most of it's being.  RR took what Bristol had found and built their Crecy engine, a two-stroke V-12 sleeve valve.

De Havilland wanted to build the Sabre Mosquito (according to the Sharp/Bowyer book) but was overruled by the Air Ministry.  Incidently, both Avro and Handley Page also had designs for a Sabre Mosquito type bomber.  The Sabre Mosquito was envisioned to carry 8000 lbs, traveling at 400 mph+ and at high altitude but in the end they put bulged bomb bay doors on the regular Mossie and as you say Lee, the two-stage Merlin, so it could carry 4000 lb cookies.  De Havilland was directed to concentrate on the Vampire and forget about the Sabre Mosquito.

[jcf]

That was Harry Ricardo and theoretically a sleeve-valve engine is more efficient
than a poppet-valve engine, and actually simpler when you get into the realm of
high-speed, high-capacity engines.

Of course the development of the gas-turbine engine made it all moot. 

Jon

[deathjester]

Wasn't the Crecy supposedly capable of something like 5000 hp?  That would be pretty damn good on a Mossie, wouldn't it?!!

[kitnut617]

There were about a dozen V-Twins made, and six of the V-12's. The V-12 was about in-between the Merlin and Griffon in size only as it was a 90 degree Vee, it was wider.  The 'developed' engine was predicted to put out around 5000 hp only the whole project was scrapped at the end of the war because of the jet engine.  But RR did use the technology in a line of power generators of various sizes.

I bought a book from the Rolls Royce Heritage Trust all about the Crecy, a very enlightening and highly recommended book it is too.  Various aircraft were banded to get the Crecy, from the Spitfire to Tempests to Martin Baker MB5's but the feeling was the Spitfire was a bit small for the power.  It was started before the war and was envisioned as a 'sprint' engine and was closely involved with radar development of the time, it being part of the defence package proposed.

[sequoiaranger]

Though only SLIGHTLY related, I have a future whif build along the lines of the "Sea Typhoon", but as an attack aircraft rather than a fighter: the Hawker Henley/Hotspurious.

The Real World Hawker Henley was a competent dive bomber, but the Air Ministry deigned to appreciate dive bombers, even when all other major combatants had success with them (that the Air Ministry approved of the Battle instead says SOMETHING).

The Real World derivative Hawker Hotspur was a downsized Henley turret-fighter along the lines of the Boulton-Paul Defiant that was rejected in favor of the latter.

My whif will be a combo of Henley, Hurricane, Tornado, Typhoon, Tempests, Sea Fury, etc., incorporating Hawker products to make a competent dive bomber for the Fleet Air Arm. The engine will be the AIR-cooled inline "X" 24-cylinder engine that Rolls Royce called the "Exe" (thus the air exit flaps reminiscent of radial engines--the massive radiator becomes the air intake for cooling). The turret is actually only two Lewis guns over-and-under (to save side-to-side space). Here is an illustration derived from a Hotspur. My whif will be a bit longer both in front of and behind the wing, but you get the idea.

[rickshaw]

Surely if the Lords of the Admiralty were involved in this, they'd insist on three crew?  One to drive, one to fight and the third to navigate!