Early Prop recovered from the Sea

Blenheim?

Looks to have counter weights

Hampden?

its from a radial of some description, ill go for either B-17, they look like Wright internals to me

Wouldn’t those counter weights suggest a Mecury three bladed prop powered type, such as a Blenheim or Gladiator.

prop

Blenheim?

i am with you Blenheim

The pitch and bob weights direction on the prop suggests british DH build Hamilton Standard rotation (Bristol), so until we know the diameter it could be either Mercury or Pegasus or early Hercules.

John

It looks like a single row radial from the pics, but also did Pegasus and Hercules have bob weighted props (are they hidden within the spinner)?

Yes, most three blade metal airscrews on british early war aeroplanes were DH built Hamiltons (including Spitfires and Hurricanes but with American (Rolls-Royce)rotation). The later ROTOL (ROlls-BrisTOL) props found favour with british engine companies over the DH produced Hamilton Hydromatics.

John

Throwing a wide ball here but…Battle?

No, the Farman type reduction gears and radial engine master / slave rods absolutely rule-out a Merlin engine.

As has been suggested, it is a Bristol Pegasus or Mercury engine.

Not Hercules…..as it has a cam to operate poppet valves. 😉

Throwing a wide ball here but… Battle?

Sure the prop on a Battle had counderweights like that…

…does anyone have a clue what it might belong to?

It is useful that the slave connecting-rods are still attached as I believe they were different lengths for the Bristol Pegasus and Mercury engine. Is it possible for somebody to measure them?

Also if it were possible for somebody to count the teeth on all the reduction gears it will be possible to say what the reduction ratio is and that may rule-out certain types (although both Pegasus and Mercury had an identical range of ratios).

Since the front and rear gears are of different sizes the 0.5:1 ratio can be ruled-out.

I will try and get that info asap thanks for the info so far at least Spitfire is ruled out.

having had a good long hard study of this picture, im going to go with Swordfish

Prop boss looks wrong for Swordfish, not sure about those weights on one either.

Looks like a blenheim prop to me…

The reduction gear is Bristol Pegasus, fitted with a De Havilland constant speed controllable pitch airscrew which was fitted to the Hampden, Wellington, Sunderland ect but not the Swordfish as this had a fixed pitch metal prop.

Here is a picture of the Blenheim prop in the Manston museum, looks pretty similar, and to the prop on the recovered engine from T9044, the Pembroke Dock Sunderland.

The reduction gear is Bristol Pegasus, fitted with a De Havilland constant speed controllable pitch airscrew which was fitted to the Hampden, Wellington, Sunderland ect but not the Swordfish as this had a fixed pitch metal prop.

i stand corrected

The reduction gear is Bristol Pegasus…

…not Mercury? Not doubting you…..just interested to know how you can say from that photograph.