There’s a fairly well-known story about Hurricane BD771, intended for Sumatra but retained on HMS Indomitable after engine problems. The Merlin XX engine was replaced by a Sea Hurricane’s Merlin III, an arrester hook added, and the aircraft went on to serve with 880 Sq up to Operation Pedestal and then at Yeovilton as a trainer. Just what engineering problems would that imply? I don’t think there’d be any problems with fitting the earlier engine to the later engine bearers, but is the carburettor intake in the wrong place?
By: Arabella-Cox - 15th August 2014 at 09:21
We had a recovered Merlin III from Russia, considering no Mk I’s went to Russia it was rather interesting, wouldn’t be surprised if one or two slipped through the net, the history books and archives often generalise the situation but it doesn’t mean everything followed the same set of rules.
By: Graham Boak - 14th August 2014 at 20:47
The cowling stayed the same. The engine bearers of the Mk.II are longer than those of the Mk.I, but I’d expect the pick-up points to be the same – why change things unnecessarily? I suspect any problems would be around the ducting from the external air intake (the tropicalized one) to the carburettor, but only if that differs between the engine variants. Adding the gearbox is unlikely to affect that, but these things can’t always be relied upon in detail.
It occurred to me that perhaps some of the those familiar with working on/rebuilding the current warbird Hurricane fleet might have the right specialist knowledge – even perhaps that some of the Mk.II fleet are flying with single-stage engines? (But not Merlin IIIs, I’m pretty sure!)
By: Arabella-Cox - 14th August 2014 at 20:33
As the single speed engine is shorter than the two speed (4.255 inches shorter), one imagines that the intake position and consequently the cowling would be different.
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August 14, 2014 at 1:13 pm