Rolls-Royce Crecy
| Crecy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The Rolls-Royce Crecy | |
| Type | Liquid-cooled V12 two-stroke piston engine |
| Manufacturer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| Designed by | Eddie Gass (Chief Designer) |
| First run | 11 April 1941 |
| Major applications | Not flown (intended for the Supermarine Spitfire) |
| Number built | 6 plus 8 V-twin test units |
The Rolls-Royce Crecy was an unusual British experimental two-stroke, 90-degree, V12, liquid-cooled aero-engine of 1,536 cu.in (26 L) capacity, featuring sleeve valves and direct petrol injection. Intended for a higher-speed "sprint" variant of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, the engine was developed between 1941 and 1945 it was the most advanced two-stroke aero-engine ever built.
The engine was named after the Battle of Crécy; battles were the chosen theme for Rolls-Royce two-stroke aero engines. There were no other Rolls-Royce engines of this type, and jet engines were subsequently given the names of rivers.
The Crecy was intended to power the Spitfire after flight testing in a converted Hawker Henley, but neither aircraft type flew with this engine fitted. The project was cancelled in December 1945 as the progress of jet engine development overtook that of the Crecy and replaced the need for this engine.
Sir Henry Tizard, Chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee (ARC), was a proponent of a high-powered "sprint" engine for fighter aircraft and had foreseen the need for such a powerplant as early as 1935 with the threat of German air power looming. It has been suggested that Tizard influenced his personal friend Harry Ricardo to develop what eventually became known as the Rolls-Royce Crecy. The idea was officially discussed for the first time at an engine sub-committee meeting in December 1935.
"The Chairman remarked that if it was the desire of the Air Ministry to develop a type of sprint engine for home defence....there was the question as to how far fuel consumption could be disregarded. Mr Ricardo had raised this point in a recent conversation by enquiring whether a high fuel consumption might not be permissible under certain circumstances, for if so, an investigation of the possibilities of the two-stroke petrol engine appeared to be attractive."
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Wikipedia