UK Merlin Production Figures

[Mark Biegert]

Hi folks,

Would anyone have UK Merlin production figures by year and production site? I have been digging around online and I have only found partial information.

Thanks

 

[Reluctant Poster]

I have gathered the following from various sources. I can't claim its 100% accurate but I believe it is close. I don't have a breakdown between Derby and Crewe

 

[Mark Biegert]

(Edited to Reflect Comments Below)
Thanks for the help. If you find information on sourcing, please update this discussion.

Here is how I organized the data for the work I am doing.

I also found some alternate data that I will show below.
Sources: UK Data, Continental Number, Packard Numbers from US Munitions Production

 

[MiTasol]

Interesting - 5000 difference on Ford production numbers

 

[tomo pauk]

Interesting - 5000 difference on Ford production numbers

A typo?

 

[Reluctant Poster]

Thanks for the help. If you find information on sourcing, please update this discussion.

Here is how I organized the data for the work I am doing.

View attachment 579000

The Packard numbers are from "Problems of Accelerating Aircraft Production During World War II". I have attached an excerpt from it. See Exhibit 8.
The Glasgow numbers are from "Rolls Royce Hillington Portrait of a Shadow Factory.
The rest were gleaned from "The Merlin at War" and "British Piston Aero-Engines and Their Aircraft"

 

[Reluctant Poster]

A typo?

Ford 1945 is in error should be 8500

 

[Mark Biegert]

Ford 1945 is in error should be 8500

I updated my post above to correct the typo and add some data I found from another source. The numbers are very similar.

 

[pbehn]

Important to draw a line in 1940 when production of Peregrine and Vulture and others was shelved and also recognise that there were many types of Merlin.

 

[Reluctant Poster]

I updated my post above to correct the typo and add some data I found from another source. The numbers are very similar.

Thanks for the info

 

[Reluctant Poster]

(Edited to Reflect Comments Below)
Thanks for the help. If you find information on sourcing, please update this discussion.

Here is how I organized the data for the work I am doing.
View attachment 579010

I also found some alternate data that I will show below.
Sources: UK Data, Continental Number, Packard Numbers from US Munitions Production
View attachment 579009

Your number seem to be more accurate than mine do you have the numbers for 36, 37 and 38? As well as Peregrine, Vulture and Griffon?

 

[fastmongrel]

Interesting how Merlin production from Derby, Crewe and Glasgow peaked in 1943 and went down slightly in 1944. I would have expected production to increase. Were the factories maxed out or were they diverting to produce other engine types like the Griffon or turbines.

 

[pbehn]

Interesting how Merlin production from Derby, Crewe and Glasgow peaked in 1943 and went down slightly in 1944. I would have expected production to increase. Were the factories maxed out or were they diverting to produce other engine types like the Griffon or turbines.

Possibly switching production to two stage Merlin and Griffon?

 

[Reluctant Poster]

Possibly switching production to two stage Merlin and Griffon?

Both Derby and Crewe started producing Griffons in significant numbers in 1944. Glasgow didn't show a significant drop off as it was switching to two stage Merlins, a simpler change over.
Note that while the Ford production line was organized on flow through principles for greater efficiency, it paid a price in flexibility. Due to the difficulty in changing over it only produced single stage Merlins. In fact it continued to produce the original single piece block well after the other plants had switched to the two piece. I was surprised to learn that it produced its final Merlin XX in February 1944. Rolls Royce actually manufactured two piece bocks to modify late production Ford built engines to Merlin 22As.

 

[pbehn]

Both Derby and Crewe started producing Griffons in significant numbers in 1944. Glasgow didn't show a significant drop off as it was switching to two stage Merlins, a simpler change over.
Note that while the Ford production line was organized on flow through principles for greater efficiency, it paid a price in flexibility. Due to the difficulty in changing over it only produced single stage Merlins. In fact it continued to produce the original single piece block well after the other plants had switched to the two piece. I was surprised to learn that it produced its final Merlin XX in February 1944. Rolls Royce actually manufactured two piece bocks to modify late production Ford built engines to Merlin 22As.

Well demand for the single stage Merlins didn't disappear overnight, they still had a lot of airframes being produced that used them, you can convert a Spitfire to accept the twin stage engine but you get a lot less Spitfires.

 

[Deleted member 68059]

Well demand for the single stage Merlins didn't disappear overnight, they still had a lot of airframes being produced that used them, you can convert a Spitfire to accept the twin stage engine but you get a lot less Spitfires.

There were not enough 2-stage Merlins to go around, but the single-stage engines went on for a lot longer than expected partly because the Moquito was so fast, that it could remain competetive even on nearly obsolete engines, wheras the Spitfire really needed the 2-stg engines to stay competetive, that is directly from Air Ministry records.

Its similar to why the Hurricane got the Merlin XX with 2spd gearbox and the Spitfire didnt (although the manufacturing considerations were very significant too), but they realised that with only a few XX`s being made, it was a better investment to put them in Hurricanes than Spitfires, as the Hurricane was going to be totally obsolecent with a single-gear, single-stage engine, whereas the Spitfre could soldier on for longer on "last years engine model" for a while. (I personally think that was a mistake in hindsight... but anyway.. nevermind).

 

[pbehn]

There were not enough 2-stage Merlins to go around, but the single-stage engines went on for a lot longer than expected partly because the Moquito was so fast, that it could remain competetive even on nearly obsolete engines, wheras the Spitfire really needed the 2-stg engines to stay competetive, that is directly from Air Ministry records.

Its similar to why the Hurricane got the Merlin XX with 2spd gearbox and the Spitfire didnt (although the manufacturing considerations were very significant too), but they realised that with only a few XX`s being made, it was a better investment to put them in Hurricanes than Spitfires, as the Hurricane was going to be totally obsolecent with a single-gear, single-stage engine, whereas the Spitfre could soldier on for longer on "last years engine model" for a while. (I personally think that was a mistake in hindsight... but anyway.. nevermind).

I agree, but until you get all or most factories producing the two stage engines waiting for them and not producing whatever planes you can just means less planes. Spitfire Mk Vs were still being ordered in May 1942 and produced in July 1943.