Things you can do with an Allison V1710

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Power boating into the history books

By CHRISTOPHER MOOR - The Wellingtonian | 3:50PM - Wednesday, 20 February 2013


DOING THE TON: Redhead breaks the 100mph barrier on Evans Bay, February 22nd, 1953.
— Photo: ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY.

SIXTY YEARS AGO, Len Southward (later Sir Len) drove his speedboat Redhead into Australasian power boating history as the first in the region to travel at more than 100mph.

The hundreds of spectators lining Evans Bay and Shelly Bay on Sunday, February 22nd, 1953, cheered when they heard the boat had covered the two-mile course at an average speed of 101.266mph (162.91km/h).

He told reporters that Redhead was powered by a 1450hp Allison V12 engine.

It was originally a stepped-up hydroplane converted to a three-pointer by the addition of inboard sponsons, or riding planes, that increased its speed.

Earlier that morning Redhead had clocked 98.227mph.

Its propeller was changed for one with a slightly larger diameter and less pitch before it made history in near-perfect conditions.

Southward gave much of the credit to the backroom boys who helped him prepare Redhead.

"I would say it will do another five miles an hour, but I am quite happy to leave it until somebody beats it," he said.

It was three years before Redhead's Australasian water speed record got broken. Australian boat Fleetwing hit 103mph in 1956 to break the record.

Southward reclaimed the speed record with a 109.29mph (175.89km/h) run off Point England in Auckland, on May 8th, 1956.

In September 1956, Donald Campbell more than doubled the speed in his Bluebird hydroplane on Coniston in the English Lake District, with a world water speed record of 225.6mph (383.07km/h).

Redhead held Australasia's major water speed trophies for most of the 1950s.

The boat won Australian Griffiths Cup from 1949, and with the exception of 1954 it held New Zealand's Masport Cup from 1948.

Its last victory was at Picton on Easter Saturday, 1959, when it easily won the Griffiths Cup.

While leading Mystic Miss in the Masport Cup, Redhead suddenly veered left and stopped.

A crowd of several thousand watched in disbelief as the defending champion sank seconds later — a buckled propeller shaft had ripped a gaping hole in its hull.

Redhead never raced again, and is now displayed in the Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu, as it was when it was lifted out of the water.

The Southward Car Museum Trust opened the museum on December 22, 1979, to house the collection Len Southward began.

Vintage cars were not mentioned in Southward's post-record interviews. The collection that grew into a car museum began in 1956.

He was knighted in 1986 and died in 2004, aged 98.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/the-wellingtonian/8328999/Power-boating-into-the-history-books

[kiwithrottlejockey]

ZK-AMM “Ararangi” taxis for takeoff then is raced by Len Southward's speedboat “Redhead” across Evans Bay on 17th January 1951.

[steveh]

Nice pictures. I've seen Red Head as she was in her last race at Southwards museum, shes a big beast of a thing. Another boat with an Alison in it was Tru Jen, raced by the Harry Rutledge from Blenheim, she won the Masport Cup in 1968, 69 I think. I recall seeing her race at Lake Rotoiti (SI), she just sounded superb at full noise. I recall the time when she made a NZ water speed record attempt on Rotoiti, early in the morning, no wind or waves & seeing her belting down the lake with a massive rooster tail & the sound of the Alison wide open, wow, thats the stuff memories are made of.
Steve.

[nuuumannn]

Very neat, thanks for sharing. At the WoW and Vintage Car Museum in Nelson is a sawn off six cylinder RR Merlin that was modified for power boat use.

[curtiss]

Are you sure that it is a Merlin and not a cut down Kestrel from the Shuttleworth boat?

[Bruce]

Newsreel footage showing Redhead at work:

[shamus]

Yes it is definitely a cut down RR Kestrel from Dick Shuttleworth. Atlhough having said that I now remember he was also doing a Merlin cut down as well. Dont know if he finished the Merlin 6 before he died.

[suthg]

News footage also shows Catalinas KNL in the air and and KNC at Hobsonville on the Hard for maintenance.

[steveh]

Dick Shuttleworth ran Flak Too in her original forward engined form with both cut down Merlin & Kestrel afaik. She was later rebuilt to rear engined (driver forward) form with a full 12 cyl Kestrel. He used to have a big box bodied trailer at St Arnaud with several of these motors in, I'm not sure what became of these when he passed away, but the ones in WOW are some of them.
Steve.

[Dave Homewood]

My late Dad knew Sir Len Southward from the days when Dad was crewing on Peter Knight's Boss Mobil One team. He liked Sir Len a lot and always said what a nice gentleman he was. He didn't think the same thing about Sir Len's grandson who was then racing in, I think, Ladybug. There was a lot of rivalry between The Boss and Labybug.

I was told only last week that Sir Len also got two Mosquito Merlins for his boats back when the Mossies were retired. They'd just been completely overhauled. I wonder where they are now.

[lumpy]

Feb 24, 2013 8:03:47 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I was told only last week that Sir Len also got two Mosquito Merlins for his boats back when the Mossies were retired. They'd just been completely overhauled. I wonder where they are now.

I think I recall hearing that Harry Rutledge also had Merlins ( ex Mosquito ) , in his possesion at one stage , however the Allisons are significantly easier to fit in a boat than Merlins . Something to do with the air intake for the supercharger being on the bottom of a Merlin ( ie , in the bilge of a boat ) , but on the top of an Allison . Aparently it can be changed , but its a real mission ( thats what I was told anyway ) .

[steveh]

The Aussie boat Agressor had a Merlin with an inverted intake, seen here. so it obviously was doable.
Steve.
Edited to have the clip I was originally looking for.

[shamus]

I know Darren Luff from Wanganui and he told me his father bought an Allison from Southwards Museum a few years back. It has probably taken a back seat now he has the Venom to play with.