That's job one and two for the mechanics during the 22 days transit onboard HMS Furious to Ceylon. Of course the parts would need to be provided beforehand, so this is a plumber's job, not a millwright's. I'd also like a 5 round burst setting added to the triggers, in order to conserve ammunition.I do envision a dozen or more Whirlwinds racing at 360 mph to rescue Force Z on that first day, with additional droptank-equipped Whirlwinds flying CAP over the force. But we must remember that Phillips called for the RAF late in the game, and that was a factor in his loss.
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Oh, I did not suggested that addition of fuel cross-feed and drop tank facility is some kind of brain srgery, but merely noting what is needed in the theater where range is essential.
I'd also suggest changing a pair of cannons with two pairs of .303s, in order to improve firing time.
The difference is, updates were done on those series of engines to improve them- something not done with the Peregrine. When RR redid the Merlin from the II to the III, the blocks and heads were not interchangeable with the earlier series, so anything originally equipped with a I or II needing repairs, had to use a complete new III.
I'm not saying the Whirlwind couldn't make the trip, but would soon run out of engines from the regular wear and tear of normal operation that any inline engine would experience, plus the overheating that would cause those gasket failures that has a good chance of ruining the engine.
RR redid the Merlin I beacuse those belonged in the flaved 'ramphead Merlins' batch. Peregrine was a later design, later than Merlin III, even later than Merlin X. Whirlwinds running out of engines is a non-issue, they used same engines in 1940 as well as 1942 historically.
What is the source for 'those gasket failures'?
There just not many spares, and the chance of RR restarting Peregrine production for parts, is very low. So with the limited number of engines, the Whirlwind numbers would quickly drop from lack of parts.
Now, what could they do in SE Asia for the short time they would be running? They are short ranged, 134 imperial gallons of fuel with two engines. That's a little more fuel than what a FW-190 carried.
If anyone could find what the specific fuel consumption of the Peregrine was, you can get a good idea of range, my guess is 525-600 miles.
That's not a lot in that area of operation
In this scenario, IMO it is all about what Whirlwind can do during the crucial 2-3 months after the proverbial hits the fan in Malaya. With Japanese logistics on a shoestring, anything bad can happen to them (like delay in Malaya, less panic and better UK/CW defenses, that spirals into more losses to the Japanese, that buys time for Burma, Sumatra and Singapore...).
Whirlwind without drop tanks is barely useful in Malaya, I can go with that.