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1st Hon C S Rolls Lecture. . . his legacy to power for land, sea and air

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Philip Ruffles,Technical Adviser, Rolls-Royce plc

presents the

1st Hon C S Rolls Lecture to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

at the Institutions Headquarters at 1 Birdcage Walk, London

on 8 May 2002

Preface

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In addressing the Hon C S Rolls Legacy to power for land, sea

and air, I will quote widely from the biography by Lord

Montagu of Beaulieu titled Rolls of Rolls-Royce and will

take you back to July 1910 when the fashionable south coast

resort of Bournemouth was celebrating its centenary.

Though King Edward the VII had died only two months

previously, the Bournemouth fortnight was the quintessence

of Edwardianism and the atmosphere was one of

celebration. By now the motor car was becoming anaccepted mode of transport for the rich and wealthy and the

Wright brothers had performed the first powered flight

seven years previously. The aeroplane had sprung into

prominence and some of the great names of motoring had

taken enthusiastically to the new sport, including the Hon

Charles Stewart Rolls - the son of a peer.He was a pioneer of

practical motoring,a founder member of the Automobile

Club of Great Britain and Ireland (later to become the RAC),

one of the three founders of the Royal Aero Club and the

first aviator to complete a double crossing of the English

Channel. At the age of 32 he had captured the imagination

of the British public and was a national hero. His name,

together with that of Frederick Henry Royce, his well

established partner,was already the symbol of the best in

motor cars, though neither he nor his compatriots were yet

aware that it would become the symbol of the best in British

engineering.

Rolls was both a skilled and a careful pilot and yet he

crashed fatally at Bournemouth on 12th July 1910 when

flying his aircraft as part of the Bournemouth Centenary

celebrations. His aircraft was fitted with additional non-

standard flying control surfaces that reacted unfavourably in

the prevailing conditions.This fatal accident prevented him

making what might have been an enormous contribution to

aviation and other forms of transport. Yet today,Charles

Stewart Rolls among all the pioneers of land and airtransport is almost forgotten.Because he did not see his first

love, the motor car,attain universal acceptance, his

contribution to its teething years is often glossed over.

Likewise his contribution to Rolls-Royce is overshadowed by

the efforts of his partners Claude Johnson and Henry Royce.

It is therefore fitting that the Institution of Mechanical

Engineers has decided to recognise his achievements by

inaugurating a memorial lecture in his name,when next year

the aviation industry will celebrate the 100th anniversary of

the first powered flight, followed a year later by Rolls-Royces

own 100th anniversary. I am honoured to give the first

lecture in this memorial series.

Charles Stewart Rolls was born on 27th August 1877 in

London to John Alan Rolls, later to become Lord Llangattock,

into a secure Victorian family whose fortune had been

established some 100 years previously.The family owned

land and property in and around London and around the

family estate in Monmouth.

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Top:The Hon C S Rolls

Left:The Hon C S Rolls at Monmouth in PanhardRight:The Hon C S Rolls preparing for crossing the English Channel

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Charles Rolls attended primary school in Berkshire,

proceeding to Eton in 1891 and first showed his aptitude for

engineering at the age of 15 when he installed a dynamo in

the family estate and converted part of the house to

electricity. No sooner had he got it working than he was

planning to install a new and more powerful engine. It is also

believed that he spent some time at a school of engineering

associated with Repton School in Derbyshire. His appetite for

engineering grew insatiably and in October 1895 he enteredTrinity College Cambridge where two years later he obtained

an Ordinary degree in Mechanisms and Applied Science,

having been advised that he was not suited to sit for the

Tripos. In preference he followed a career as a practical

engineer and for a short time worked as a trainee at the

railway works at Crewe.

At Cambridge he was in his element and in 1896 he

obtained his first car, a second-hand 31/2hp Peugeot Phaeton

purchased in Paris,so becoming the first person to own a car

at Cambridge. He used to repair his car at the University

engineering laboratories and was referred to as Dirty Rolls, a

nickname acquired at Eton, because of his willingness to take

off his jacket and get his hands dirty in the true tradition of

engineering. He was also a great cycling enthusiast winning

his half blue in 1896 and becoming Captain of the University

cycling team a year later.He became a student member of

the Institution of Civil Engineers in February 1898 and the

third engineer on the familys yacht, Santa Maria, surprisingly

his only connection with activities on water. He later became

an Associate Member of the Institution of Mechanical

Engineers (now classed as Corporate).

From the time of acquiring his first car his enthusiasm for

mechanical machines,motor cars and other forms of

transport intensified and he dedicated the next few years of

his life to promoting the motor car as a means of transport.

He often lectured and was prepared to stand up to thosewho wanted to inhibit progress and he participated in all

forms of motor sport, driving many makes of motor car in his

search for excellence.The 1000 mile trial in April-May 1900,

organised by Claude Johnson, then first Secretary of the

Automobile Club, was the turning point for the fortune of

automobiles in Great Britain. Rolls set off in a Panhard, one of

65 entrants, 35 of which completed the course and only 12

of which maintained the legal average speed of 12 mph. He

was awarded the Gold Medal for the best performance

irrespective of class, thus making him one of the pioneers of

the early motoring age. Shortly afterwards, in 1902,he

formed his company C S Rolls and Co to sell and maintain

motor cars. His business developed rapidly as he

demonstrated his skills as a salesman and in 1903 he took

Claude Johnson into partnership and claimed to have the

best workshops in London.I t was against this background

that he met Frederick Henry Royce in the Midland Hotel,

Manchester in May 1904.

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Top:A painting of Rolls first meeting with Royce at the Midland Hotel, Manchester

Left:Rolls first car - a 31/2hp Peugeot PhaetonCentre:The four man cycle (Quad) at Cambridge

Right: Panhard driven by the Hon C S Rolls in 1000 mile trial

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Royce was a successful electrical and mechanical engineer

with a rare combination of skills, who formed his own

business F H Royce & Co in 1884. This later become Royce

Ltd, making high quality electrical and mechanical products

including cranes, capstans, dynamos,electric motors and

similar products.His approach was to start simply and then

to continually improve his designs always striving for

excellence. In 1902 at a time when his own business was in

recession, he purchased a twin-cylinder Decauville car ofpoor performance and reliability.This gave him the

foundation on which to apply the lessons he had learnt from

his electrical and mechanical engineering business to motor

cars, leading to the design of his own Royce car. At this time

Rolls was on the lookout for a new car of three or four

cylinders to replace the Panhard that had not kept up with

the times.

Although Rolls had an engineering training he was an

entrepreneur by nature, understood markets and sold and

supported cars using other peoples designs. Henry

Edmunds,a friend of Rolls, recognised that these skills would

complement those of Henry Royce,an acquaintance of

Edmunds,and so arranged a meeting between the two in

Manchester. On the train journey up to Manchester, Rolls

revealed to Edmunds his desire to have a car,or family of

cars, connected with his own name that was as much a

household name as Broadwood among pianofortes,or

Chubb amongst safes.Although of quite different

backgrounds,the two men took to each other immediately.

Whilst there are no records of what was agreed, Rolls was so

impressed by the smoothness of Royces car, despite his

dislike for the intrinsic unevenness of twin cylinders, that he

agreed to handle the whole Manchester factory output of

cars that were to bear his name as well as that of the maker.

In December that year C S Rolls and Co were selling

Rolls-Royce cars alongside Panhards,Minervas and Orleans.By December 1905 Rolls jettisoned these other models in

favour of Rolls-Royce cars and in 1906 Rolls-Royce Limited

was formed incorporating C S Rolls & Co a year later. The

words used in the Memorandum of Association of

Rolls-Royce Limited were quite remarkable, in stating that

the Company be established to provide motor vehicles for

use on land, water or in the air, they aptly describe the

business as it is today.

Rolls advocated producing a family of cars with two,

three, four and six cylinder engines with customised bodies

from the best coach builders who previously had made

carriages pulled by horses, though he was no lover of the

horse. He was able to write his own maintenance manuals

based on the skills he learned as a practical engineer.

Rolls continued to compete in motor cars up to 1908

whilst doing his daily round of demonstrations to customers.

He held the strong belief that competition improved the

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Top:Memorandum of Association

Left: First Royce 2 cylinder carCentre: First Rolls-Royce logo

Right: Rolls winning 1906 TT race on Isle of Man in a 4 cyl inder 20hp Rolls-Royce

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breed as demonstrated by his winning the Isle of Man

Tourist Trophy in a light 20hp Rolls-Royce in 1906.

Meanwhile Royce was continuing to advance his designs

leading to the new 40/50hp model, one of which was

named the Silver Ghost. This model, driven by Claude

Johnson and others,successfully completed the Scottish

2000 mile trial and continued to 15000 miles in 1907 as a

marketing initiative sponsored by Claude Johnson. On strip

down the engine was passed as new,with only one or twoparts on the steering and accessories showing some wear.

This represented an unprecedented standard of reliability

which none of the competitors could emulate,and earned

the Company the reputation for making the best car in the

world.

The 40/50hp engine was in every detail a new design

owing nothing to any other makes. The engine had six

cylinders that were laid out as two groups of three. It had a

stroke and bore of 41/2 inches and developed 48hp at

1200rpm. The chassis was longer than the 30hp, allowing

the engine to be moved aft of the front axles centre-line and

enabling lengthy, luxurious limousine coachwork to be fitted

without excessive and ugly rear overhang.

It was as early as 1898 that Rolls made his first flight in a

balloon, which whetted his appetite for aviation. He pursued

ballooning as a hobby alongside his motoring endeavours

but really regarded it as one of his several sporting interests.

He followed the progress in aviation and wrote in 1901, two

years before the Wright brothers first flight; quote,

If aerial navigation is ever to become practical, if we are to

have aerial conveyances to run in all weathers,if we expect to

cross the ocean without ploughing through it, to skim over land

without resting on it or burrowing into it, the aeroplane is the

most practical and dependable conveyance.

Rolls faith in the aeroplane was apparent when he co-

founded the Aero Club of the United Kingdom Ltd (later tobecome the Royal Aero Club) with Frank Hedges Butler and

his daughter. His faith can also be seen in his relations with

the Aeronautical Society (now the Royal Aeronautical

Society) when in 1901 he proposed a merger with the Royal

Aero Club. His proposal was politely refused but he was duly

elected a member of the Aeronautical Society and was an

enthusiastic supporter until his death.

By 1907, following the arrival of the Silver Ghost,progress

in motoring was more one of evolution than revolution.

There were no longer any unknown worlds to satisfy Rolls

thirst for adventure so he turned his attention to flying

where he could apply his skills as a driver to fly aeroplanes. It

was in October 1908 that he took his first flight with Wilbur

Wright in one of the Wrights machines in France becoming

the second Englishman to fly in a heavier than air machine.

Just over one year later he became a pilot in his own right,

having trained himself,and then went on to perfect his skills

as an aviator.

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Top:Rolls in the French Wright flyer at Bournemouth

Left: Early 40/50hp Rolls-Royces at the Cat and Fiddle near Buxton.Car on left is the Silver Ghost

Right: Rolls with Wright Brothers

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As in motoring he broke new ground and set new records

having completed over two hundred flights in his two

Wright Flyers before that fateful day at Bournemouth.Whilst

pursuing his interest as an aviator,he continued to work for

Rolls-Royce in selling and demonstrating motor cars up and

down the country,and in France which was an important

market. He tried to persuade the company to move into

aviation on several occasions and submitted a proposal to

the Board meeting on 12 February 1909 that the Company

should acquire the Wright patents. It also emerged at the

meeting that the Company workshops were being used to

manufacture the gearing and driveshafts for the swivelling

propellers of the Gamma airship being developed at

Farnborough.This having come to light, the Board resolved

that the company must not depart from its established

business without its prior consent. Rolls chose not to attend

the meeting preferring to travel to France to visit the French

aircraft industry and assist with an aero competition in

Monaco.Later that year and as a result of the Boards

decision, Rolls relinquished his executive position as

Technical Director so that he could concentrate on aviation

(Royces title was Engineer in Chief) but he remained on the

Board as a non-executive Director until his death.

In light of the subsequent events, the Boards decision

appears to be somewhat short-sighted, but is more

understandable when appreciating that the company was

only two years old,had just opened its new factory in Derby

and Royce was heavily overworking and already showing

signs of poor health. More importantly, it was not until the

outbreak of the First World War that any substantial market

was created for the aeroplane. It was then that Royce started

work on his first aero engine.

Motoring,aviation and the Company that bears his name

owe much to Charles Rolls.He was a visionary who, with

great enthusiasm and single mindedness,contributed to

putting motoring and aviation on the map at a time when

Great Britain was lagging the developments in Europe and

the USA.Through these endeavours he became a national

hero and by following his entrepreneurial instinct, partnered

with Henry Royce to form Rolls-Royce, a company that has

been a pioneer in power for land, sea and air and a symbol

of engineering excellence ever since. Had Rolls survived, the

company would perhaps have put much earlier emphasis on

working with the customer to identify and develop the very

best engineering solutions, as Rolls was an engineer who

sought to understand what was best from a customer

viewpoint.

There have been many subsequent developments that

Rolls would have approved, not least of these was the

decision by Royce only four years after Rollsdeath, to start

the design of the Eagle engine.

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Top:Alcock and Brown in their Vimy in Newfoundland

Left:The Gamma Airship as developed at FarnboroughRight:The Eagle engine used to power the Vimy

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As war approached, the British Government came to

appreciate the importance of aviation, although Rolls had

testified to the Committee of Imperial Defence sub

committee in 1908 that England will cease to be an island

with the advances in aviation.Within days of war breaking

out, Rolls-Royce was asked by the War Office to make

engines under licence, but Royce was reluctant as he did not

like the design of the proposed French Renault V8 engine.A

deal was struck whereby Rolls-Royce made a few of the

French engines whilst Royce started work on his own design

which became the Eagle.He chose a water-cooled

configuration based on the design of the Silver Ghost engine

as he felt air cooling would take too long to get right. In

order to achieve the power of 200hp, he kept the same

piston diameter, increased the stroke and RPM and doubled

the number of cylinders to twelve.He replaced the side

valves by an overhead camshaft design, used pressed steel

water jackets to reduce weight and designed a reduction

gear to optimise the speed of the propeller.

The engine was on test by February 1915, six months

after start, followed by an intensive development

programme during which eight versions were developed. By

February 1918 it was producing 360hp, almost double the

initial rating.The engine was fitted to nearly 50 aircraft, flying

boat and airship types requiring over 4500 engines to be

manufactured in Derby and overseas. In 1919 it powered the

Vickers Vimy in which Alcock and Brown crossed the Atlantic

non-stop, it was the first aircraft to fly from England to

Australia and the first to fly across the South Atlantic.The

Hawk, Falcon and Condor engines then followed in quick

succession to produce a family of engines following the

same approach as the motor car.This achievement alone is

testimony to Rollsvision of the importance of aviation.

Immediately after the First World War the Companys

main activity concerned cars allowing Napier with its Lion

engine, Armstrong Siddeley with the Jaguar and Bristol with

the Jupiter to gain a dominant position in aviation.These

engines, although more advanced than the Eagle, were

reaching the end of their development by the late 1920s.The

Schneider trophy had been staged annually since the war

and Britain won the trophy in 1927 with a Napier Lion-

powered Supermarine S5 monoplane backed by the Air

Ministry.The next event was to be in England in 1929 for

which a new engine would be required to power the more

advanced Supermarine S6 aeroplane. Rolls-Royce already had

the Buzzard under development and with insufficient time

to do a new engine, Royce chose this engine,a 12 cylinder

60oV of 36.6 litre capacity developing 825hp, as the basis of

the design.Known as the R engine, it was strengthened and

fitted with a large double-sided supercharger (to keep the

diameter down) which increased the power to 1850hp.The

1929 trophy was won by Waghorn in the Supermarine S6.

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Top:Rolls-Royce Rengine used for the Schneider Trophy

Left: 1931 Supermarine S6B - outright winner of Schneider TrophyRight: Rolls-Royce Merlin

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The engine was further uprated to 2350 hp for the 1931

contest, the aircraft was flown by John Boothman and won

the event for the third consecutive time thereby securing

the Schneider Trophy for Britain in perpetuity.The

Supermarine aircraft was an all metal monoplane that laid

the foundations for the Spitfire whilst the R engine was the

turning point for Rolls-Royce in aero engines and laid the

foundations for the Merlin engine which went on to power

the Hurricane and Spitfire and many other aircraft types.

Once again Charles Rollsphilosophy that competition

improves the breed was demonstrated.

The Merlin engine was a liquid-cooled 12 cylinder in

two banks of six,mounted in vee formation at an angle of 60

degrees on the crankcase. It was based on the P.V.12,the

letters P.V indicating Private Venture. Over time the Merlin

engine has been extensively developed with the two speed,

two stage supercharger engines of the Merlin 61 type being

a later variant. Over 170,000 aero engines were produced for

the war effort including 7000 Griffons. In addition many

thousands more engines, named the Meteor, were used to

power the Cromwell,Comet and Centurion tanks.

One wonders what part Rolls might have played had

he lived to see the development of the jet engine.One can

be sure that he would have shared Whittles vision of the

importance of speed and altitude in military combat and

would have been as good a partner for Whittle in the 1930s

as he was for Royce at the beginning of the motoring era. It

was of course Lord Hives, Rollschauffeur and mechanic and

arguably a disciple of Rolls,who saw the potential of the gas

turbine as early as 1938 and took the Company into the gas

turbine age in the tradition of its founders. Following the

acquisition of the Barnoldswick factory from the Rover

Company in 1943, Rolls-Royce again made rapid progress in

developing the gas turbine engine.The Welland,a

development of Whittles design, the Derwent and Nene

followed in quick succession to put the Company at the

forefront of gas turbine engineering.The Derwent V, fitted to

the Gloster Meteor, raised the world speed record twice in

1945 to 606mph and in 1946 to 616mph. These engines

powered several aircraft types and over 14,000 were made

throughout the western world and many more in Russia and

China.

In the years immediately after the War, the gas turbine

was being advanced very rapidly. Again it was Hives who

saw the importance of the axial compressor promoted by

Griffith and ensured the launch of the Avon for the more

advanced military aircraft of that time.I t held the world

speed record on three separate occasions in the Hunter and

Swift aircraft in 1953 at over 700 mph and then in 1956 in

the Fairy Delta 2 at 1132mph and subsequently went on to

power the Lightning Interceptor aircraft.The Avon later

became the Companys first civil jet engine, which powered

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Top:Rolls-Royce powered DC8

Left:The Derwent engineCentre: Derwent V/Meteor

Right: Lightning fighter powered by Rolls-Royce Avons15

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the Comet 4 and Caravelle aircraft although the Dart

turboprop was Rolls-Royces first civil gas turbine engine to

enter revenue service in 1953 in the Vickers Viscount.The

Conway which followed the Avon, was the first bypass

engine used initially in the Handley Page Victor V bomber

and importantly signalled the Companys first attempt to

enter the American commercial market fitted to certain

versions of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC8 aircraft.

The Conway, Avon and Dart followed by the Spey and

Tyne were used in both civil and military applications.

However, with the advent of the high bypass ratio turbofan

engines the products diverged to satisfy the differing

requirements of civil and military customers.

The next opportunity to penetrate the American market

came with the launch of the high bypass ratio RB211 in 1968

for the Lockheed TriStar.This program signalled the start of

the transition from an engineering-focused organisation

reflecting the heritage of Royce to a customer-focused

approach to business as advocated by Rolls.The RB211

engine was a new 3 shaft high bypass ratio design with a

very challenging technical specification.The decision to

proceed was a bold one for the Company to take but the

unforseen technical difficulties led to the Companys

downfall in 1971.However the RB211 and the Company

continued to operate, but in public ownership, until it was re-

privatised in 1987 during which time new variants of the

engine were developed including the RB211-535 that

currently powers the Boeing 757 and the RB211-524G/H for

the Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 aircraft. Over 3400 engines

have been delivered or are on order.The RB211-535 has

established a reputation for reliability in over 30 million

hours of operation comparable to that enjoyed by the Silver

Ghost.

The RB211 has been further developed to become the

Trent family to power the new wide body aircraft in

production and under development.The Trent 700 which

powers the Airbus A330,was the first to enter service in

1995, to be followed a year later by the Trent 800 in the

Boeing 777.The latest version to be certified, the Trent 500

enters service this year on the A340-600 whilst the Trent 900

for the Airbus A380 is currently in design and component

test with a first engine run planned in early 2003.The Trent

family is based on a common design style and technology,

which is continually being updated and customised to suit

the aircraft by the choice of fan diameter and core size.The

Trent engines are the market leaders with a market share of

50% and over 1200 engines have already been delivered,or

are on order, making this one of the Companys most

successful programmes.The Trent along with the many other

aerospace engines offered by Rolls-Royce make for a

comprehensive aerospace engine family. It is interesting to

observe how this family approach, promoted by Rolls so

many years ago, is as valid today as it was then.

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Top:Rolls-Royce civil engine family

Left: Lockheed Martin C130J powered by AE2100

Centre:V22 Osprey powered by AE1107C turboshaft

Right:The Eurofighter Typhoonpowered by EJ200s

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Concurrently with the growth in the civil market in the

1960s,the aircraft and engine companies in the UK were

undergoing consolidation.The final stage on the engine side

was in June 1966 when Rolls-Royce acquired Bristol Siddeley

engines as a defensive move to prevent them teaming with

Pratt and Whitney on future subsonic engines. Bristol

Siddeley had already been a very successful supplier of

military engines that now became part of the product

portfolio. New engines have been developed since, notably

the Adour for the Jaguar,Hawk and T45 aircraft, RB199 for

Tornado, Gem and RTM 322 for helicopters and EJ200 for

Eurofighter.The military engines of the Allison engine

company, which was acquired in 1995,have further

expanded this family.

Whilst Rolls-Royce is normally associated with aero

engines and motor cars, it has always adapted its products

for use in other markets starting with the Silver Ghost that

was used as staff cars, ambulances and armoured cars

through both world wars.Outstanding amongst those who

exploited its versatility was the legendary Lawrence of

Arabia. As already mentioned, the Meteor engine that was

adapted from the Merlin, was used to power tanks. Indeed it

was the tank engine factory in Nottingham that Lord Hives

exchanged with Wilks of Rover for the Barnoldswick factory

that was developing the gas turbine.

However it was not until after the war that the Company

broadened its business by moving into diesel engines for

land transport, nuclear power for submarines and industrial

gas turbines for oil and gas pumping. In so doing, it was

pursuing a vision as laid out in the Memorandum of

Association of the Company. Diesel engines remained part of

Rolls-Royce Motors when this became an independent

company following the events of 1971.

Lord Hives was quick to see the importance of nuclear

power as the heat source for engines. He was not only

thinking of submarines and ships but also aircraft. In 1954 a

small team was created, led by Alex later Sir Alex Smith, who

had been recruited by Hives from the Atomic Energy

Authority.The team was located at the Old Hall in Littleover

on the edge of Derby, where a laboratory and rig shop were

built in the grounds. By 1956 effort was focussed on the

submarine application in the knowledge that the Americans

had by now commissioned the first-ever nuclear submarine,

Nautilus.Two years later a bilateral agreement was signed

between the US and UK governments and Admiral Rickover,

who had been won over by Hives, recommended that the

propulsion system work should be carried out by Rolls-Royce

in view of their engineering capability.The first submarine

HMS Dreadnoughtwas a composite design with a British

front end and a US rear end containing the reactor.A joint

company, Rolls-Royce and Associates,was formed including

Vickers, Foster Wheeler and later Babcock and Wilcox, to

design the propulsion system and manage the program.

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Top:WR-21

Left: HMS Grey Goose

Centre: HMS Dreadnought

Right:The RM60 used to power HMS Grey Goose19

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Rolls-Royce however remained responsible for the reactor

manufacture.Today this activity is all part of Rolls-Royce

Marine business that also includes marine gas turbines,propulsion systems and equipment.

Rolls-Royce embarked on diversifying into marine gas

turbines when it developed the RM60 engine in the late

1940s,a rather complex engine which was well ahead of its

time which powered HMS Grey Goose in 1953.This was the

first attempt to use an intercooled and regenerative cycle to

give good fuel consumption across the power range.The

most recent development of this concept, the WR21 engine,

uses the same approach and has now undergone around

4000 hours of extensive testing.I t is the selected propulsion

system for the Royal Navys Type 45 Destroyer. In addition

Rolls-Royce now offers a range of gas turbines from 2MW to

50MW for ship propulsion including the widely accepted

Marine Spey engine.

Rolls-Royce entry into the oil and gas pumping and

power generation markets was with the Avon in the 1960s,

88 of which were sold for power generation and 674 have

been sold to date for oil and gas pumping.Through the

acquisition of Bristol Siddeley in 1966, the Companystrengthened its position in these markets whilst developing

new products, most notably the Industrial RB211,hard on the

heels of the aero program.The Industrial Trent has been

added more recently, together with the product lines of

Allison and Cooper Industries to give a broad portfolio of

products.

Today Rolls-Royce is one of the major manufacturers ofaero engines, a leading company in marine propulsion and

oil and gas pumping and has an established position in

power generation. It has maintained its link with the motor

car through BMW and has therefore followed the paths laid

down by its founders in the Memorandum of Association

ninety eight years ago.

It has been a privilege to give the first lecture in memory

of the Honourable C S Rolls.He was a visionary with great

enthusiasm and energy, a practical engineer and a man of

action. He had a passion for engineering and motorised

transport and drove and flew whilst others debated.He was

not a designer or innovator, that was the domain of Royce,

but he had a wonderful empathy with machinery and an

understanding of the customers needs. He had tremendous

powers as a salesman and used his influence with the

aristocracy to the maximum advantage, a vital factor in the

early development of the Company.Whilst no-one doubts

the contribution made by Royce or by Claude Johnson, it

was Charles Stewart Rolls who was the entrepreneur whomaintained the momentum in the formative years of

Rolls-Royce.His loss was probably of greater significance

than was realised at the time. I would like to close by

thanking the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for

dedicating this Memorial Lecture and ensuring that Charles

Rolls has a rightful place in the history of engineering.

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Top:RB211 Gas Turbine power station at Samarinda in Borneo

Left:The Industrial Avon

Centre: Offshore Bruce oil rig

Right: Industrial RB21121

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22

Philip Charles Ruffles CBE, FRS,FREng, RDI

Technical Adviser, Rolls-Royce PLC

Mr Ruffles was born on 14 October 1939 in Westerham,Kent.

He was educated at Sevenoaks School, Kent and Bristol

University where he received a BSc (1st Class) in Mechanical

Engineering in 1961.

He joined Rolls-Royce in 1961 as a Graduate Apprentice and

held a variety of technical positions from 1963-1977 before

he became Chief Engineer for the RB211-22B and

subsequently the RB211-524. Since 1981 he has held the

positions of Head of Engineering for the Small Engine

Group; Director of Technology; Director of Design

Engineering; and Technical Director. In 1991 he was

appointed Director - Engineering,Aerospace Group and in

January 1997 he was appointed to the Rolls-Royce Main

Board as Director - Engineering and Technology until his

retirement in October 2001. In November 2001 he became

Technical Adviser to Rolls-Royce plc. He is a member of

Council of the Central Research Laboratories.

Mr Ruffles is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy

of Engineering, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He has been awarded

Honorary Doctorates of Engineering by Bristol, Birmingham

and Sheffield Universities and Honorary Doctor of Science by

City University. He is an Honorary Professor of Warwick

University and was elected to the Faculty of Royal Designers

for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts.

In 1987 he was awarded the Ackroyd Stuart Prize by the

Royal Aeronautical Society for his paper on Reducing the

Cost of Aero Engine Research and Development, in 1996 he

received the Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal and was

a member of the team which was awarded the Royal

Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for work on the

Trent engine.He was awarded the 1998 James Clayton Prize

for his contribution to aero-engine technology by the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers and in June 2001

received the Duncan Davies Memorial Medal for

management of research from the R&D Society.He was

made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in

June 2001 and in November 2001 he was awarded the

Prince Philip Gold Medal by the Royal Academy of

Engineering. In November 2001 he and John Cheffins of

Rolls-Royce were awarded the Francois Xavier Bagnaud

Aerospace Prize.

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23

Philip Charles Ruffles

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24

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Michael Evans and Richard Haigh of the

Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust for the help they have given inresearching the archives and to Alex Zino who has helped

with writing the text and with the illustrations.

Photo Credits

The majority of the photographs have been provided by the

Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.

The photographs of the Panhard at Monmouth on page 3

and Rollsfi rst car on page 5 are reproduced by kind

permission of the Monmouth Museum.

The painting of the meeting between the Hon C S Rolls and

Henry Royce on page 5 is reproduced by kind permission of

the artist Ray Tootall.

The Quad at Cambridge and the Panhard used in the

thousand mile trial on page 5 are reproduced by kind

permission of the National Motor Museum.

The photograph of the Gamma airship on page 11 is

reproduced by kind permission of Norman Peake.

References

1 Rolls of Rolls-Royce by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

- Cassell and Company Ltd 1966

2 Charles Rolls-Pioneer Aviator by Gordon Bruce,

- Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust 1990

3 The Magic of the Name,

The Rolls-Royce Story Part 1 & part 2 by P Pugh,

Icon Books UK 2000 & 2001

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Rolls-Royce plc 2002

The information in this document is the property of Rolls-Royce plc and may not be copied, or communicated to a third party, or used, for any

purpose other than that for which it is supplied without the express written consent of Rolls-Royce plc.

Whilst this information is given in good faith based upon the latest information available to Rolls-Royce plc, no warranty or representation is given

concerning such information, which must not be taken as establishing any contractual or other commitment binding upon Rolls-Royce plc or any

of its subsidiary or associated companies.

VCOM 5196 May 2002

Rolls-Royce plc

PO Box 31

Derby DE24 8BJEngland

www.rolls-royce.com