These engines were all remarkably similar in format; almost invariably of V12 configuration with overhead camshafts, highly super-charged with intercoolers, extremely light weight for their power output, and installed in groups of two or three - they were truly the 'greyhounds' of marine propulsion. Perhaps the best known, the Rolls Royce Merlin, weighed in at just 744kg yet routinely produced over 1469kW (2000hp), and even 1910kW (2600hp) when specially set up. To put this into context, the most highly tuned Merlin produced 2263kW/t 66 times the typically 35kW/t of the latest generation of low speed marine diesels - although this is of course a rather meaningless comparison, like comparing a racing greyhound to a Shire Horse; and having 42 Merlins propelling a large container ship would be impractical to say the least, although the sound might be quite interesting!
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