Defender II

Current boat name

Defender II

Boat class

7150

Function

Sports and Leisure

Type

Length (m / ft)

6.41 / 21ft

Beam (m / ft)

1.32 / 4ft 4in

Propulsion

Engine

Designer

Burgoine

Date of build

1908

Place of build

Kingston, Surrey

Present use

Museum/NMMC

Built by Charles Burgoine in 1908 for Fred May and fitted with Sizaire Naudin car engine, DEFENDER II won a series of races held by the British Motor Boat Club in the 1909 season. Refitted with a 60hp Green aero engine in 1910 DEFENDER II was taken to Monte Carlo for the International Race Meeting but did not race due to a lack of craft in her class. The Green engine proved so good in the boat that May had DEFENDER III built with twin Green engines. DEFENDER II was retired and stored in the Green engine works until 1931 when she was refitted with a 35hp Green engine and raced in an International Motorboat Meeting on the Thames. This is believed to have been her last appearance in a race. Acquired by the RAF Museum Hendon for her engine, DEFENDER'S hull was transferred to the MBM Basildon in 1987.. The Green water cooled 4 cylinder areo engines were built in two versions 35 & 60hp for the Green Engine Co by Aster Engineering Co of Wembley and were amongst the earliest aero engines built in the UK. They were used on the Short Wright biplane and on several designs by A V Roe including the Avro Triplane 4 of 1910. In 1920 a 35hp Green powered Avro 534 Baby, was used by Bert Hinkler on his record breaking 9 hour solo flight to Turin. It is believed that only four of these engines remain in the UK today. (2 RAF Museum, 1 Science Museum & 1 Museums of Scotland.) The significance of DEFENDER II is that she is a rare survivor from 1908 and that she was, at one time, powered by one of the earliest successful British built aero engines. On display NMMC GH Sept 2012