Continental Defence Corvette

[Kirkhill]

A lot of this comes down to the control of the dissemination of information. In my view this is an outmoded idea. It is one that the commercial world confronted decades ago. They gave up on protecting secrets.

Patent laws were supposed to protect trade secrets.

Two problems:

To protect the secret you had to publish the secret you were trying to protect

The Chinese treated patent law as a capitalist plot to keep them down and cheerfully disregarded international patent law.

Result?

Plan B

Run faster than everybody else

End result

Successful companies adopted the fail fast and often strategy and exploited their short term leads as they could for as long as they could until they couldn't and relied on finding new opportunities to exploit.

...

The least convincing arguments are the ones that start with "You can't".

The world is filled with people figuring out "How?"

The even less convincing argument is "It is illegal".

The whole point of international conflict is determination of who gets to decide what is illegal.

...

The only laws that can't be ignored are the laws of physics. And even those are up for debate.

Bumblebees can fly despite some earlier interpretations of the laws of physics.

....

There comes a time when sunk capital is just sunk.

 

[Kirkhill]

Further to the "run faster" notion:

During World War II, approximately 50 to over 50 different development types/marks of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine were produced, ranging from the early Merlin I to the late-war 100-series, plus the US-produced Packard V-1650 variants.

There are 24 main marks (Mk I to Mk 24) of the Supermarine Spitfire, representing its development from 1937 to 1947. These primary marks were further divided into numerous sub-variants (e.g., Mk Vb, F Mk 24), primarily utilizing Rolls-Royce Merlin or Griffon engines, with modifications for roles like high-altitude fighting and photo-reconnaissance.

The Avro Lancaster had over 20 distinct variants and sub-variants, though the main production types were the B.I, B.II, B.III, and Canadian-built B.X. Key variants included those modified for specialized heavy bombs ("Specials"), photo-reconnaissance, air-sea rescue, and postwar roles.

The de Havilland Mosquito had over 35 to 40 distinct variants (or "marks") produced during World War II. Developed for versatility, the "Wooden Wonder" existed in several main roles, including bombers (B), photo-reconnaissance (PR), fighter-bombers (FB), night fighters (NF), and trainers (T), with over 7,780 total aircraft built.

Over 15,000 P-51 Mustangs were produced in over 20 major variants. The most produced and iconic version was the P-51D (over 8,000 built), while key variants included the Allison-powered P-51A, Merlin-powered P-51B/C, the P-51K (Dallas-built P-51D), and the high-speed P-51H. The A-36 Apache dive-bomber was also a notable early variant.

The Rolls-Royce Merlin and its de-rated tank variant, the Rolls-Royce Meteor, powered at least 38 distinct aircraft types, numerous types of combat vehicles, and specialized marine vessels through over 50 variants. Over 150,000 Merlin engines were produced (including licensed Packard V-1650s), alongside several thousand Meteors, representing a massive scale of application during and immediately after World War II.
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Aircraft Powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin (and Variants)

• Fighters/Interceptors: Supermarine Spitfire (various Marks), Hawker Hurricane, Boulton Paul Defiant, Fairey Fulmar, Fairey Firefly, de Havilland Mosquito (night fighter), de Havilland Hornet/Sea Hornet, North American P-51 Mustang (Packard V-1650), P-82 Twin Mustang, Bell XP-63 Kingcobra, Curtiss P-40F/L Kittyhawk, Westland Welkin.
• Bombers: Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Vickers Wellington, Fairey Battle, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.
• Reconnaissance/Transport/Trainer: Avro York, Avro Tudor, Canadair North Star, de Havilland Mosquito (recon/bomber), Supermarine Seafire, Boulton Paul Balliol, Avro Athena.
  Wikipedia +5

Tanks and Armoured Vehicles Powered by Rolls-Royce Meteor
The Meteor was a non-supercharged, de-rated version of the Merlin designed for heavy armor.

• Cruiser Tanks: Cromwell, Challenger, Comet, Centurion (early models).
• Self-Propelled Artillery/Other: Avenger (SPG), Charioteer (tank destroyer), Tortoise (heavy assault tank), Caernarvon.
• Armoured Recovery/Support: Centurion-based vehicles.
• Experimental/Test: Sherman Firefly (experimental conversions), Various "A" series experimental tanks.
• Tank Transporters: Thornycroft Antar (used the Meteorite, a V8 version of the Meteor).
  Wikipedia +2

Boats Powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin

• High-Speed Marine Craft: While primarily used in the air and on land, reconditioned Merlin engines were used in specialized high-speed boats, such as the 1100bhp Aeroboat.
• Note on PT Boats: Some sources suggest licensed Packards were used, but these were typically distinct Packard boat engines or diesel engines, not the aircraft-specific Merlin/V-1650

....

The Ukrainians and Russians are running still faster today.

It is only in peace time that we have the luxury of ossification.

 

[Furniture]

It is only in peace time that we have the luxury of ossification.

I suspect it's more accurate to say that it's only in a war for survival that can you afford to move at that pace.

 

[Kirkhill]

I suspect it's more accurate to say that it's only in a war for survival that can you afford to move at that pace.

But if we aren't preparing for national survival then why are we bothering at all?

Why do your frigates have those silly gas guzzling turbines and ridiculously expensive combining gears? Surely you can make like the Absalons and jog along on a pair of diesels? Who really needs to exceed 35 knots when 25 will do?

We used to believe that an invasion by America was possible.
And then we didn't.
And now we do, apparently.

We used to believe that we could be irradiated and had to build bombshelters, sirens and civil defence organizations.
And then we didn't.
And now we do, apparently (kind of).

The possibility of either event has not changed, only our belief in the necessity of preparing for it.

Any national defence plan must include a sprint plan for war time.

And disabuse itself of the permanence of peace and the utility of last war's solutions.

 

[Kirkhill]

how many private bomb shelters were built in canada during the cold war


While the Canadian government encouraged private citizens to build fallout shelters, very few private, purpose-built underground bomb shelters were constructed during the Cold War. The high costs and the government's focus on public fallout shelters (like the Diefenbunkers) led to minimal private construction, despite the perceived threat.
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Key Findings on Cold War Shelters in Canada:

• Low Private Adoption: Despite public campaigns in the 1950s/60s, few families invested in dedicated, reinforced underground shelters. Most opted for, or were advised to create, simple improvised basement shelters.
• Government Shelters: Instead of providing private shelters, the government prioritized building roughly 1,500–2,000 secret fallout reporting posts and regional bunkers (like the Diefenbunker in Carp, ON) for officials between 1959 and the mid-1960s.
• Public Protection: By 1987, the government had surveyed over 70,000 existing buildings to serve as public shelters, identifying 24 million, often improvised, spaces in existing structures rather than purpose-built private homes.

 

[KevinB]

But if we aren't preparing for national survival then why are we bothering at all?

Why do your frigates have those silly gas guzzling turbines and ridiculously expensive combining gears? Surely you can make like the Absalons and jog along on a pair of diesels? Who really needs to exceed 35 knots when 25 will do?

Because 25 won't do for a lot of tasks.
Also speed is life -- commercial requirements are generally to maximize profits -- not maximize survivability in war.

We used to believe that an invasion by America was possible.
And then we didn't.
And now we do, apparently.

We used to believe that we could be irradiated and had to build bombshelters, sirens and civil defence organizations.
And then we didn't.
And now we do, apparently (kind of).

The possibility of either event has not changed, only our belief in the necessity of preparing for it.

Any national defence plan must include a sprint plan for war time.

And disabuse itself of the permanence of peace and the utility of last war's solutions.

 

[Kirkhill]

Because 25 won't do for a lot of tasks.
Also speed is life -- commercial requirements are generally to maximize profits -- not maximize survivability in war.

Understood and agreed.

Hence the rest of my post.