Maybach VL II

The Maybach VL II was a type of internal combustion engine built by the German company Maybach in the late 1920s and 1930s. It was an uprated development of the successful Maybach VL I, and like the VL I, was a 60° V-12 engine.^[1]

VL II
Type	V-12 liquid-cooled 4-stroke piston engine (Otto)
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Maybach
Major applications	Graf Zeppelin, USS Akron, USS Macon
Number built	at least 24
Developed from	Maybach VL I

History

Five of them powered the German airship Graf Zeppelin, housed in separate nacelles. The engines developed 410 kW (550 hp) and were of 33.251 L (2,029.1 cu in) capacity. They could burn either Blau gas or petrol.^[1][2] The American USS Akron used eight of them, mounted internally,^[3] as did its sister ship Macon.^[4] The engines were reversible, meaning different cams could be engaged allowing the engine crankshaft to run in either direction, enabling reverse thrust.^[5]

Lürssen built the fast yacht Oheka II in 1927; powered by three VL IIs, it was the fastest vessel of its type and became the basis of Germany's E-boats of World War II.^[6]

Applications

• LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
• USS Akron (ZRS-4)
• USS Macon (ZRS-5)
• Oheka II

Specifications

VL II engine on display at the Zeppelin-Museum Meersburg

Data from National Air and Space Museum ^[7]

General characteristics

• Type: V-12 four-stroke liquid-cooled piston engine
• Bore: 140 mm (5.5 in)
• Stroke: 180 mm (7.1 in)
• Displacement: 33,300 cm³ (2,030 cu in)
• Length: 195.6 cm (77.0 in)
• Width: 91.4 cm (36.0 in)
• Height: 96.5 cm (38.0 in)
• Dry weight: 809.2 kg (1,784 lb)

Components

• Cooling system: Liquid-cooled

Performance

• Power output: 430 kW (570 hp) at 1,600 rpm

See also

Related development

• Maybach VL I

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines