Iconic Bluebird K7 to be allowed back onto Coniston Water nearly 60 years after infamous fatal crash during world record attempt | Retrui News | Retrui
Iconic Bluebird K7 to be allowed back onto Coniston Water nearly 60 years after infamous fatal crash during world record attempt
SOURCE:Daily Mail
The jet-propelled Bluebird K7 set several water speed records at the hands of pilot Donald Campbell in the 1950s and 1960s - before he died as it flipped over at Coniston during a speed run.
An iconic hydroplane that spent decades languishing at the bottom of Coniston Water after a fatal speed record attempt is set to make one last run after being dredged up and restored to its former glory.
The jet–propelled Bluebird K7 set several water speed records at the hands of pilot Donald Campbell in the 1950s and 1960s, reaching an eye–boggling 276 miles per hour thanks to its sleek, aerodynamic body borne out of British engineering.
But Mr Campbell was killed as he pursued a 300mph record on Coniston Water in the Lake District in January 1967.
Despite warnings from Leo Villa, his mechanic and engineer, that K7 was 11 years old and battle–scarred after claiming seven records, Campbell pressed ahead with pushing Bluebird some 70mph beyond its designed limits.
As he piloted the vehicle at an estimated 320mph, the vehicle was scooped up into the air, performing a backflip and crashing back to the water below, flipping several times before sinking.
He was carrying out the second of two runs needed to secure the record, after coming up short on the first at 297mph. The impact killed him instantly. He was 45.
Bluebird sank to the bottom some 142 feet below the surface. Only a few relics, including Mr Campbell's teddy bear mascot Mr Whoppit, rose to the surface. The hydroplane – and its pilot – were lost.
It was a tragic end to a life defined by thrill–seeking and derring–do: Mr Campbell set water speed world records in various iterations of the Bluebird K7 in 1955, 1956, 1967, 1958 and 1959.
Legendary British hydroplane Bluebird K7 is set to return to Coniston Water for one final run later this year after being fully restored following a fatal crash almost 60 years ago
Daredevil pilot and world record breaker Donald Campbell died in the 1967 crash as he hit an estimated 320mph trying to set a new world record
He became the first – and only – person to set a land and water speed record in the same year, hitting 276mph on Australia's Lake Dumbleyung in December 1964, five months after hitting 403mph on the dry bed of Lake Eyre in the Bluebird CN7 jet car.
The fatal Coniston run had been planned to generate publicity – and funding – for his new rocket car project, Bluebird 1.1, so–called because of the intention to reach 1.1 times the speed of sound.
It would have been his attempt at taking on the Americans, who were running away with world land speed records – but the plan was never to be after that fateful day on Coniston Water.
Makings of a legend: Donald Campbell's speed records
23 July 1955, Ullswater: 202.32mph on water in Bluebird K7
16 November 1955, Lake Mead: 216.20mph on water in Bluebird K7
19 September 1956, Coniston Water: 225.63mph on water in Bluebird K7
7 November 1957, Coniston Water: 239.07mph on water in Bluebird K7
10 November 1958, Coniston Water: 248.62mph on water in Bluebird K7
14 May 1959, Coniston Water: 260.35mph on water in Bluebird K7
17 July 1964, Lake Eyre: 403.10mph on land in Bluebird CN7
31 December 1964, Lake Dumbleyung: 276.33mph on water in Bluebird K7
Bluebird K7 was discovered shortly after the crash - but the recovery proved challenging, and Mr Campbell's family felt it should be left as a memorial.
However, it was eventually recovered 2001, when the majority of the hull was brought back to the surface and restored by a team led by engineer Bill Smith. Mr Campbell's body was also brought up, and finally laid to rest.
Mr Campbell's daughter Gina wished to see the boat displayed at Coniston's Ruskin Museum when it was restored and the family bestowed it to the museum via a trust.
But Bluebird was soon at the centre of a bitter legal battle after Mr Smith sought to claim part–ownership of the craft, intending to take it across the world as a working vessel post–restoration.
Mr Smith had also sought to trademark the Bluebird name – but a 2024 Intellectual Property Office ruling found he had acted in 'bad faith' following an appeal by Mr Campbell's nephew, Donald Wales.
On losing the right to the name, Mr Smith said: 'He won the day. Big deal.'
Bluebird is now on display at the museum at Coniston, Mr Smith having surrendered the boat.
But behind the scenes, work has been taking place to ensure the boat can have one last run on the water that killed its fearless pilot.
A refurbished Bristol–Siddeley Orpheus 101 jet engine – similar to that used in 1967 – was fitted last year, and engineers are working behind the scenes to ensure the craft is ready to finish its final run on Coniston Water.
Engineers from Babcock International are supporting the project, carrying out technical inspections so proceedings go off without a hitch.
Donald Campbell at the helm of Bluebird. He brought the hydroplane back for a final run against his mechanic's advice as he sought sponsors for a new land record car
Campbell hit 297mph on his first run - and may have hit 320mph trying to ensure he reached a 300mph average before disaster struck (pictured on the fateful run)
Bluebird's engine flamed out and the vehicle was scooped into the air after its aerodynamics failed to keep it on the water
The hull - and Campbell's body - were left beneath the surface of Coniston Water for decades until both were recovered in 2001 (pictured: Bill Smith, who led the restoration before controversially seeking to claim part-ownership)
Lake District National Park bosses have given permission has been given for the boat to breach the lake's 10mph speed limit by for the run, which is set to take place in May.
It will be piloted by Dave Warby, son of water speed world–record holder Ken Warby, who hit 317mph on Blowering Dam in Australia in 1978.
Mr Campbell's daughter Gina said of the run: 'My father would be delighted and pleased that the exemption has been approved, and I know that the Ruskin Museum and the people of Coniston will get behind it.'
Significant numbers are expected to turn out for the final run: traffic management plans are already being drawn up to avoid disrupting life for locals.
And there's additional poignancy: the event comes just a few months before the 70th anniversary of Mr Campbell's first water speed world record on Coniston Water, which he set at 225mph in September 1956.
Tracy Hodgson, director of the Coniston museum, says it will be a fitting final tribute to Mr Campbell.
She told The Times: 'People use the word "legend" and he was. He was a pioneer, breaking records that people had never attempted before. We want to promote his legacy and let future generations know about what he did.'
Exactly how Bluebird came to take off during its run and crash into a solid wall of water at 300mph is debated to this day.
Experts have theorised that Bluebird may have been inadequately fuelled: its engine 'flamed out', causing a sudden destabilisation of the bows, but how this came to be is not a foregone conclusion.
Bluebird was meticulously restored by a team led by Smith (right) with the blessing of Campbell's daughter Gina (centre, with mascot Mr Whoppit). It was then refloated with pilot Ted Walsh (left) at the helm
Ted Walsh takes Bluebird up to 150mph on Loch Fad on the Isle of Bute in 2018. Similar speeds are expected when it returns to Coniston in May
Bluebird was returned to Coniston's Ruskin Museum in 2024 after the legal dispute came to an end (pictured: its delivery to the Lake District)
Bluebird will be piloted on Coniston Water by David Warby (left), son of current water speed world record holder Ken Warby (right)
Mr Campbell may have pushed the craft beyond its aerodynamic limits as he sought to surpass his own records. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct posthumously for his 'courage and determination' in seeking a new record.
A newer leading theory, as suggested in 2012 book Donald Campbell, Bluebird and The Final Record Attempt, is that the perfect aerodynamic symmetry of the hydroplane had been damaged after Mr Campbell struck a duck the day before.
Frame–by–frame analysis of footage suggested that the damage caused by the collision may have been enough to upset Bluebird's stability: that, combined with the flame out, could have led to the fatal uplift.
Regardless, Bluebird's legacy as an awe–inspiring craft is assured, and will be capped off with a final run in four months' time.
And even after it returns to the Ruskin Museum to be displayed forever more, it will continue to speak to the Speed Ace's desire to push the limits of the possible – whatever the cost.