He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England. == Family and personal life == Donald Campbell was born at Canbury House, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, the son of Malcolm, later Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 1930s in the Bluebird cars and boats, and his second wife, Dorothy Evelyn née Whittall. Campbell attended St Peter's School, Seaford and Uppingham School.
Donald Malcolm Campbell, (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s.
He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England. == Family and personal life == Donald Campbell was born at Canbury House, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, the son of Malcolm, later Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 1930s in the Bluebird cars and boats, and his second wife, Dorothy Evelyn née Whittall. Campbell attended St Peter's School, Seaford and Uppingham School.
Bluebird CN7 was designed to achieve 475–500 mph and was completed by the spring of 1960. Following low-speed tests conducted at the Goodwood motor racing circuit in Sussex, in July, the CN7 was taken to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States, scene of his father's last land speed record triumph, some 25 years earlier in September 1935.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
The following year, the serious planning was under way — to build a car to break the land speed record, which then stood at set by John Cobb in 1947.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
He was generally light-hearted and was generally, at least until his 1960 crash at the Bonneville Salt Flats, optimistic in his outlook. == Water speed records == Campbell began his speed record attempts in the summer of 1949, using his father's old boat, Blue Bird K4, which he renamed Bluebird K4.
Donald Malcolm Campbell, (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s.
The team returned to Coniston Water, Lancashire in 1950 for further trials.
While there, they heard that an American, Stanley Sayres, had raised the record from , beyond K4's capabilities without substantial modification. Over the winter of 1950 to 1951, Bluebird K4 was modified to make it a "prop-rider" as opposed to her original immersed propeller configuration.
Subsequently, four new marks were registered on Coniston Water, where Campbell and Bluebird became an annual fixture in the latter half of the 1950s, enjoying significant sponsorship from the Mobil oil company and then subsequently BP. Campbell also made an attempt in the summer of 1957 at Canandaigua, New York, which failed due to lack of suitable calm water conditions.
While there, they heard that an American, Stanley Sayres, had raised the record from , beyond K4's capabilities without substantial modification. Over the winter of 1950 to 1951, Bluebird K4 was modified to make it a "prop-rider" as opposed to her original immersed propeller configuration.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
He had commissioned the world's first purpose-built turbojet Hydroplane, Crusader, with a target speed of over , and began trials on Loch Ness in autumn 1952.
Bluebird K7 was the seventh boat registered at Lloyds in the "Unlimited" series. Campbell set seven world water speed records in K7 between July 1955 and December 1964.
The first of these marks was set at Ullswater on 23 July 1955, where he achieved a speed of but only after many months of trials and a major redesign of Bluebird's forward sponson attachments points.
Campbell achieved a steady series of subsequent speed-record increases with the boat during the rest of the decade, beginning with a mark of in 1955 on Lake Mead in Nevada.
Subsequently, four new marks were registered on Coniston Water, where Campbell and Bluebird became an annual fixture in the latter half of the 1950s, enjoying significant sponsorship from the Mobil oil company and then subsequently BP. Campbell also made an attempt in the summer of 1957 at Canandaigua, New York, which failed due to lack of suitable calm water conditions.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
In 1958, a small wedge shaped tail fin, housing an arrester parachute, modified sponson fairings, that gave a significant reduction in forward aerodynamic lift, and a fixed hydrodynamic stabilising fin, attached to the transom to aid directional stability, and exert a marginal down-force on the nose were incorporated into the design to increase the safe operating envelope of the hydroplane.
Donald Malcolm Campbell, (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s.
He was generally light-hearted and was generally, at least until his 1960 crash at the Bonneville Salt Flats, optimistic in his outlook. == Water speed records == Campbell began his speed record attempts in the summer of 1949, using his father's old boat, Blue Bird K4, which he renamed Bluebird K4.
It had a design speed of and remained the only successful jet-boat in the world until the late 1960s. The designation "K7" was derived from its Lloyd's unlimited rating registration.
Bluebird CN7 was designed to achieve 475–500 mph and was completed by the spring of 1960. Following low-speed tests conducted at the Goodwood motor racing circuit in Sussex, in July, the CN7 was taken to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States, scene of his father's last land speed record triumph, some 25 years earlier in September 1935.
His original plan had been to break the land speed record at over 400 mph in 1960, return to Bonneville the following year to really bump up the speed to something near to 500 mph, get his seventh water speed record with K7 and then retire, as undisputed champion of speed and perhaps just as important, secure in the knowledge that he was worthy of his father's legacy. Campbell decided not to go back to Utah for the new trials.
By the summer of 1962, Bluebird CN7 was rebuilt, some nine months later than Campbell had hoped.
At the end of 1962, CN7 was shipped out to Australia ready for the new attempt.
Although the "car" did not conform to FIA (Federation Internationale de L'Automobile) regulations, that stipulated it had to be wheel-driven and have a minimum of four wheels, in the eyes of the world, Breedlove was now the fastest man on Earth. Campbell returned to Australia in March 1964, but the Lake Eyre course failed to fulfil the early promise it had shown in 1962 and there were further spells of rain.
The course was compromised and further rain meant, that by May 1963, Lake Eyre was flooded to a depth of 3 inches, causing the attempt to be abandoned.
Campbell was heavily criticised in the press for alleged time wasting and mismanagement of the project, despite the fact that he could hardly be held responsible for the unprecedented weather. To make matters worse for Campbell, American Craig Breedlove drove his pure thrust jet car "Spirit of America" to a speed of at Bonneville in July 1963.
Bluebird K7 was the seventh boat registered at Lloyds in the "Unlimited" series. Campbell set seven world water speed records in K7 between July 1955 and December 1964.
Although the "car" did not conform to FIA (Federation Internationale de L'Automobile) regulations, that stipulated it had to be wheel-driven and have a minimum of four wheels, in the eyes of the world, Breedlove was now the fastest man on Earth. Campbell returned to Australia in March 1964, but the Lake Eyre course failed to fulfil the early promise it had shown in 1962 and there were further spells of rain.
Finally, in July 1964, he was able to post some speeds that approached the record.
After more delays, he finally achieved his seventh water speed record at Lake Dumbleyung near Perth, Western Australia, on the last day of 1964, at a speed of .
He had become the first, and so far only, person to set both land and water speed records in the same year. Campbell's land speed record was short-lived, because FIA rule changes meant that pure jet cars would be eligible to set records from October 1964.
Campbell's speed on his final Lake Eyre run remained the highest speed achieved by a wheel-driven car until 2001; Bluebird CN7 is now on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, England, its potential only partly realised. ==Rocket car plans and final water speed record attempt== ===Bluebird Mach 1.1=== Campbell decided a massive jump in speed was called for following his successful 1964 land speed record attempt in Bluebird CN7.
Campbell chose a lucky date to hold a press conference at the Charing Cross Hotel on 7 July 1965 to announce his future record breaking plans: Bluebird Mach 1.1 was to be rocket-powered.
In Bluebird Mach 1.1 application, the combined thrust would be equivalent of 36,000 bhp (27,000 kW; 36,000 PS) at . ===Final record attempt=== To increase publicity for his rocket car venture, in the spring of 1966, Campbell decided to try once more for a water speed record.
The modified boat was taken back to Coniston in the first week of November 1966.
Donald Malcolm Campbell, (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s.
Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land. He married three times — to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1946; to Dorothy McKegg (1928–2008) in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967.
Eventually, by the end of December, after further modifications to her fuel system, and the replacement of a fuel pump, the fuel starvation problem was fixed, and Campbell awaited better weather to mount an attempt. ===Death=== On 4 January 1967, weather conditions were finally suitable for an attempt.
In agreement with the Trust and the museum Bill Smith is to organise the restoration of the boat, which is now under way.[9] Now the property of the Ruskin Museum the intention is to rebuild K7 back to running order circa 4 January 1967.
Campbell's 403.1 mph represented the official land speed record. In 1969, after Campbell's fatal accident, his widow, Tonia Bern-Campbell negotiated a deal with Lynn Garrison, president of Craig Breedlove and Associates, that would see Craig Breedlove run Bluebird on Bonneville's Salt Flats.
Steve Hogarth, lead singer for Marillion, was present at the funeral and performed the song "Out of this World" solo. ==Legacy== Between them, Donald Campbell and his father had set eleven speed records on water and ten on land. The story of Campbell's last attempt at the water speed record on Coniston Water was told in the BBC television film Across the Lake in 1988, with Anthony Hopkins as Campbell.
Campbell's speed on his final Lake Eyre run remained the highest speed achieved by a wheel-driven car until 2001; Bluebird CN7 is now on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, England, its potential only partly realised. ==Rocket car plans and final water speed record attempt== ===Bluebird Mach 1.1=== Campbell decided a massive jump in speed was called for following his successful 1964 land speed record attempt in Bluebird CN7.
Campbell's body was finally located in 2001. Campbell's last words, during a 31-second transmission, on his final run were, via radio intercom: The cause of the crash has been variously attributed to several possible causes (or a combination of these causes): Campbell did not wait to refuel after doing a first run of and hence the boat was lighter and travelled through the wash caused by his first run, a wash made much worse by the use of the water brake.
The largest section comprising approximately two-thirds of the centre hull was raised on 8 March 2001.
Further dives recovered various parts of K7, which had separated from the main hull when it broke up on impact. Part of Campbell's body was finally located just over two months later and recovered from the lake on 28 May 2001, still wearing his blue nylon overalls.
When his remains were found, his torso and skull were not present and are still missing. Campbell was buried in Coniston Cemetery on 12 September 2001 after his coffin was carried down the lake, and through the measured kilometre, on a launch, one last time.
When Campbell was buried in Coniston Cemetery on 12 September 2001 she did not attend the service.
In 2003, the BBC showed a documentary reconstruction of Campbell's fateful water-speed record attempt in an episode of Days That Shook the World.
Campbell’s daughter, Gina, laid flowers on the surface of the lake as the jets flew overhead. ==Restoration== On Thursday 7 December 2006 Gina Campbell, Donald's daughter, formally gifted the recovered wreckage of Bluebird K7 to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston on behalf of the Campbell Family Heritage Trust.
As of 2008, K7 is being fully restored by The Bluebird Project, to a very high standard of working condition in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, using a significant proportion of her original fabric, but with a replacement BS Orpheus engine of the same type albeit incorporating many original components." As of May 2009 permission has been given for a one-off set of proving trials of Bluebird on Coniston Water, where she will be tested to a safe speed for demonstration purposes only.
As of 2008, K7 is being fully restored by The Bluebird Project, to a very high standard of working condition in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, using a significant proportion of her original fabric, but with a replacement BS Orpheus engine of the same type albeit incorporating many original components." As of May 2009 permission has been given for a one-off set of proving trials of Bluebird on Coniston Water, where she will be tested to a safe speed for demonstration purposes only.
When not running, K7 will be housed in her own purpose built wing at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, while remaining in the care of The Bluebird Project. On 20 March 2018 the restoration was featured on the BBC's The One Show, where it was announced that Bluebird K7 would return to the water on Loch Fad, on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, in August 2018 for handling trials. Refloating and initial trials In August 2018, initial restoration work on Bluebird was completed.
She was transported to Loch Fad where she was refloated on 4 August 2018.
Campbell's helmet from the ill-fated run is also on display. On 23 March 2021, organised by The Ruskin Museum, two Hawk jets of the Royal Air Force staged a fly past over the Lake District to mark the 100th anniversary of Campbell's birth.
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