Donald Campbell
Born	Donald Malcolm Campbell 23 March 1921 Horley, Surrey, England
Died	04 January 1967 (aged 45) Coniston Water, Cumbria, England High speed crash
Resting place	Parish Cemetery, Hawkshead Old Road, Coniston
Nationality	British
Occupation	Speed record holder
Spouse	Daphne Harvey (1945-) Dorothy McKegg (1952-) Tonia Bern (1958-1967)
Children	Georgina (Gina) (1946-)
Parents	Malcolm Campbell Dorothy Evelyn Whittall

Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British car and motorboat racer who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 60s. He remains the only person to set both land and water speed records in the same year (1964). Image File history File linksMetadata Donald_Campbell. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... , Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley. ... This article is about the English county. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Coniston Water as seen from Holme Fell, 3 kilometres to the north. ... Cumbria (IPA: ), is a shire county in the extreme North West of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Portrait of Sir Malcolm Campbell (undated), courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection Sir Malcolm Campbell (born March 11, 1885 in Chislehurst, Kent, England - died December 31, 1948 in Reigate, Surrey, England) was a racing motorist and motoring journalist. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... A 1962 Rebel. A wooden speedboat with an outboard engine. ...

Family

Donald Campbell was born in Horley, Surrey, the son of Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 30s in the famous Bluebird cars and boats, and his second wife, Dorothy Evelyn née Whittall.^[1] Following his father's death in 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records on land and water. He married three times: Daphne Harvey (1945-) with daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell born in 1946, Dorothy McKegg (1952-) and Tonia Bern (1958-1967).^[2] , Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley. ... This article is about the English county. ... Portrait of Sir Malcolm Campbell (undated), courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection Sir Malcolm Campbell (born March 11, 1885 in Chislehurst, Kent, England - died December 31, 1948 in Reigate, Surrey, England) was a racing motorist and motoring journalist. ... Ralph DePalma in his Packard 905 Special at Daytona Beach in 1919, courtesy Florida Photographic Collection For the album Land Speed Record by the band Hüsker Dü, see Land Speed Record (album). ... Model of Spirit of Australia in which Ken Warby set the world water speed record in 1978 on Blowering Dam, New South Wales, Australia The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. ...

Water speed records

Campbell began his speed record attempts using his father's old boat Blue Bird K4, but after a structural failure at 170 mph (270 km/h) on Coniston Water, Cumberland in 1951 he developed a new boat. Designed by Ken and Lew Norris, the Bluebird K7 was an all-metal jet-propelled 3-point hydroplane with a Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl jet engine producing 3500 lb (16 kN) of thrust. Coniston Water as seen from Holme Fell, 3 kilometres to the north. ... Cumberland is one of the 39 traditional counties of England. ... Hydroplaning and hydroplane have several meanings: With boats, planing or hydroplaning is a method by which a hull skims over the surface of the water, rather than plowing through it. ... The Metrovick F.2 was one of the earliest jet engines, and the first British design to be based on an axial compressor. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ...

Campbell set seven world water speed records in K7 between 1955 and 1964. The first was at Ullswater on July 23, 1955, where he set a record of 202.15 mph (324 km/h). The series of speed increases - 216 mph (348 km/h) later in 1955, 225 mph (362 km/h) in 1956, 239 mph (385 km/h) in 1957, 248 mph (399 km/h) in 1958, 260 mph (420 km/h) in 1959 - peaked on December 31, 1964 at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia when he reached 276.33 mph (442 km/h); he remains the world's most prolific breaker of water speed records. The middle and lower reaches of Ullswater from Hallin Fell Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately 9 miles (14. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Dumbleyung Lake, also widely known as Lake Dumbleyung, is a salt lake in Western Australia. ... Model of Spirit of Australia in which Ken Warby set the world water speed record in 1978 on Blowering Dam, New South Wales, Australia The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. ...

Land speed record attempt

Bluebird CN7 at Lake Eyre

In 1956, Campbell began planning a car to break the land speed record, which then stood at 394 mph (630 km/h). The Norris brothers designed Bluebird CN7 with 500 mph (800 km/h) in mind. The CN7 was completed by the spring of 1960, and was powered by a Bristol-Siddeley Proteus free-turbine engine of 4,450 shp. Following low-speed tests conducted at the Goodwood circuit in Sussex, England, the CN7 was taken to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, scene of his father's last LSR triumph in 1935. The attempt was unsuccessful and CN7 was written off following a high-speed crash in September at Bonneville. Campbell was not seriously hurt, suffering a fracture to his lower skull, and was by 1961 on the road to recovery and planning the rebuild of CN7. Image File history File linksMetadata Campbell_Bluebird_CN7. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Campbell_Bluebird_CN7. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bristol Proteus engine The Proteus was the Bristol Aeroplane Companys first successful gas-turbine engine design, a turboprop that delivered just over 4,000 hp (3,000 kW). ... Bonneville Salt Flats The Bonneville Salt Flats are a 121 km² (47 mi²) salt flat in northwestern Utah. ...

The rebuilt car was completed, with minor modifications, in 1962 and, by the end of the year, was shipped to Australia for a new attempt at Lake Eyre in 1963. The Lake Eyre location was chosen as it offered 450 square miles (1,170 km²) of dried salt lake, where rain had not fallen in the previous 20 years, and the surface of the 20 miles (32 km) long track was as hard as concrete. As Campbell arrived in late March, with a view to a May attempt, the first light rain fell. Campbell and Bluebird were running by early May but once again more rain fell, and low-speed test runs could not progress into the higher speed ranges. By late May, the rain became torrential, and the lake was flooded. Campbell had to move the CN7 off the lake in the middle of the night to save the car from being submerged by the rising flood waters. The 1963 attempt was over. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Campbell and his team returned to Lake Eyre in 1964, but the surface never returned to the promise it had held in 1962 and Campbell had to battle with CN7 to reach record speeds (400+ mph). After more light rain in June, the lake finally began to dry enough for an attempt to be made. On July 17, 1964, Campbell set a record of 403.10 mph for a four-wheeled vehicle (Class A). Campbell was disappointed with the record as the vehicle had been designed for much higher speeds. CN7 covered the final third of the measured mile at an average of 429 mph, peaking as it left the measured distance at over 440 mph (710 km/h). is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ...

Dual record holder

Campbell now reverted to Bluebird K7 for a further attempt on the water speed record. After more delays, he finally achieved his seventh WSR at Lake Dumbleyung near Perth, Western Australia, on the final day of 1964, at a speed of 276.33 mph.

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 record was short-lived, because rule changes meant that Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America , a pure jet car, would begin setting records later in 1964 and 1965. Campbell's 429 mph speed on his final Lake Eyre run, however remained the highest speed achieved by a wheel-driven car until 2001; Bluebird CN7 is now on display at the National Motor Museum in Hampshire, England, her potential only part realised. Craig Breedlove (born March 23, 1937) was a five-time world land speed record holder. ... Spirit of America is the trademarked name used by Craig Breedlove for his land speed record-setting vehicles. ... The National Motor Museum (originally the Montagu Motor Museum) is a museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, England. ...

Final record attempt

In 1966, Campbell decided to once more try for a water speed record. This time the target was 300 mph (480 km/h). Bluebird K7 was fitted with a lighter and more powerful Bristol Orpheus engine, taken from a Folland Gnat jet aircraft, which developed 4500 lb of thrust. The modified boat was taken back to Coniston in the first week of November 1966. The trials did not go well. The weather was appalling, and K7 suffered an engine failure when her air intakes collapsed and debris was drawn into the engine. Eventually, by the end of November, some high-speed runs were made, but well below Campbell's existing record. Problems with Bluebird's fuel system meant that the engine could not reach full rpm, and so would not develop maximum power. Eventually, by the end of December, the fuel starvation problem was fixed, and Campbell awaited better weather to mount an attempt. The Bristol Orpheus was a single spool turbojet developed by Bristol Aero Engines for various light fighter/trainer applications such as the Gnat and the Fiat G91Y. Later, the Orpheus formed the core of the first Pegasus vectored thrust turbofan. ... The Folland Gnat was an exceptionally small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft originally developed for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force. ...

On 4 January 1967, Campbell was killed when Bluebird K7 flipped and disintegrated at a speed in excess of 300 mph (480 km/h).^[3] Bluebird had completed a perfect north-south run at an average of 297.6 mph, and Campbell used a new water brake to slow K7 from her peak speed of 315 mph (507 km/h). Instead of refueling and waiting for the wash of this run to subside, as had been pre-arranged, Campbell decided to make the return run immediately. The second run was even faster; as K7 passed the start of the measured kilometre, she was travelling at over 320 mph (510 km/h). However her stability had begun to break down as she travelled over the rough water, and the boat started tramping from sponson to sponson. 150 yards from the end of the measured mile, Bluebird lifted from the surface and took off at a 45-degree angle. She somersaulted and plunged back into the lake, nose first. The boat then cartwheeled across the water before coming to rest. The impact broke Bluebird forward of the air intakes (where Donald was sitting) and the main hull sank shortly afterwards. Campbell had been killed instantly. is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Campbell's last words on his final run were, via radio intercom:

The cause of the crash has been variously attributed to Campbell not waiting to refuel after doing a first run of 297.6 mph, and hence the boat being lighter; the wash caused by his first run and made much worse by the use of the water brake; and, possibly, a cut-out of the jet engine caused by fuel starvation. Some evidence for this last possibility may be seen in film recordings of the crash - as the nose of the boat climbs and the jet exhaust points at the water surface no disturbance or spray can be seen at all. Mr. Woppit, Campbell's teddy bear mascot, was found among the floating debris. Royal Navy divers made strenuous efforts to find and recover Campbell's body but, although the wreck of K7 was soon found, they called off the search without locating his body. Peel Island is one of the three islands of Coniston Water in the English Lake District, Cumbria. ...

Recovery of Bluebird

The wreckage of Campbell's craft was recovered on 8 March 2001 when diver Bill Smith was inspired to look for the wreck after hearing the Marillion song "Out of This World" (from the album Afraid of Sunlight), which was written about Campbell and Bluebird. The recovered wreck revealed that Campbell had activated the water brake to try and slow Bluebird down on her final run. The boat still contained fuel in the engine fuel lines, discounting the fuel starvation theory, though the engine could have cut-out as a result of injector blockage. Campbell's body was recovered from the lake on May 28, 2001. He was laid to rest in Coniston cemetery on 12 September 2001 after a funeral service in Coniston village attended by his wife Tonia, daughter Gina, other members of his family, members of his former team, and admirers. is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Marillion is a British Rock group. ... Afraid of Sunlight is Marillions eighth studio album, released in 1995. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Coniston is a village in the region of Furness, the area of Lancashire that moved into the administrative county of Cumbria, in the United Kingdom. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Legacy

The story of Campbell's last attempt at the water speed record on Coniston Water was told in the BBC television drama Across the Lake in 1988, with Anthony Hopkins as Campbell. 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. It featured a mixture of modern reconstruction and original film footage. All of the original colour clips were taken from a film capturing the event, Campbell at Coniston by John Lomax, a local amateur filmmaker from Wallasey, England. Lomax's film won amateur film awards world-wide in the late 1960s for recording the final weeks of Campbell's life. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For the composer, see Antony Hopkins. ...

In the village of Coniston, the Ruskin Museum has a display of Donald Campbell memorabilia, and is home to the actual tail fin of K7, as well as the air intake of the Bristol Orpheus engine recovered in 2001. A project is under way to restore K7, aimed at returning Bluebird to Coniston before permanently housing her at the Ruskin museum.

Between them, Donald Campbell and his father had set eleven speed records on water and ten on land.

References

External links

• Donald Campbell Memorial at Find A Grave
• Across the Lake tribute site
• Yahoo-hosted Campbell and other record breakers site
• Bluebird Project website with information on the recovery of K7 and her restoration
• The Racing Campbells tribute site
• Steve Hogarth's account of the raising of Bluebird
• Campbell at Coniston original colour footage