Donald Campbell

Campbell began speed record attempts using his fathers old boat Bluebird K4, but after a 250 km/hr crash destroyed the K4 in 1951 he developed a new boat. The Bluebird II K7 was a jet-propelled hydroplane type with a Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl jet engine producing 4000 lb. of thrust. Campbell set seven world water-speed records between 1955 and 1964. The first was at Lake Ullswater on July 23, 1955 where he set a record of 325 km/hr. The series of increases peaked in December 31 1964 at Dumbleyung Lake[?] in Australia when he reached 444.6 km/hr.

On land, following a heavy crash at Bonneville with the Bluebird CN7 car in 1960, on July 17, 1964 at Lake Eyre Salt Flats[?], Australia he set a record of 649 km/hr for jet propelled four-wheeled vehicles (Class A). He became the first person to set both water and land records in the same year. But his land record was short-lived, rule changes meant that Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America soon set new records.

Three years later on January 4, 1967 the re-engined Bluebird K7 flipped and disintegrated at around 450 km/hr on Coniston Water in England killing Campbell. His body was not recovered until May 28, 2001.

Donald and his father had set eleven speed records on water and ten on land between them.

See also :

• Land Speed Record

• http://website.lineone.net/~donaldcampbell/