Excerpt from The Perilous Pursuit
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Donald Campbell stepped into the void [left by the death of John Cobb in 1952]. He had inherited the guts, obstinacy and determination of his father [Malcolm], who had held the land speed record nine times, the water record four times. The newest Bluebird, pushed by a Metropolitan Vickers Beryl jet, was designed to achieve 250 mph safely. The technical leaders were Ken and Lewis Norris, aeronautical scientist and mechanical engineer, and the Campbell family's long-time mechanic Leo Villa. Bluebird left Slo-mo-shun IV's prop-driven mark far, far behind. In 1955 on England's Ullswater Lake, Campbell turned 202.32 mph, later that year adding 14 mph upon Nevada's Lake Mead. In an impressive series at Lake Coniston, England, he averaged 225.63 in 1956, 239.07 in 1957, 248.62 in 1958 and 260.35 in 1959. A year later he recorded 276.30 at Lake Dumbleyung in Australia. Barnstorming Campbell was putting on the greatest show in the history of water speed record setting.
Campbell returned to familiar Lake Coniston in 1967. After waiting days and days for favorable water conditions, Bluebird made its dash. Campbell was still the fastest man on water, with vast experience. He knew that Lee Taylor, an American, was likely to break his record very soon. Bluebird, with a more powerful Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus replacing the Beryl engine, completed the first pass through the traps. The timekeeper called in: "Plus 47." Using 250 as zero, the code meant 297 mph. Campbell had 300 in his sights and quickly swung around for the return, without refueling, without letting the water settle. Within seconds he reported: "She's doing 260 . . . . 280 . . . 300." But then: "She's tramping. I can't see much . . . she's going." The veteran Bluebird left the water at a steep angle, stood on its tail, somersaulted and dove back to the surface with engine screaming. "A complete accident. No details. Over." Some strange build-up of sonic waves hadn't ended Donald Campbell's life; perhaps impatience had.
(Reprinted from "The Perilous Pursuit" by David Speer, Powerboat Magazine, June 1998)