Looking Back - Donald Campbell

On this day in 1967, on Coniston Water, Donald Campbell attempted to break his own world water speed record in his jet-powered boat Bluebird K7. Having completed the first of two legs, reaching speeds of 297 mph, he set out on his second leg needing to reach 308 mph to beat the record. He was just 200 yds from the end of that fateful second leg when disaster struck. At that point Bluebird sensationally somersaulted in the air plunged back into the water and sank. Campbell had been just seconds away from setting a new world record. It was to be 34 years before Campbell's body was to be recovered in 2001. Donald Campbell is buried near Coniston Water. The present world record is held by Australian Ken Warby when he attained a speed of 317.6 mph in 1978.