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((Redirect|Coniston Bluebird|the racehorse|Coniston Bluebird (horse)))
((italic title))
((Use dmy dates|date=February 2014))
((Use British English|date=February 2014))

{|((Infobox aircraft begin
  |name= ''Bluebird K7''

))((Infobox aircraft type
  |type= [[Water Speed Record]]|[[Hydroplane]] high-speed [[Turbojet-powered Hydroplane|Turbojet-powered]] [[water speed record]] Hydroplane
  |manufacturer=[[Lancashire Aircraft Corporation#Samlesbury Engineering Ltd|Samlesbury Engineering]] (hull)<br>[[Metropolitan-Vickers]] (engine)
  |designer=Norris Brothers
  |introduction = January 1955
  |first Record =23 July 1955
  |retired = January 1967
  |primary user=[[Donald Campbell]]
  |produced=
  |number built=1
  |unit cost= £25,000 (1955 value)
))
|}
[[File:Bluebird K7 in 1960 at Goodwood.jpg|thumb|right|''Bluebird K7'', in its most successful guise, on display at the Goodwood Motor Racing circuit in July 1960.]]
'''''Bluebird K7''''' is a [[jet engine]]d [[Hydroplane (boat)|hydroplane]] in which Britain's [[Donald Campbell]] set seven world [[water speed record]]s between 1955 and 1967. ''K7'' was the first successful jet-powered hydroplane, and was considered revolutionary when launched in January 1955. Campbell and ''K7'' were responsible for adding almost ((convert|100|mph)) to the [[water speed record]], taking it from existing mark of ((convert|178|mph)) to just over ((convert|276|mph)). Donald Campbell was killed in an accident with a much modified ''K7'', on 4 January 1967, whilst making a bid for his eighth [[water speed record]], with his aim to raise the record to over ((convert|300|mph)) on [[Coniston Water]].

==Clarification==
This article covers the history of the hydroplane Bluebird K7, the making and subsequent design development of the craft from its inception in 1955, its record-breaking period between 1955 and 1964, the ill-fated attempt by Donald Campbell to take the World Speed Record above the 300 mph mark on Coniston Water in 1967, and later, the 2018 speed trials of the recovered and rebuilt craft in Scotland.

Information relating to the [[Ruskin Museum]]'s successful campaign to bring Bluebird back to Coniston, "its spiritual home<ref>((cite web |title=Coniston Bluebird returns to 'spiritual home' at museum after 18 years |url=https://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/24109052.coniston-bluebird-returns-spiritual-home-museum-18-years/ |website=Whitehaven News |access-date=17 April 2024))</ref>" can be found on the museum pages.

==Design and Engineering==
Donald Campbell began his record-breaking career in 1949 following the death of his father, Sir [[Malcolm Campbell]]. Initially, he had been using his father's 1939-built [[Rolls-Royce R|Rolls-Royce 'R']] type powered propeller-driven [[Hydroplane (boat)|hydroplane]] ''[[Blue Bird K4]]'' for his attempts, but he met with little success and suffered a number of frustrating setbacks. In 1951, ''K4'', which had been modified to a prop-rider configuration to increase its performance potential, was destroyed after suffering a structural failure, when its V-drive gearbox sheared its mountings which were punched through the floor of the hull.

Following rival record breaker [[John Cobb (motorist)|John Cobb]]'s death in his jet boat [[Crusader (speedboat)|''Crusader'']], which broke up at over ((convert|200|mph)) during a record attempt in September 1952, Campbell began development of his own advanced all-metal jet-powered ''Bluebird K7'' hydroplane to challenge the record, by then held by the American prop rider hydroplane ''Slo-Mo-Shun IV''.<ref name="Tremayne, Behind The Mask" >((cite book
  |title=Donald Campbell: The Man Behind the Mask 
  |last=Tremayne  |first=David
  |isbn=0-553-81511-3
  |publisher=Bantam Books
  |year=2005
))</ref> 

Designed by Norris Brothers, Ken and Lew,<ref>((cite web|title=Men who made the Bluebird |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6783252.men-who-made-the-bluebird/ |website=The Argus |access-date=1 April 2024))</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Obituaries 26 March 2009 |title=Lew Norris Engineer and designer who helped... |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lew-norris-engineer-and-designer-who-helped-donald-campbell-to-set-eight-world-speed-records-1654175.html |website=The Independent |access-date=1 April 2024))</ref> the ''K7'' was a steel-framed, aluminium-bodied, three-point hydroplane, built at Samlesbury by [[Lancashire Aircraft Corporation|Samlesbury Engineering]], powered by a [[Metrovick F.2|Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl]] axial-flow [[turbojet]] engine, producing 3500 [[pound-force]] (16&nbsp;kN) of thrust. Like ''Slo-Mo-Shun'', but unlike Cobb's tricycle ''Crusader'', the three planing points were arranged with two forward and one aft, in a "pickle-fork" layout, prompting ''Bluebird'''s early comparison to a blue [[lobster]].[[File:Bluebird K7 Tech Info.jpg |thumb|General Arrangement of Bluebird K7]][[File:Hydrodynamic versus Aerodynamic Stability of Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 Graphic.jpg|thumb|Design parameters of Bluebird K7 Hydroplane]] ''K7'' was of very advanced design and construction, and its load-bearing steel space frame ultra rigid. It had a design speed of ((convert|250|mph)) and remained the only successful jet-boat in the world until the late 1960s.

The designation "K7" was derived from its [[Royal Yachting Association unlimited rating#K7|RYA unlimited rating]] registration. It was carried on a prominent white roundel on its [[sponson]]s, underneath an [[infinity]] symbol. ''Bluebird K7'' was the seventh boat registered with the RYA in the 'Unlimited' hydroplane series.[[File:K7 Registration.jpg|thumb|''K7'''s RYA Unlimited Hydroplane registration]]

== ''Bluebird K7'' records ==

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 202.15&nbsp;mph (324&nbsp;km/h) 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 ((convert|216|mph|abbr=on)) 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 later half of the fifties, enjoying significant sponsorship from the [[Mobil]] oil company and then [[BP]]. Campbell made an unsuccessful attempt in 1957 at [[Canandaigua]] in New York state in the summer of 1957, which failed due to lack of suitable calm water conditions. ''Bluebird K7'' became a well known attraction, and as well as her annual Coniston appearances, ''K7'' was displayed extensively in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe, and then subsequently in Australia during Campbell's prolonged attempt on the [[land speed record]] in 1963–64.

In order to extract more speed, and endow the boat with greater high speed stability, in both [[pitch axis (kinematics)|pitch]] and [[yaw axis|yaw]], ''K7'' was subtly modified in the second half of the 1950s to incorporate more effective streamlining with a blown Perspex cockpit canopy and fluting to the lower part of the main hull. 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 (nautical)|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. Thus she reached ((convert|225|mph|abbr=on)) in 1956, where an unprecedented peak speed of ((convert|286.78|mph|abbr=on)) was achieved on the first run, ((convert|239|mph|abbr=on)) in 1957, ((convert|248|mph|abbr=on)) in 1958 and ((convert|260|mph|abbr=on)) in 1959.

Campbell then turned his attention to the [[Land Speed Record]], with the aim of establishing a [[land speed record]] of ((convert|450|mph|abbr=on)) plus. He also planned to set a seventh [[water speed record]] in the same year, and so become the first person to establish the [[land speed record]] and [[water speed record]] in the same year.  He set out for the [[Bonneville Salt Flats]] in August 1960 and was lucky to survive a ((convert|360|mph|abbr=on)) crash in his Norris Brothers designed ''[[Bluebird CN7]]'' turbine powered car later that September. ''Bluebird CN7'' was rebuilt in 1961–62 and Campbell subsequently spent a frustrating two years in the Australian desert, battling adverse track conditions. Finally, after Campbell exceeded the [[land speed record]] on [[Lake Eyre]] on 17 July 1964, at ((convert|403.10|mph|abbr=on)) in ''Bluebird CN7'', he snared his seventh water speed record on 31 December 1964 at [[Dumbleyung Lake]], [[Western Australia]], when he reached ((convert|276.33|mph|abbr=on)), with two runs at ((convert|283.3|mph|abbr=on)) and ((convert|269.3|mph|abbr=on)) completed with only hours to spare on New Year's Eve 1964.

This latest success made Campbell and ''K7'' the world's most prolific holders of the [[water speed record]], and in addition Campbell realised his 'double' when he became the first, and so far only, person to break both the [[land speed record]] and the [[water speed record]] in the same year.  Following on from this success, Campbell stated that ''K7'' would be most likely retired and become a museum exhibit. Her hull was ten years old, her engine fourteen, and her design speed of ((convert|250|mph|abbr=on))had been exceeded by over ((convert|30|mph|abbr=on)) on a number of occasions.

===Donald Campbell's water speed records===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Speed !! Craft !! Location !! Date
|-
|| ((convert|202.32|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  [[Ullswater]] || 23 July 1955
|-
|| ((convert|216.20|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  [[Lake Mead]] || 16 November 1955
|-
|| ((convert|225.63|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  [[Coniston Water]] || 19 September 1956
|-
|| ((convert|239.07|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  Coniston Water|| 7 November 1957
|-
|| ((convert|248.62|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  Coniston Water|| 10 November 1958
|-
|| ((convert|260.35|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  Coniston Water|| 14 May 1959
|-
|| ((convert|276.33|mph|kph|abbr=on)) || ''Bluebird K7'' ||  [[Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia|Lake Dumbleyung]] || 31 December 1964
|}

Donald Campbell had two Metrovick Beryl engines that were interchangeable during K7’s life. These were used in achieving all of his seven K7 records. The Beryl engine was used from 1955 until 1966.<ref>((cite book |last1=Sheppard |first1=Neil |title=Donald Campbell, Bluebird And The Final Record Attempt |date=2011 |publisher=The History Press Ltd |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752459738 |pages=32-39))</ref>

==Final record attempt and death of Donald Campbell==
In June 1966, Campbell decided to once more try for a water speed record with K7: his target, 300&nbsp;mph (480&nbsp;km/h).

To add more power, Campbell received a 4,500 pound-force (20&nbsp;kN) [[Bristol Siddeley Orpheus]] engine on loan from the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]. This was both lighter and more powerful than the original engine. Campbell also purchased a crash-damaged [[Folland Gnat]], which used the Orpheus engine, as a source of spare parts. The [[vertical stabiliser]] from the Gnat was also used on the rebuilt K7, and a new hydraulic water brake designed to slow the boat down on the five-mile Coniston course.

The boat returned to Coniston for trials in November 1966. These did not go well; the weather was appalling and K7 destroyed her engine when the air intakes collapsed under the demands of the more powerful engine, and debris was drawn into the compressor blades. The engine was replaced, using the engine from the Gnat aircraft that he had purchased at the project's start.<ref name="Knowles 2001" >((cite book
  |title=The Bluebird Years
  |last=Knowles |first=Arthur
  |publisher=Sigma Leisure
  |year=2001
  |isbn=978-1-85058-766-8
))</ref> The original Orpheus remained outside the team's lakeside workshop for the rest of the project, shrouded in a tarpaulin.

By the end of November, after further modifications to alter K7's weight distribution, some high-speed runs were made, but these were timed at well below the existing record. Problems with the fuel system meant that the engine could not develop maximum power. By the middle of December, Campbell had made a number of timed attempts, but the highest speed achieved was 264&nbsp;mph, and therefore still shy of the existing record. Eventually, further modifications to K7's fuel system (involving the fitting of a booster pump) fixed the fuel-starvation problem. It was now the end of December and Campbell was all set to proceed, pending only the arrival of suitable weather conditions.

===Final runs===

On 4 January 1967, Campbell mounted his record attempt. Bluebird had completed an initial north–south run at an average of ((convert|297.6|mph|abbr=on)), and Campbell used the new water brake to slow ''K7'' from a peak speed of ((convert|311|mph|abbr=on)) when he left the measured kilometre. Instead of coming to a stop and opting to refuel, he decided to perform a quick turnaround and immediatley head back up the course before the wash of his first run had time to be reflected back towards the centre of the lake. Both options had been discussed in the pre attempt briefing.

The second run was even faster; as ''K7'' passed the start of the measured kilometre, she was travelling at over ((convert|320|mph|-1|abbr=on)). However her stability had begun to break down as she travelled at a speed she had never achieved before, and the front of the boat started to bounce out of the water on the starboard side. ((convert|150|yd|m|round=5|abbr=off)) from the end of the measured kilometre, ''K7'' lifted from the surface and after about 1.5&nbsp;seconds, gradually lifted from the water at an ever-increasing angle, then took off at a 90-degree angle to the water surface. She somersaulted and plunged back into the lake, nose first, then cartwheeled across the water before coming to rest. The impact broke ''K7'' forward of the air intakes (where Campbell was sitting) and the main hull sank shortly afterwards.

Campbell had been killed instantly.<ref>GRO Register of Deaths: MAR 1967 10F 692 ULVERSTON - Donald M. Campbell, aged 45</ref> [[Mr Whoppit]], his teddy bear mascot, was found among the floating debris and his helmet was recovered. [[Royal Navy]] divers were able to locate the wreck of ''K7'', but called off the search for Campbell's body after two weeks.<ref name=Hopkins>''Across the Lake'', BBC documentary.</ref>

Campbell's last words, recorded from the radio intercom, were:
((blockquote|Pitching a bit down here&nbsp;... Probably from my own wash&nbsp;... Straightening up now on track&nbsp;... Rather closer to [[Peel Island, Cumbria|Peel Island]]&nbsp;... Tramping like mad&nbsp;... and er&nbsp;... Full power&nbsp;... Tramping like hell here&nbsp;... I can't see much&nbsp;... and the water's very bad indeed&nbsp;... I can't get over the top/I'm galloping over the top<ref>BBC: The latter interpretation of the recording better fits the events at the time; the boat was accelerating rapidly on smooth water</ref>&nbsp;... I'm getting a lot of bloody row in here&nbsp;... I can't see anything&nbsp;... I've got the bows out&nbsp;... I'm going!&nbsp;....ugh"<ref>((cite web |work=BBC News |title=Last words from Bluebird |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2560957.stm |date=10 December 2002 |access-date=31 December 2009))</ref>))

===Accident analysis===

There are varying theories about the cause of the crash. Not waiting to refuel meant the boat was lighter. The wash from the first run would have been made worse by use of the water brake; however, the wash had not had time to reflect back to the centre of the course, and Campbell had used the water brake well to the south. The still photographs taken of the latter part of the final run clearly show that the water brake was not deployed then, and also that when ''K7'' became airborne, the jet engine was no longer functioning; the exhaust would have very noticeably disturbed the water. The engine had therefore [[Flameout|flamed out]]. It is impossible to be certain why; fuel starvation, damage to a structural element during the bouncing, disturbance of the airstream into the intakes during pitching, or a combination of causes are all possible. The most likely ultimate cause is that ''Bluebird'' exceeded its aerodynamic static stability limit, with loss of engine thrust, damage to the port spar fairing, and the then little understood ground-effect lift enhancement<ref>‘Experimental Evaluations of the Aerodynamics of Unlimited Racing Hydroplanes Operating in and out of Ground Effect’, R.J. Englar, D.M. Shuster and D.A. Ford, SAE Technical Paper Series 901869, 1990.</ref> all adding to the instability.<ref name=Hopkins/>

==Recovery of ''Bluebird K7''==

The wreckage of ''Bluebird'' was discovered on the lake bed on 5 January 1967. A 10-man Royal Navy diving team, led by Lt Cdr John Futcher RN, had arrived at Coniston late on the day of the accident. They set off for their first attempt to locate Donald Campbell and ''Bluebird'' at 12.30pm the next day. Futcher believed that Campbell's body would be either at the point of impact, in the main wreckage of the boat, or at a point between the two locations. Ken Norris had made some calculations to guide the dive team to the boat's likely resting point.

The first three dives that afternoon found small pieces of wreckage, indicating the dive team were on the correct track. On the fourth dive, the main hull of ''K7'' was found in 142 feet of water, resting in her correct attitude but facing to the south-east. A subsequent and prolonged search located many pieces of wreckage, and various items were brought to the surface including ''Bluebird'''s broken steering wheel and column.

However, the body of Donald Campbell was not located, and the search was called off on 16 January. The Campbell family and team let it be known that they did not wish to have the hull of ''K7'' recovered in the absence of finding Campbell's body. They also felt they would learn nothing from its recovery. The wreck sat on the lake bed for a further 34 years, its location known by a few people but never disclosed.

A diving team led by Bill Smith was responsible for relocating the wreckage and its subsequent recovery.<ref>((cite web |title=K7 is Raised |url=http://www.acrossthelake.com/recovery.html |website=K7 Recovery |access-date=5 April 2024))</ref> Lifting K7 was handled by Smith's Bluebird Project team. The wreckage was recovered between October 2000, when the first small sections were raised, May 2001, when Campbell's body was finally recovered, and March 2007. The largest section, representing approximately two-thirds of the main hull, was salvaged on 8 March 2001.<ref name="BBC8mar2001">((cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1208845.stm |title=Divers salvage the Bluebird |date=8 March 2001 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=12 November 2016))</ref> The recovery was witnessed by a small select group of onlookers including Ken Norris (Lew Norris' flight was delayed by bad weather; he didn't make it in time) and Campbell's widow Tonia Bern-Campbell.<ref>((cite web |last1=Obituary 7 July 2021 |title=Tonia Bern-Campbell Singer who helped... |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19423234.obituary-tonia-bern-campbell-singer-turbulent-relationship-speed-king-donald-campbell/ |website=The Herald |access-date=1 April 2024))</ref>
Bill Smith returned in 2007 to recover more pieces of K7 from Coniston Water.<ref>((cite web |last1=Robinson-Tate |first1=Michaela |title=Bluebird throttle pedal found in lakr |url=https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/1263857.bluebird-throttle-pedal-found-in-lake/ |website=The Westmorland Gazzette |access-date=9 April 2024))</ref>

=== Controversy over the recovery ===
Campbell's body was retrieved from the lake on 28 May 2001. He was interred in [[Coniston, Cumbria|Coniston]] cemetery on 12 September that year after a funeral service at St Andrews Church in Coniston.

Campbell's sister Jean Wales had been against the recovery of the boat and her brother's body out of respect for his stated wish that, in the event of something going wrong: "Skipper and boat stay together." This quotation is usually said to have been uttered by Campbell when, in the final week of 1964, he was waiting for good weather to attempt a record run, but a bid seemed so unlikely at that point, his colleagues were pressing him to leave. He refused, and broke the record on the last day of 1964. Jean Wales did not attend his burial or visit his grave although she did remain in daily contact with the salvage crew as the boat's wreckage was being brought ashore.

=== Forensic examination and causes of the accident ===
Because the boat's water brake was found to be extended when the wreck was recovered, it was generally assumed that Campbell had activated it to slow down before the boat had left the water on his final run.  On dismantling the boat, however, a [[hydraulic accumulator]] from the donor Gnat aircraft was discovered to be still connected to the system, meaning that stored hydraulic pressure may well have deployed the brake after the accident.

The boat still contained fuel in the engine fuel lines and a quantity was collected and analysed using [[gas chromatography]] as part of the official investigation of the accident commissioned by Barrow Coroner. However, insufficient evidence was present to completely discount the fuel starvation theory. The engine could have cut-out as a result of intermittent fuel starvation caused by the untried fuel system or failure of the electrical supply to the low-pressure fuel-boost pumps. Full details of the boat's strip-down, and the conclusions drawn from it by the investigators, are lodged within the public domain in the diary pages of The Bluebird Project website.<ref>((cite web |last1=The Bluebird Project |title=Restoration |url=https://www.bluebirdproject.info/ |website=Bluebird Project |access-date=30 March 2024))</ref>

==Restoration and rebuilding of Bluebird K7==

===Consent for the works to proceed===

In November 2001, a few months after the wreck of K7 had been recovered, Gina Campbell - Donald's daughter, in an interview with the BBC's Kevin Bocquet in Cumbria, spoke of her plans to fully restore the Bluebird craft in memory of her father: "It would be my own tribute to my father, who was the bravest man I ever knew... We had two choices," said Gina. "Either we could lock her away, and she would never have been seen again, or we could completely restore her back to her old beauty... We could never display her in the state she is in... I do not want people to see her like this... I would be worried about how children would react to her... I think they would find it too frightening... I want Bluebird to be restored and to go on display in Coniston, so that people will always remember what a fantastic, brave man my father was.<ref>((cite web |last1=Bocquet |first1=Kevin |title=Campbell's daughter to restore Bluebird |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1659575.stm |website=BBC News Cumbria |access-date=21 April 2024))</ref>."

In October 2005, Gina Campbell spoke out against preserving Bluebird K7 as wreckage. She publicly disagreed with [[National Lottery Heritage Fund]]. She outlined her vision: "The wreck of the craft was raised from Coniston Water in the Lake District in 2001 and has sat in the workshop of the diver who found it ever since... The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) believes the crash is the most important aspect of the boat's history and it should be displayed partially damaged... Ms Campbell said she will not settle for less than her dream... It is only willing to contribute towards a partial reconstruction of the shell and earlier this year turned down a request for £940,000 to pay for a full restoration." Ms Campbell told a BBC documentary: "I can have her encased in concrete and put it back in the lake, or we put it on eBay and sell it to the highest bidder... It will not go on public display as it is, I will not allow it... I want her to look shiny, bright, engineering perfect... I want the young people from all over the world to be able to come and view her in the museum, in Coniston where she can be displayed as she should be so she can show what she achieved, what my father achieved and what British engineering achieved... That's my dream and I won't settle for anything less.<ref>((cite web |last1=Nye |first1=Doug |title=Bluebird - which party is missing the point? |url=https://forums.autosport.com/topic/83567-bluebird-which-party-is-missing-the-point/ |website=Autosport Forums |access-date=21 April 2024))</ref>" 

On Thursday 7 December 2006, Gina Campbell by [[Deed of gift]], formally transferred ownership of Bluebird K7, (as recovered from Coniston Water in or around 2001, the associated parts of the vessel both recovered and unrecovered, and all other associated items and objects so recovered and/or unrecovered to include, but without limitation clothing and overalls of Donald Campbell (deceased)), to the [[Ruskin Museum]] in Coniston on behalf of the Campbell Family Heritage Trust.<ref>((cite web |title=Bluebird |url=https://campbellheritage.co.uk/ |website=Campbell Family Heritage Trust |access-date=2 April 2024))</ref> In agreement with the Trust and the museum, Bill Smith was to organise the restoration of the boat, which is now, with the exception of an engine, complete.<ref name="bbc7nov2016">((cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37890287|title=Donald Campbell's Bluebird roars back to life|date=7 November 2016|publisher=BBC News|language=en|access-date=12 November 2016))</ref> Gina Campbell commented: "I've decided to secure the future of ''Bluebird'' for the people of Coniston, the Ruskin Museum and the people of the world". Museum Director Vicky Slowe spoke of Gina's generosity and then said: "Bill Smith has assured us he can get ''Bluebird'' fully conserved and reconfigured at no cost to the museum."

In background information provided to accompany an interview with Gina Campbell in 2018, Leatherhead & District Local History Society published the following: "On Thursday 7 December 2006, Gina gave Bluebird K7 to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston on behalf of the Campbell Family Heritage Trust. Bill Smith was to organise the boat’s restoration. In May 2009 permission was given for a one off set of proving trials on Coniston Water where it would  be tested to a safe speed for demonstration purposes only. K7 was to  be housed in its own purpose-built wing at the Ruskin Museum while remaining in the care of the Bluebird Project.<ref>((cite web |last1=Vardey |first1=Edwina |title=Campbell, Gina |url=https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/gina-campbell/ |website=Leatherhead & District Local History Society Archive |access-date=21 April 2024))</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Armstrong Jeremy |first1=Brownson Sophie |title='Final appeal' - Donald Campbell's iconic Bluebird hydroplane locked in bitter legal row |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/donald-campbells-iconic-bluebird-hydroplane-26685070 |website=Chronicle Live North East |access-date=21 April 2024))</ref>

===Scope of restoration works===

In a BBC interview,<ref>((cite web |title=Donald Campbell's Bluebird: The battle back to Coniston |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-68434707 |website=BBC News England |access-date=11 April 2024))</ref> Gina Campbell described the rebuilding of Bluebird K7 as "nothing short of a miracle" - comments that reflected her view of Bluebird Project's decades-long commitment to the craft's full restoration. The restoration continued throughout a number of crucial phases, using the Norris Brothers' original drawings together with access to Neil Sheppard's extensive collection of photographs and illustrations gathered throughout the period of the K7 WSRs quest.

* Assessment of the dozen or so pieces recovered from the wreck as to which parts could be repaired and reused, and which others would be remade.
* Decision to proceed with full restoration for high speed running.
* Reinstatement of steel space frames to recreate a rigid core structure free from bend, twist or uneven deflection under load. When the frame was stripped down and subjected to X-ray testing, it was found to be in poor condition due to crash damage, corrosion and inferior welding quality. 
* Reinstatement of aluminium body panels, engine cover, hull and sponsons
* Locate a suitable BS Orpheus engine, recondition and test it to the exact performance level of its counterpart lost when K7 went down in 1967
* Install engine with cockpit controls, fuel delivery systems, fuel tanks pumps and lines, hydraulics including motors valves pumps and lines, rudders and water brake.
* Make ready for trials in Scotland.

As of May 2009 permission was given for a one-off set of proving trials of ''Bluebird'' on Coniston Water, where she would be tested to a safe speed for demonstration purposes only. 

By early 2024, ''K7'' had been substantially 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 loaned to them replacement [[Bristol Siddeley Orpheus]] engine of a similar type albeit incorporating many original components.

On 9 March 2024, the engineless Bluebird K7 arrived back in Coniston after collection by the Ruskin Museum from Bill Smith's property in [[North Tyneside]], where, excluding its visit to Bute in 2018, it had been since 8 March 2001 - a period of 23 years plus a day.<ref>((cite web |last1=Timeline |first1=8 March 2001 |title=Bluebird K7 |url=https://ruskinmuseum.com/bluebird-k7-a-timeline/ |website=The Ruskin Museum |access-date=4 April 2024))</ref>

==Re-floating and speed trials on the waters of Loch Fad==

On 20 March 2018 the restoration was featured on the BBC's ''[[The One Show]]''<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09w7mlw|title=The One Show|work=BBC One|access-date=26 August 2018))</ref>.[[File:Rebuilt Bluebird K7 Loch Fad 2018.jpg|thumb|Rebuilt Bluebird K7 running at speed in planing mode on the waters of Loch Fad in 2018]] 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, once the restoration work on Bluebird was sufficiently advanced to be able to do so. She was transported to Loch Fad where she was refloated in the presence of Gina Campbell on 4 August 2018.<ref>((cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45068703|title=Donald Campbell's Bluebird hydroplane returns to water|work=BBC News|date=4 August 2018|access-date=26 August 2018))</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Pattison |first1=Kelly |title=Bluebird back on the water... |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/16739208.bluebird-back-water-first-time-50-years/ |website=News and Star The Cumberland News |access-date=3 April 2024))</ref> Gina Campbell remained on hand throughout the period of the trials. Following initial engine tests on 5 August, Bluebird completed a series of speed trials as per in the clarification header  here<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_K7#Clarification</ref> on the loch, reaching a maximum speed of 157mph confirmed by her driver Ted Walsh.<ref>((cite web |last1=Newsroom |first1=The |title=Bluebird has nothing to prove.. |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/bluebird-has-nothing-to-prove-following-successful-speed-tests-267400 |website=The Scotsman |access-date=3 April 2024))</ref> 

The Bluebird Project team confirmed that K7 conformed to its design standards throughout the trials. The thrust from the BS Orpheus engine initially peaked at some 80% throttle as the craft climbed out of the displacement mode and started to plane. This phenomenon is known as 'Hump Drag<ref>((cite book |last1=Sheppard |first1=Neil |title=Donald Campbell, Bluebird And The Final Record Attempt |date=2011 |publisher=The History Press Ltd |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752459738 |pages=204-206))</ref>' as the craft requires additional power to overcome the turbulence caused by its own ploughing movement. Once in planing mode, the pilot was able to throttle back to some 50% of output allowing the craft to maintain a constant speed of approximately 100 mph. When slowing down, it was noticed that the planing mode was maintained down to speed of 30 mph before returning to displacement mode.

The paramount characteristic of K7's design, now witnessed by a new generation of observers, was the ease and elegance with which it sped across the water, holding firm, once it was in planing mode. The remarkable feature of K7 is its capacity to displace so little water. At record-equalling speed, the wetted areas for each front plane (rear tip of each sponson) was calculated to be "13.2 square inches and 12.6 square inches for the rear (trailing edge of the hull)". Furthermore, "The immersion depth was a tiny 0.072" at the front and even less at the rear, 0.046"<ref>((cite book |last1=Sheppard |first1=Neil |title=Donald Campbell, Bluebird And The Final Record Attempt |date=2011 |publisher=The History Press Ltd |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752459738 |page=203))</ref>"

For safety reasons, there were no plans to attempt to reach any higher speeds.

==Future running==

On 24 February 2023, The Ruskin Museum served legal papers on Bill Smith and Bluebird Project Ltd to ensure that the rebuilt Bluebird K7 was handed to its owners - Ruskin Museum since the Deed of gift granted in December 2006.<ref>((Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=The Ruskin Museum issue legal proceedings to get Bluebird Home |url=https://ruskinmuseum.com/the-ruskin-museum-issue-legal-proceedings-to-get-bluebird-home/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=Ruskin Museum |language=en-GB))</ref> In December 2022, The Ruskin Museum announced Lancashire-based WEC Group Ltd<ref>((cite web |title=Fabrication Laser Cutting & Precision Engineering |url=https://www.wec-group.com/ |website=WEC Group |access-date=21 April 2024))</ref> as its chosen engineering partners to maintain Bluebird K7 once she is returned to Coniston.<ref>((Cite web |title=Bluebird K7 Partnership ((!)) WEC Group |url=https://www.wec-group.com/news/ruskin-museum-bluebird-k7.html |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=www.wec-group.com))</ref> Three Orpheus engines have also been donated to the Museum as The Ruskin Museum plan to run K7 on Coniston Water once it is returned.<ref>((Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=A third jet engine donated to The Ruskin Museum for Bluebird K7 |url=https://ruskinmuseum.com/a-third-jet-engine-donated-to-the-ruskin-museum-for-bluebird-k7/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=Ruskin Museum |language=en-GB))</ref>

The museum have announced that they have plans to run K7 on Coniston Water in 2026.<ref>((cite news |title=Speed king Campbell's Bluebird will once again be driven on Consiton Water |work=The Herald |date=11 March 2024 |location=Glasgow |page=2))</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Across the Lake]]'', a 1988 BBC TV drama about Campbell starring [[Anthony Hopkins]].
* [[Ruskin Museum]] Successful campaign by the museum to bring Bluebird back to Coniston, "its spiritual home"

==References==
((reflist|30em))

==External links==
((externalimage
|float = right
|width = 300
|image1 = [http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/214197963_c965b9494e_o_d.jpg The wreckage of the tailfin of ''K7''] <!-- <ref> https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaptainkobold/214197963/in/pool-79693942@N00/ 06-10-2008 </ref> -->
))
* [http://www.bluebirdproject.com Bluebirdproject.com - the restoration project for ''K7'']
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xemKc2In5Y 1967 Pathe News item about the crash]
((1955 shipwrecks))
((1967 shipwrecks))

[[Category:Bluebird record-breaking vehicles]]
[[Category:Water speed records]]
[[Category:Jet-powered hydroplanes]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1955]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1967]]

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