ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Speed machine Bluebird K7 "died" more than fifty years ago. She and her pilot Donald Campbell were supposed to rest forever in darkness on the bed of a lake in Cumbria's Lake District. But Bluebird rose from the dead. Thanks to an audacious plan to find, raise and rebuild her she thrilled locals and tourists on the Isle of Bute in Scotland where she has been relaunched.
SUBSCRIBE to our TH-cam channel for more videos: / skynews
Follow us on Twitter: / skynews and / skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: / skynews
Follow us on Instagram: / skynews
For more content go to news.sky.com and download our apps:
Apple itunes.apple.c...
Android play.google.co...
I had the great fortune to meet Donald Campbell at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960 and to speak with him for a couple of hours while he was waiting for the Bluebird Proteus CN7 to be prepared. The crash was two days later after I had left for Yellowstone. I was only 21 years old, but was thrilled to have met this fearless adventurer and refined gentleman. I'm very pleased to see the K7 back in action. Thanks to everyone involved, also for this excellent reportage.
What a Lucky to see a legend, MR. Bruce.
What was he like? (He is my great Uncle)
@@suitable1317 your kidding!
@@crafty4722 not at all we even still own the family car
@@suitable1317 I recently went to coniston last week. I went to see the village, but on the way i went to the lake and it was so beautiful.
Can't believe how emotional this video made me, what a machine and what a man.
what a team too!
Remember the day Bluebird crashed as though it was yesterday. We are keen water skiers in those days and spent every weekend on Coniston Water with our friends.
We actually got ‘up close and personal’ with this beautiful craft at the jetty where she was moored.
Watched the speed record attempt with so much anticipation. Anticipation that turned to disbelief and grief when we saw her ‘flip’
RIP Sir Donald! Your were a true hero!!
Fabulous! I never thought this was possible. I watched her go on that fateful day in 1967, and went home to Preston feeling a bit sick that had just seen a man killed.
I think. The. Thoughttofretireingthebuebird. Was the right call!
As a 13 year old Aussie boy in earth-bound 1966 Donald Campbell was the Boy's Own British hero on land and water. I can still remember seeing the crash on the evening news and weeping. Donald Campbell gave us commonwealth-country boys the power to dream and a sense of derring-do, and a warm sense of pride in queen and country - England. RIP Donald Campbell.
I had the honour of visiting K7 in the Ruskin Museum today, coincidentally it’s the 23rd March 2024 today - Donald Campbell’s 103rd birthday. I met his daughter Gina and spent a considerable time looking at K7 in awe. Incredible and a genuine privilege.
Ruskin museum are a disgrace! Ask the team!
@@EnglishVeteran Why?
@@4418CARLOU Read how the restoration team have been treated!
@@4418CARLOU the Ruskin Museum have made sure that Bluebird will never see the water again. Resigned to gather dust in their museum. Shame on them.
@@demonkey123 th-cam.com/video/6rDspdfhfm0/w-d-xo.html
I'm American and I've considered the Campbells and their Bluebirds to be legends of motorsport for as long as I can remember. There's a mystique that surrounds them as men driven to accomplish something unforgettable no matter the cost. To see Bluebird K7 come back to life is better than anything I could have imagined and is also the work of a man driven to accomplish something unforgettable no matter the cost.
Amazing. When it was raised, I never expected to be more than a wrecked museum exhibit dedicated to Campbell. Campbell's family knew how much Bluebird meant to him and aproved of this being rebuilt and to take to the water again. Donald Campbell would be proud.
I was lucky enough to have had Sir Donald lift me into the cockpit of the car "Bluebird" at the Melbourne Motor Show some years before his death in 1967. I was on school holidays, working at the General Store in Hepburn Springs when the morning paper (The Sun) was delivered, with pictures of his fatal boat accident splashed across the front page. So good to see Bluebird afloat again, and something of the great era of record breakers died with him that day in 1967.
To the Bluebird Project team...well done!! She looks magnificent...even at only 150 mph. Long live BLUEBIRD K-7... and long live her legend!
He was a bit behind the boat but he handled it beautifully. Spectators can criticize from the safety of the grandstand. He brought the craft home, well done skip!
Fast boat was meant to be driven quick.
Everything about this machine and the team makes me proud to be British ...........
i was 12yo that night when the TV showed the crash and i cried..and now i'm cryng again.thanks,guys,and thanks.Donald Campbell.so long.
That's history visiting us right there, simply amazing! Heros never die
Zee smoke machete? Ok thanks sorry I can't help my hands are tied
MAGNIFICENT I have tears into eyes. Cheers to the new Bluebird team from the United States.
No problem enjoy it
"She's Beautiful" thats what she is. She's something special.
March 2024 I’m 44 and this has made me a bit emotional, what a machine, what fantastic volunteers and most of all SIR DONALD CAMBELL what a man an absolute legend,we just don’t do stuff like this it’s to “dangerous” bollox get it in there get it going and get it flat out !! R.i.P Sir Donald !!
I was standing on the shore of Canandaigua lake with my Mother and Sister, early morning in the summer of 1957 and watched Campbell make his run on the lake. I was only 8 years old but I'll never forget the sound of that Jet engine spooling up and making the run. It was the most Awesome thing I had ever witnessed in my 8 years of life. The Bluebird was on display later at Roseland Park and I got to meet him. It was great to see the Bluebird rise again.
Must have been amazing thanks guys
What a fantastic project; brilliant teamwork, and a beautiful result!
Bluebird's fatal run was on my nineteenth birthday. I am an amateur guitarist, and when I heard about the restoration project I felt inspired to compose an instrumental dedicated to Bluebird. I've just recently recorded it, and I think it would be great to accompany a video. I named it 'Bluebird's Last Run'.
Is there an online place we could hear your song?
@@smokineagle3160 Look up 'Bluebird's Last Run' here. I just checked and it's still on TH-cam. I made up a video of still pics to go with my tune.
@@davewoodley3716 Thanks Dave, I'll go check it out.
I'm very proud to keep the name alive.
Cheers
Donald Campbell, Australia
Cant believe ime seeing bluebird again and actually running is a credit to bill !what a lovely looking machine really well done mate I was born in 1960,bluebird was a spaceship in looks to us. Brilliant to see the real thing ime amazed
I was 12 years old when Donald Campbell died . I had been reading about Donald's speed attempts on land and water when I was a boy, I even made a model of Bluebird K7 while in woodwork class which sat on my bedside table. It was amazing to see Bluebird restored and back on water hydroplaning again after all these years. Well done to the team that resurrected Bluebird K7 and got her back on water.
Donald would be proud of Bill and his team for what they have managed to do. simply awesome
bluebird belongs on Coniston water, the lake district. campbell is my hero. from a random 28 year old Nigerian
The words "...he pushed Bluebird too far" will forever send chills down my spine.
He make a big screw up that day, he didn't wait for the water to calm down fully after his previous attempt, then that he go for it that was his final days
@@rolandhazuki8787there were two viable options. Wait for the wake to completely subside, or go on a second run before the wake rebounds from the shore.
But a flame out earlier meant there was only one option. He couldn't shut down the motor because the compressed air starter could only do two starts, and he'd used them.
Anyway experts don't think the crash was caused by the wash. They believe it was another flame out. The thrust of the jet kept the bow down. That thrust abruptly stopping at over 300mph allowed the bow to lift.
I was little ,just 7 years old ,when my dad told me the great Donald Campbell had died.At 7 years old ,I knew what had happened...that a brave man had died pushing the limits that he set for himself.I lived my whole life pushing my own limits.I never forgot about Sir Donald Campbell,and I know that he ,in a small way,made a massive impact on my life ..to this day.what a thrill to watch this awesome documentary,and congratulations to the teams that made her come to life.
Wonderful shots of a truly historic event. Well done to the team who covered this event and produced this programme. Many thanks to all concerned for bringing "Bluebird" back. I was 15 when the crash happened. At school the next day it was all we talked about. We all knew we had lost a hero and a beautiful machine.
Simply amazing. From what was, for a very long time, wreckage. To get her back to even looking good is an achievement in itself but to see her float and run, and run fast, well, I'm speechless.
An amazing machine, way ahead of its time... It should now retire gracefully to a museum for everyone to enjoy...
I saw Bluebird and Mr Woppit on Lake Dumbleyung in the 60s. i will never forget! It was thrilling!
Dumbleyung. Wierd name. I'm guessing it's in Australia
Bluebird was the most unique hydroplane and iconic piece of british,great to see her restored back to her original look,the legend returns and the myths put to rest,donald will be proud and to see his machine achieve her return to many new generations of fans
What a fantastic rebuild, a fantastic team behind her and I'm sure Donald would be proud. Proud to be British.
This is a fantastic tribute to Donald Campbell and to good old fashioned British courage and engineering. Good work men, great vid!
I still have a copy of the newspaper the day it crashed - what an amazing job to bring it back to life
When i first heard K7 was being rebuilt I thought it wrong, I was surprised she was lifted in the first place, I thought, wrongly, she should be left as she was, however, she was built to go fast and it's brilliant she can push on again, doing what she was born to do.
Amazing work, Rip Donald, Bluebird is in safe hands.
I’m not so sure that your initial feelings weren’t the correct ones. Maybe a duplicate built by this guy, with Bluebird left untouched, would have been better.
He could then have pursued his dream of whatever without the controversy.
Reduced me to tears... magnificent story.
Work of legends guy. Well done ! An absolute animals of a machine!
I had just been born when this tragedy happened, but knew of Bluebird's history and the sad loss of Donald Campbell learning in senior school. To watch this Sky News of her rebirth and recognition of Campbell's water speed achievement is a wonderful memorial to him. The volunteers, engineers and pilots, and some, have made history in bringing Bluebird back to life.
I remember this from my childhood. I was a bit obsessed with land, air, and water speed records. Kind of things that were on "Wide World of Sports". Spent my first 15 years in the Seattle/Tacoma area. The unlimited hydro-plane races on Lake Washington were huge. Actually watched "Notre Dame" flip coming out of turn four, she, "Miss Budweiser", and "Atlas Van Lines" nearly neck and neck and neck as one of the first "pickle forks", "Pride of Pay-n-Pak" was crossing the finish line, from my living room window. Campbell was a hero in my eyes, just as Craig Breedlove, Don Garletts, John Glenn, and the rest were.
Bloody fantastic !!! Well done to everyone involved.
We are absolutely speechless 😶 wow she's now worth her weight in gold what a superb restoration from John and Nora here in kidlington in oxfordshire
I remember the day he died so well and I was a very young boy but it shook me to the core.
I was 17 when he lost his life. This is a rebirth and very emotional.
I remember watching the record attempt and unfortunate crash with my Dad I was aged just 6 and have never forgot it. I never once imagined I would ever see Bluebird run again. The name's Campbell and Bluebird were the super hero's of that age both men and machine.
I am literally the same age as the Craft. When in England in 17 I spent some time in Coniston and The Ruskin Museum where parts were at that time.
As a matter of interest 40 odd years underwater she was saved by the engine. It acted as a sacraficial annode for the craft. The Magnesium engine is rotten yet the main parts recovered were all fairly much corrosion free.
I also went to the Lakeland Museum as well. Where they also have plenty on Campbell.
Donald Campbell is not forgotten in that area
My childhood hero and one of my very first TV memories.....
A fascinating video. Maximum credit to those admirable, straight talking, engineers and enthusiasts from North Shields.
Beautiful , brought tears to my eyes again , 😢
spoke to a man last week from the team Wardy (David Warby) kens son. he mentioned they are trying to raise the water speed record on blowering dam (NSW Australia) this May. good luck to them.
Simply amazing. I was 7 when it crashed, but I do remember the news reports of this tragedy. I was totally against raising her, but now,,, I think I'm ok with it. If nothing else it made his daughter very happy.
Incredible !! What a great thing to do ?! Revive a boat of such significant importance ! Thanks to all for the determination !!
I saw the Bluebird when I was over on the lsle of Bute Rothsey but never saw her on the water , the only time I saw on the water was on the TV , but what a machine it was - but great to have her going again - well done to all those who got her going again.
That was amazing to see her back on the water what a dedicated team absolutely brilliant .
I saw the Bluebird in 1960s when it came to Port Sea area near Melbourne.I still have Brochure somewhere..
_Working man's Concorde!_
I cannot believe they risked this beautiful machine like this, but wonderful to see in action one last time. Takes me back to when I was a mere 36.
My word shes magnificent, of a time, shes iconic. Legendary in the sane vain as concorde, spitfire et all..Rip DC
I’ve been to the museum where it’s currently and I’ve also been to the lake where it crashed
Beautiful. Love this so much. Donald has always been a legend for me.
However if anyone is interested the spirit of Australia is going for her second record in the next year or two. The Warby boys could use some help to make it happen, look it up and be a part of something big!
I have a picture of my father and signed autograph of bluebird with Donald Campbell at Coniston
I can’t imagine how Donald’s family must feel seeing this. Proud and emotional, Perhaps even angry. Very emotional anyhow…
There seem to be quite a few posters here that can't understand why K7 is an important historical vessel or believe K7 is in some sense a failure. Hopefully this will give them some appreciation of the subject:-
Donald Campbell and K7 broke the world water speed record 7 times, held the record for 12 years and raised the record by over 157kph - an overall set of achievements unmatched in the history of the record.
During the fateful run K7 reached a speed of 528kph - which is about 15kph above the current record. The most recent analysis of the accident suggests that, had the engine thrust not have been lost, Bluebird would not have taken off and a new record would have been established. The reason(s) for the loss of engine thrust remain conjecture.
The nearest rival to Campbell's achievements on water, the much revered Gar Wood, broke the record only 6 times, using 5 different boats and raised the mark by an integrated total of less than 42kph.
Perhaps only Ken Warby's Spirit of Australia - the current record holder - is of comparable historical importance to K7.
@Paulo Forged - It would be completely out of line with the way most restorations are carried out. Historic GrandPrix cars are run, even in classic racing, without even the addition of seat belts. I watched the Edwardian GP cars go up the hill at Goodwood this year and they were all as original as they could be made even down to the inadequate brakes and skinny tyres. To do anything else would be sacrilege. In this case it would be like fitting gas turbines to the Cutty Sark or Cruise missile launchers to HMS Victory.
And the performance of K7 is so great that she is, as has been shown here, able to run at about 160mph without any difficulty at all. So if all goes well she could be a regular sight around the World and still be about the quickest thing regularly running on water without getting anywhere near her safe limits.
Skinny the tires may be, but they did use new ones, not the decades old rubber, did they?
When Dave Campos took the 300mph land speed title in the "Harley Streamliner" he ran 27 year old tires that were thread worn because Goodyear refused to mfg. Land Speed tires..Like everyone else in that era, he ran very dangerous tires, because that's all that was available...Those racers, like all racers have BALLS!...By the way..Goodyear wouldn't make tires because of bean counting, willy the rat, lawyers who had won a law suit for the family of Mark Donahue, over a tire failure!..so everyone's lives were put in danger
@Martin I have to agree they dont go out to sea and retrieve sailors bodies after being killed in the war they've been left in piece, so why should Donald be moved from where he was they should have left him there his body was doing no harm
@@SuperDirtPig how about people should stop pursuing this foolish record. Its very nature is the edge of death.
Great job. The bluebird looks magnificent. Hopefully she is now safe in a museum for all to see.
Unfortunately there is dispute between the Ruskin Museum and Bill Smith ( the guy who located and organised her retrieval), the museum has built the wing to house her but as far as I know, she's still in Bill Smiths hands after promising to honour the Donation by the Campbell family. Legal papers have been served to mr Smith.
It was the epic Marillion song ‘Out of This World’ that inspired Bill Smith to salvage Bluebird from Coniston Water
Bill has done an amazing job. He was there when it was found.....he brought Donald back from the deep with dignity......he has given life back to the boat........Sir Bill ?
Fantastic! Well done to all those that rebuilt her! Awesome!
More years back when Britain had some pride
Still does
It still does Funky......don't believe the propaganda of the weak minded, they are a noisey, temporary, minority
The overhead view that is shown at 19:20 really does demonstrate how unbelievably quick that craft is.
WoW!!! ... My father told me the story when I was little, this is just amazing!
Great piece of leadership putting the team back on track after the last run.
This is fantastic! Well done. I was always a fan of the Campbells.
Get 'em K7!! The Bluebird is a lady and she has a soul! Fantastic.
Having just yesterday watched Anthony Hopkins Movie about it, Then today A Documentary about Sir Alan Campbell, I can say I am very pleased to see this final footnote in history... its like the Titanic Was raised and given life.. Its a part of British Derring-do that is hard to imagine in these days. Kudos to the entire team who made this historical monument's Afterlife. Well Done Lads!
19.20 overhead shots simply awesome!
Wow wow wow and wow !!!! Amazing, goosebumps all over, lump in my throat the whole shabang ❤️❤️
GOOD 'EN
I will never forget as a 17 year old reading about and viewing the photographs of the crash in Life Magazine.
Thanks for sharing this. Well done!
Beautiful restoration..great job
A grand tribute to British engineering and what can be done, so many memories brought back.
Fantastic to see a classic back on the water
I am old enough to remember Donald Campbell and the Bluebird. Anyone who doesn't realize the significance of this machine and it's pilot doesn't deserve to have it explained to them.
I was a teenager when his terrible crash happened. I am so pleased that Bluebird has been rebuilt. Great Job everyone. Donald Campbell was very famous here in Australia. One of the wheels from his Land Speed Record holding car (also Bluebird CN7) used to be in the Melbourne museum for years and years. Campbell set a Land Speed Record of 403 mph on Lake Eyre, a dry salt lake in South Australia in 1964.
Stephen Hicks I believe this record still stands as a wheel driven vehicle
Thanks for letting me know that the record still stands in some form. My father made it very clear that he considered Bluebird a real car because it turbine propelled Bluebird along via a drive train whereas other vehicles later record attempts were 'merely' jet engines strapped onto a set of wheels.
His little girl was proud to see her alive again! Bluebird is alive again, she was unsure, but as soon as she saw her father's hydroplane up and running, enough said, look after her team no records just run her. Quickly,
Now that is what I pay my TV licence for !
Really enjoyed that
Top work all round.👍
What to get SKY?
I have a couple of 35mm slides of this way back, shortly before the accident. Bluebird always fascinated me.
This absolutely fantastic to get her back
Another thing about that morning when Mom, my Sister, and myself watched Campbell make his run on Canandaigua lake, is that My Mom took a home movie of the run. I'll have to find it and have it digitized. I have never found another video of that run so maybe it would be of interest to others.
The part where he talks about a machine having a soul i totally understand. Nothing on that scale of course but we all have something that we just love and would hate to part with.
I enjoyed that from start to finish... I hope that they can continue to do "public Runs" for all to see. Please do not put it in a museum yet...
This water speed record kills a lot of people so better safe than sorry!
Fantastic work by the whole team. Well done.
I bet donald campbell is looking down with a big smile on his face seeing his Blue bird fly again
I bet hes not, I bet hes unhappy because her last run was on Coniston water, they took her from Coniston water, and they should have relaunched her on Coniston water to complete the cycle.
Absolutely beautiful. Tears in my eyes.😊j
I reckon the pilot had it all under control 👍🇬🇧
A great and fitting way to end the speed run. Donald would’ve done the very same thing!
Great to see Bluebird cutting through the water again! She looks beautiful and is a credit to the team who restored her.
Just a bit concerned the pilot came in very hot on that last run at the end of the video, I've never seen Bluebird turn so tightly and it looked very close to those piers and shore! Surely there is no need to push her so hard like that? After all the hard work and dedication the team put in, she is an old girl and deserves more respect after what she has gone through! :)
Listen to the debrief that came up.
@@PPC4 I did, I agree it was reckless and no need for it, Bluebird or the team have nothing to prove! It was just the pilot being reckless in my opinion :(
If that's so then why did he get a scolding in the debrief. The engineers would also know what the machine is capable of or at least have a very good idea. Not just the 'pilot'.
They were all VERY VERY lucky to witness that last approach, my god THAT was THE moment. don’t miss it with negativity WOW!
I agree. I am almost blind and decided to restore a Porsche 944S2. That car hated me, fought me every step of the way. She is sold now but I miss her
Fantastic reporting on such an iconic machine, and I take my hat off to the whole team who raised her from the depths of her watery grave to bring her back to life.110%
Stunning machine and breathtaking photography. Would love to see and hear her on a fast run.
I just hope that the blue bird is put in a museum for future generations to appreciate as the bluebird is land and water speed record history. I think Donald Campbell would have appreciated the hard work that went into the rebuild,
Total credit to the engineers but we all know the blue bird belongs in a museum. This is British history.
Bluebird today 9th March 2024 is being transported to the Ruskin Museum Coniston.
@@lespotter9004 This is where it belong. Such an iconic piece of history, Total credit to the engineers that rebuilt the blue bird. RIP Donald Campbell .
It belongs on the water and in the museum. These machines need to be seen, heard and even smelled moving to really appreciate.
@@philtowle4683 will be back in the water when the engine is installed
Great Tribute to Donald Campbell who was trying to leave a tribute for his father..... not unlike what Danny Thompson did at Bonneville this year for his old man..... Some people like to live in the arena where others like to die of old age..... It's all good.... It is life......
Birebird should have returned to lake coniston to rerun on her true home and where memories were made for many people and the local people of coniston,the true spirit of coniston with donald.the legends havereturned and been remembered and at rest for the fans to visit two incredible icons of britain
Coniston refused to let the team trial her at Coniston.
Stunning machine !!!!!
It reminded me of the project here in NL 20 years ago to make an exact copy of the 17th century ship "Batavia". When it was ready, it was shipped to Australia, to the spot where it sank 400 years ago. Her sinking resulting in the first mass murder in Australia, by the way. And there, and only there and only once, she sailed under her own sail. It sailed magnificently. It proved its point. The ship was seaworthy. Since then it was shown at several locations in the world and ended up as a museum ship in Lelystad NL. Recently it has been lifted out of the water pemanently to make maintenance easier. These are such beautiful projects. I hope Bluebird will have a worthy place in a museum as well.