Miss England I
Encyclopedia
Miss England I was the name of the first of a series of speedboats used by Henry Segrave
and Kaye Don
to contest world water speed record
s in the 1920s and 1930s.
, but Miss England used a single Napier Lion
engine and relied on an advanced planing hull design.
The hull was of an advanced lightweight construction, which some designers, including Gar Wood, regarded as too light and flexible. Wood made many sportsmanlike contributions to his competitor, particularly sharing his experience of propellor and rudder design - he wanted a close race with a worthy opponent.
, and he was knighted on his return.
A record for single-engined boats of 91 mph (74.7 kn; 146.5 km/h) was established. The racing success though was due to Segrave's brave driving and some mechanical problems for Miss America. However Miss England was always outclassed by the far more powerful and faster American boats.
, London
Henry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
and Kaye Don
Kaye Don
Kaye Don was a world record breaking car and speedboat racer who became a motorcycle dealer on his retirement from road racing and set up Ambassador Motorcycles.-Biography:...
to contest world water speed record
Water speed record
The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. The current record of 511 km/h was achieved in 1978....
s in the 1920s and 1930s.
Design and construction
Miss England was built for Henry Segrave in 1928, in an attempt to retrieve the Harmsworth Trophy from the American Gar Wood. Gar Wood's series of "Miss America" boats were using multiple high-powered aero-engines to establish an apparently unbeatable record. Segrave had already used multiple aero-engines in his land-speed record setting SunbeamSunbeam 1000 hp
The Sunbeam 1000 HP Mystery, or "The Slug", is a land speed record-breaking car built by the Sunbeam car company of Wolverhampton that was powered by two aircraft engines. It was the first car to travel at over 200 mph. The car's last run was a demonstration circuit at Brooklands, running at...
, but Miss England used a single Napier Lion
Napier Lion
The Napier Lion was a 12-cylinder broad arrow configuration aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting in 1917, and ending in the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day, and kept it in production long after contemporary designs had stopped production...
engine and relied on an advanced planing hull design.
The hull was of an advanced lightweight construction, which some designers, including Gar Wood, regarded as too light and flexible. Wood made many sportsmanlike contributions to his competitor, particularly sharing his experience of propellor and rudder design - he wanted a close race with a worthy opponent.
Racing career
Miss England raced successfully against Gar Wood's Miss America VII in Miami in 1929. It had been a successful trip for Segrave, having also taken the land speed record in Golden ArrowGolden Arrow (land speed racer)
Golden Arrow was a land speed record racer. Built for Major Henry Segrave to take the LSR from Ray Keech, Golden Arrow was one of the first streamlined land speed racers, with a pointed nose and tight cowling...
, and he was knighted on his return.
A record for single-engined boats of 91 mph (74.7 kn; 146.5 km/h) was established. The racing success though was due to Segrave's brave driving and some mechanical problems for Miss America. However Miss England was always outclassed by the far more powerful and faster American boats.
Survival today
Miss England I survives to this day and is on display in the Science MuseumScience museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
, London