Miss England II
Encyclopedia
Miss England II was the name of the second of a series of speedboats used by Henry Segrave
and Kaye Don
to contest world water speed record
s in the 1920s and 1930s.
V-12 engines. The engines were mounted aft of the cockpit and were geared to turn a single propeller shaft via a gearbox placed near the bow, the shaft running below the hull to a rear mounted propeller, the first of which was 11.75 inches in diameter; later trials were undertaken with a 9 inch propeller.
The design was similar in that of the previous Miss England in that a ‘stepped’ hull form was chosen; in order to develop the boat, the step was made separate from the hull. With the boat withdrawn from the water the step could be unbolted and moved backwards or forwards in order to balance the boat for speed.
The cockpit layout was for a crew of three; the engineer and mechanic were placed in the left and right seats, with the pilot amidships.
began her career by setting a new record on Lake Garda
.
. On a third run the boat is presumed to have hit a floating branch and capsized at speed, killing his chief engineer Victor Halliwell (he was at the low side of the boat as it turned over on top of him). His mechanic, Michael "Jack" Willcocks, had been injured but survived having been thrown clear from the 'high' side of the boat as it overturned, breaking his arm. Segrave's unconscious body was recovered as the boat sank. He regained consciousness for a moment and, always true to his spirit of leadership, asked about the fate of "his men". He was informed that he had indeed broken the record, but died from lung injuries a short time later. Again, concerns were raised that the Miss England's hulls were too light in design and construction, particularly around the hydroplane's step, which was found to have partially detached.
The early theory that the step had failed as Miss England passed over its own wake from a previous run was discounted after a waterlogged branch showing recent impact damage drifted ashore some thirty minutes after the accident.
, was again chosen as the new driver for 1931. In early 1931 after Miss England II was rebuilt, Kaye took it for a test run on LOch Neagh, near Belfast, Northern Ireland and reached an unofficial speed of 107mph, the first time a water craft had broken the 100mph speed barrier. However, during this time Gar Wood took the record to over 100 mph (82.1 kn; 160.9 km/h). A month later on Lake Garda
, Don fought back with 110.28 mph (90.6 kn; 177.5 km/h). In February 1932, Wood responded, nudging the mark up by just 1 mph (0.821160911094783 kn; 1.6 km/h).
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 II was built for Lord Wakefield in 1930, who had obtained a pair of the powerful new Rolls-Royce type RRolls-Royce R
The Rolls-Royce R was a British aero engine designed and built specifically for air racing purposes by Rolls-Royce Limited. Nineteen R engines were assembled in a limited production run between 1929 and 1931...
V-12 engines. The engines were mounted aft of the cockpit and were geared to turn a single propeller shaft via a gearbox placed near the bow, the shaft running below the hull to a rear mounted propeller, the first of which was 11.75 inches in diameter; later trials were undertaken with a 9 inch propeller.
The design was similar in that of the previous Miss England in that a ‘stepped’ hull form was chosen; in order to develop the boat, the step was made separate from the hull. With the boat withdrawn from the water the step could be unbolted and moved backwards or forwards in order to balance the boat for speed.
The cockpit layout was for a crew of three; the engineer and mechanic were placed in the left and right seats, with the pilot amidships.
Racing career
In 1931, Kaye DonKaye 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:...
began her career by setting a new record on Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
.
Death of Segrave
On Friday 13 June 1930, Segrave drove Miss England II to a new record of 98.76 mph (81.1 kn; 158.9 km/h) average over two runs on WindermereWindermere (lake)
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial. It has been one of the country’s most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere...
. On a third run the boat is presumed to have hit a floating branch and capsized at speed, killing his chief engineer Victor Halliwell (he was at the low side of the boat as it turned over on top of him). His mechanic, Michael "Jack" Willcocks, had been injured but survived having been thrown clear from the 'high' side of the boat as it overturned, breaking his arm. Segrave's unconscious body was recovered as the boat sank. He regained consciousness for a moment and, always true to his spirit of leadership, asked about the fate of "his men". He was informed that he had indeed broken the record, but died from lung injuries a short time later. Again, concerns were raised that the Miss England's hulls were too light in design and construction, particularly around the hydroplane's step, which was found to have partially detached.
The early theory that the step had failed as Miss England passed over its own wake from a previous run was discounted after a waterlogged branch showing recent impact damage drifted ashore some thirty minutes after the accident.
Final record
Following Segrave’s death, Miss England II was salvaged and repaired. Kaye DonKaye 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:...
, was again chosen as the new driver for 1931. In early 1931 after Miss England II was rebuilt, Kaye took it for a test run on LOch Neagh, near Belfast, Northern Ireland and reached an unofficial speed of 107mph, the first time a water craft had broken the 100mph speed barrier. However, during this time Gar Wood took the record to over 100 mph (82.1 kn; 160.9 km/h). A month later on Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
, Don fought back with 110.28 mph (90.6 kn; 177.5 km/h). In February 1932, Wood responded, nudging the mark up by just 1 mph (0.821160911094783 kn; 1.6 km/h).