Water speed record
Encyclopedia
- From 1909 to 1927 the record was an unofficial listing from the organisers of powerboatPowerboatingPower boating describes activities performed in a motorized boat. Generally, a power boat has a high power-to-weight ratio and a hull design that allows for easy planing, which allows for higher speed and improved handling. Also, the shape of the actual boat is usually very streamlined, which...
races. - In 1928 the record category was officially established.
- From 1930 the rules of the record stipulated that a craft must make two runs over a timed kilometre course in opposite directions, with the record being the average speed of the two runs.
- The record is currently ratified by the Union Internationale MotonautiqueUnion Internationale MotonautiqueThe Union Internationale Motonautique is the international governing body of powerboating, based in the Principality of Monaco. It was founded in 1922, in Belgium, as the Union Internationale du Yachting Automobile....
(UIM).
With an approximate fatality rate of 85% since 1940, the record is one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions.
Before 1910
Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....
's Stiletto (1885, 26.2 mph), William B. Cogswell's Feiseen (1893, 31.6 mph), Charles Algernon Parsons
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence on the naval and electrical engineering fields...
' Turbinia
Turbinia
Turbinia was the first steam turbine-powered steamship. Built as an experimental vessel in 1894, and easily the fastest ship in the world at that time, Turbinia was demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set the standard for the next generation of steamships, the...
(1897, 39.1 mph), and Charles R. Flint's
Charles Ranlett Flint
-Further reading:**...
Arrow (1903, 45.06 mph).
1910s
In 1911, a 40-foot stepped planing hull, Dixie IV, designed by Clinton Crane, became the first gasoline powered vessel to break the water speed record.Beginning in 1908, Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
and engineer Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin
Frederick W. Baldwin
Frederick Walker Baldwin , also known as Casey Baldwin, was an engineer and a hydrofoil and aviation pioneer who was also the first Canadian to pilot an aircraft.-Biography:...
began experimenting with powered watercraft
Watercraft
A watercraft is a vessel or craft designed to move across or through water. The name is derived from the term "craft" which was used to describe all types of water going vessels...
. In 1919, with Baldwin piloting their HD-4 hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
, a new world water speed record of 70.86 mi/h was set on Bras d'Or Lake
Bras d'Or Lake
Bras d'Or Lake is a large body of salt water dominating the centre of Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Bras d'Or Lake is sometimes referred to as the Bras d'Or Lakes or the Bras d'Or Lakes system, however its official geographic name is Bras d'Or Lake as it is a singular...
in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
1920s
During the 1920s powerboat racing was dominated by American businessman and racer Gar WoodGarfield Wood
Garfield ‘Gar’ Arthur Wood was an American inventor, entrepreneur, motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel over 100 miles per hour on water....
, whose Miss America boats were capable of speeds approaching 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph). Increased public interest generated by the speeds achieved by Wood and others led to an official speed record being ratified in 1928.
The first person to try a record attempt was Gar Wood's brother George. On 4 September 1928 he drove Miss America VII to 149.40 km/h (92.83 mph) on the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
. The next year Gar Wood took the same boat up a waterway Indian Creek, Miami and reached 149.86 km/h (93.12 mph).
1930s
Like the land speed recordLand speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
, the water record was destined to become a scrap for national honour between Britain and the USA. American success in setting records spurred Castrol
Castrol
Castrol is a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants which is applied to a large range of oils, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications...
Oil chairman Lord Wakefield to sponsor a project to bring the water record to Britain. Famed land speed racer and racing driver Sir Henry Segrave
Henry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
was hired to pilot a new boat, Miss England. Although the boat wasn’t capable of beating Gar Wood's Miss America, the British team did gain experience, which was put into an improved boat. Miss England II
Miss England II
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 records in the 1920s and 1930s.- Design and construction :...
was powered by two Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
s and seemed capable of beating Wood's record.
On June 13, 1930, Segrave piloted Miss England II to a new record of 158.94 km/h (98.76 mph) average speed during two runs on Windermere
Windermere (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...
, in Britain's Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. Having set the record, Segrave set off on a third run to try to improve the record further. Unfortunately during the run, the boat struck an object in the water and capsized, with both Segrave and his co-driver receiving fatal injuries.
Following Segrave's death, Miss England II was salvaged and repaired. Another racing driver, 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:...
, was chosen as the new driver for 1931. However, during this time Gar Wood recaptured the record for the US at 164.41 km/h (102.16 mph). 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 177.387 km/h (110.223 mph). In February 1932, Wood responded, nudging the mark up by 1.6 km/h (1 mph).
In response to the continued American challenge, the British team built a new boat, Miss England III
Miss England III
Miss England III was the name of the last of a series of speedboats used by Henry Segrave and Kaye Don to contest world water speed records in the 1920s and 1930s.- Design and construction :...
. The design was an evolution of the predecessor, with a squared-off stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
and twin propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s being the main improvements. Don took the new boat to Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
, Scotland, on July 18, 1932, improved the record first to 188.985 km/h (117.430 mph), and then to 192.816 km/h (119.810 mph) on a second run.
Determined to have the last word over his great rival, Gar Wood built another new Miss America. Miss America X was 12 metres long, powered by four supercharged Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
aeroplane engines. On September 20, 1932, Wood drove his new boat to 200.943 km/h (124.860 mph). It would prove the end of an era. Don declined to attempt any further records, and Miss England III went to a museum. Wood also opted to scale down his involvement in racing and returned to running his businesses. Somewhat ironically, both record-breakers lived into their 90s. Wood died in 1971, Don in 1985.
Boat design changes
Wood's last record would be one of the final records for a conventional, single-keelKeel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
boat. In June 1937, Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
, the world-famous land speed record breaker, drove Blue Bird K3
Blue Bird K3
Blue Bird K3 was a hydroplane powerboat commissioned in 1937 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record...
to a new record of 203.31 km/h (126.33 mph) at Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest of Italy and largest of southern Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.The climate is mild...
. Compared to the massive Miss America X, K3 was a much more compact craft. It was 5 metres shorter and had one engine to X's four. Despite his success, Campbell was unsatisfied by the relatively small increase in speed. He commissioned a new Blue Bird to be built. K4 was a ‘three pointer’ hydroplane. Unlike conventional powerboats, which have a single keel, with an indent, or ‘step’, cut from the bottom to reduce drag, a hydroplane has a concave base with two floats fitted to the front, and a third point at the rear of the hull. When the boat increases in speed, most of the hull lifts out of the water and runs on the three contact points. The positive effect is a reduction in drag and an increase in power-to-weight ratio - the boat is lighter as it doesn’t need many engines to push it along. The downside is that the three-pointer is much less stable than the single keel boat. If the hydroplane's angle of attack
Angle of attack
Angle of attack is a term used in fluid dynamics to describe the angle between a reference line on a lifting body and the vector representing the relative motion between the lifting body and the fluid through which it is moving...
is upset at speed, the craft can somersault into the air, or nose-dive into the water.
1940s
Campbell's new boat was a success. In 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, he took it to Coniston WaterConiston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
and increased his record by 18 km/h (11 mph), to 228.11 km/h (141.74 mph). The return of peace in 1945 brought with it a new form of power for the record breaker – the jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
. Campbell immediately renovated Blue Bird K4 with a De Havilland Goblin jet engine. The result was a curious-looking craft, whose shoe-like profile led to it being nicknamed ‘The Coniston Slipper’. The experiment with jet-power was not a success and Campbell retired from record-attempts. He died in 1948.
1950s. Slo-Mo-Shun and Bluebird: Propriders to Turbojets
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
, near Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and improved on Campbell's record by 29 km/h (18 mph). The boat was called Slo-Mo-Shun IV, and it was built by Seattle Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
dealer Stanley Sayres. The piston-engined boat was able to run at 160 mi/h because its hull was designed to lift the top of the propellers out of water when running at high speed. This phenomenon, called ‘prop riding’, further reduced drag.
In 1952, Sayres drove Slo-Mo-Shun to 287.25 km/h (178.49 mph) - a further 29 km/h (18 mph) increase. The renewed American success persuaded Malcolm Campbell's son Donald
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
, who had already driven Bluebird K4
Bluebird K4
Blue Bird K4 was a powerboat commissioned in 1939 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record....
to within sight of his father's record, to make a further push for the record. However, the K4 was by now 12 years old, with a 20 year old engine and Campbell struggled to run at the speeds of the Seattle-built boat. In late 1951 K4 was written-off when it suffered a structural failure at 170 mph (270 km/h) on Coniston Water.
At this time, yet another land speed driver entered the fray. Englishman John Cobb
John Cobb (motorist)
John Rhodes Cobb was a British racing motorist. He made money as a director of fur brokers Anning, Chadwick and Kiver and could afford to specialise in large capacity motor-racing...
, was hoping to beat 320 km/h (200 mph) in his jet-powered Crusader. A radical design, the Crusader reversed the ‘three-pointer’ design, placing the floats at the rear of the hull. On September 29, 1952, Cobb tried for a 320 km/h (200 mph) record on Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
. Travelling at an estimated speed of 210 mph (93.9 m/s), Crusaders front plane collapsed and the craft instantly disintegrated. Cobb was retrieved from the water but had already died of shock.
Two years later, on October 8, 1954, another man would die trying for the record. Italian textile magnates Mario Verga and Francesco Vitetta, responding to a prize offer of 5 million lire
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
from the Italian Motorboat Federation to any Italian who broke the world record, built a sleek piston-engined hydroplane to claim the record. Named Laura III, after Verga's daughter, the boat was fast but unstable. Travelling across Lake Iseo, in Northern Italy, at close to 306 km/h (190 mph), Verga lost control of Laura III, and was thrown out into the water when the boat somersaulted. Like Cobb, he died of shock.
Following Cobb's death, Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
started working on a new Bluebird - K7
Bluebird K7
Bluebird K7 was a turbo jet-engined hydroplane with which the United Kingdom's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records during the 1950s and 1960s. Campbell lost his life in K7 on January 4, 1967 whilst making a bid to raise the speed record to over on Coniston Water.-Design:Donald...
, a jet-powered hydroplane. Learning the many lessons from Cobb's ill-starred Crusader, K7 was designed as a classic 3 pointer with sponsons forward alongside the cockpit.
The 26 ft (7.9 m) long, 10 ft (3 m) wide, 5 ft (2 m) high, 2.5 ton craft was designed by Ken and Lewis Norris in 1953-54 and was completed in early 1955. It was powered by a Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl turbojet of 3500 lbf (16 kN) thrust. K7 was of all metal construction and proved to have extremely high rigidity.
Campbell and K7 set a new record of 325.60 km/h (202.32 mph) on Ullswater
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than ....
in July 1955. Campbell and K7 went on to break the record a further six times over the next nine years in the USA and England (Coniston Water
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
), finally increasing it to 444.71 km/h (276.33 mph) at Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia in 1964.
Donald Campbell thus became the most prolific water speed record breaker of all time.
It must be noted at this time that the world speed record (200.42 mph) for piston-powered propeller-driven boats was held by the Miss U.S. I owned by George Simon. This record was set at Guntersville, Alabama in 1962 by Roy Duby. This record stood for 38 years.
1967
Donald Campbell arrived back at Coniston Water, scene of previous triumphs, in November 1966. Bluebird K7 had been re-engined with a Bristol Siddeley OrpheusBristol Siddeley Orpheus
-See also:-References:* Retrieved: 29 September 2008-External links:*...
jet rated at 4500 lbf (20 kN) thrust. His stated aim was to bump the record out of reach of the Americans, and push it beyond 300 mph (480 km/h).
The new attempt suffered many setbacks, both mechanical and weather-related, and by the end of 1966, Campbell's existing 276 mi/h record was still not broken. By the morning of January 4, 1967, mechanical problems with Bluebird had been solved and as the day dawned still, conditions seemed perfect.
Bluebird K7 was over a decade old, and an American called Lee Taylor was threatening the record with a new boat, Hustler. The patriotic Campbell desperately wanted a Briton to be the first to break 480 km/h (300 mph). His first run across the lake gave the appearance of being untroubled and was fast. K7 averaged 475.2 km/h (297.6 mph). A new record seemed in sight. Campbell applied K7's water brake to slow the craft down from her peak speed of 315 mi/h as well clear of the measured kilometre and at a speed of approx. 220 mph.
The wake caused by the water brake was very large from travelling at such high speeds, so Campbell had a choice to refuel and wait, before starting the mandatory return leg, for the lake to settle again or return quickly knowing that although the area where the water brake had been applied would be rough, the area immediately south of the measured kilo as well as the measured kilo itself would be undisturbed.
Campbell immediately turned around at the end of the lake and began his return run. Bluebird came back on her return even faster. At around 512 km/h (320 mph), just as she entered the measured kilometre, Bluebird began to lose stability due to her unprecedented speed, far in excess of anything that had been achieved previously in her long career. Finally, 400 m before the end of the kilometre, Bluebird's nose lifted beyond its critical pitch angle and she started to rise out of the water at a 45 degree angle. The boat took off, somersaulted and then plunged nose-first into the lake, breaking up as she cartwheeled across the surface. Campbell was killed instantly. Prolonged searches over the next two weeks located the wreck, but it was not until May 2001 that Campbell's body was finally located and recovered. Campbell was laid to rest in the churchyard at Coniston on 12 September 2001.
Lee Taylor, a Californian boat racer, had first tried for the record in April 1964. His boat Hustler was similar in design to Bluebird K7, being a jet hydroplane. During a test run on Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the lake's eastern shore. The lake has a capacity of . The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938...
, Taylor was unable to shut down the jet and crashed into the lakeside at over 100 mi/h. Hustler was wrecked and Taylor was severely injured. He spent the following years recuperating, and rebuilding his boat. On June 30, 1967, on Lake Guntersville
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
, Taylor and Hustler tried for the record, but the wake of some spectators' boats disturbed the water, forcing Taylor to slow down his second run, and he came up 3.2 km/h (2 mph) short. He tried again later the same day and succeeded in setting a new record of 459 km/h (286.875 mph).
1970s to the present
Until November 20, 1977, every official water speed record had been set by an American or Briton. That day Australian Ken WarbyKen Warby
Ken Warby is an Australian motorboat racer, who currently holds the Water speed record of 317.60 miles per hour...
broke the Anglo-American domination when he piloted his Spirit of Australia
Spirit of Australia
Spirit of Australia is a wooden speed boat built in a Sydney backyard, by Ken Warby, that broke and set the world water speed record on 8 October 1978.- The Record and Boat :...
to 464.46 km/h (288.60 mph) to beat Lee Taylor's record. Warby, who had built the craft in his back yard, used the publicity to find sponsorship to pay for improvements to the Spirit. On October 8, 1978 Warby travelled to Blowering Dam, Australia, and broke both the 480 km/h (300 mph) and 500 km/h barriers with an average speed of 511.12 km/h (317.6 mph).
Warby's record still stands today, and there have only been two official attempts to break it (although Campbell's attempt discussed in the previous section would have exceeded the value, it resulted in his death).
Lee Taylor tried to get the record back in 1980. Inspired by the land speed record cars Blue Flame and Budweiser Rocket
Budweiser Rocket
As the sole operator and calibrator of the radar that actually tracked the Budweiser Rocket Car during the speed of sound run at Edwards AFB, I have noted some incorrect statements provided in this article by the original author....
, Taylor built a rocket-powered boat, Discovery II. The 40 feet (12 m) long craft was a reverse three-point design, similar to John Cobb's Crusader, albeit of much greater length.
Originally Taylor tested the boat on Walker Lake
Walker Lake (Nevada)
Walker Lake is a natural lake, 50.3 mi² in area, in the Great Basin in western Nevada in the United States. It is 18 mi long and 7 mi wide, located in northwestern Mineral County along the eastern side of the Wassuk Range, approximately 75 mi southeast of Reno...
in Nevada but his backers demanded a more accessible location, so Taylor switched to Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
. An attempt was set for November 13, 1980, but when conditions on the lake proved unfavourable, Taylor decided against trying for the record. Not wanting to disappoint the assembled spectators and media, he decided to do a test run instead. At 432 km/h (270 mph) Discovery II hit a swell and one of the floats collapsed, sending the boat plunging into the water. The cockpit section with Taylor's body was recovered three days later.
In 1989, Craig Arfons, nephew of famed record breaker Art Arfons
Art Arfons
Arthur Eugene "Art" Arfons was the world land speed record holder three times in 1964 – 1965 with his Green Monster series of jet-powered cars, after a series of Green Monster piston-engine and jet-engined dragsters...
, tried for the record in his all-composite fiberglass/Kevlar Rain X Challenger, but died when the hydroplane somersaulted at 483 km/h (301.875 mph).
Current Projects
Despite the high fatality rate, the record is still coveted by boat enthusiasts and racers. Currently there are three major projects aiming for the record.Quicksilver
The British Quicksilver http://www.quicksilver-wsr.com project is managed by Nigel Macknight.The design was initially based on concepts for a rear-sponsoned configuration by Ken Norris, who had worked with the Campbells on their 'Bluebird' designs. As the project progressed it became clear that a different concept would be required. Ken Norris left the Quicksilver project and the design of the boat changed to the final front-sponsoned configuration in order to assure proper static and low-speed buoyancy and high-speed stability. Nigel Macknight has emphasised that though the design was changed significantly much of Ken Norris's design remains.
The design is of modular construction with the main body consisting of a front section with a steel spaceframe incorporating the engine, a Rolls-Royce Spey Mk.101, and the rear section a monocoque extending to the tail. The front sponsons are also modules, one of which contains the driver.
In March 2009 Nigel Macknight, Managing Director of the Quicksilver company and pilot of the boat, was declared personally bankrupt and had to step down because it disqualified him from holding any company directorships http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/issues/59009/pages/4801/page.pdf. At the same time the UK's Companies House issued a proposal to strike-off Quicksilver (WSR) from its register http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/53742b08d764a4d4bf251f306f172889/compdetails. The Quicksilver WSR Ltd company was struck off on 1st Sept 2009 but the company appears to have come back as QWSR Ltd. Companies house return shows the company have very little in assets. One Director and a Company Sec
Current work includes sample testing of bonded structures to aid design of the horizontal struts that attach the sponsons to the main hull. This includes conducting test cycles with the samples fully submerged underwater.
The current plan is to fit the rear hull section (stern module) followed by both sponsons in preparation for the first trials on water. In this initial waterborne form, the craft will be known as Quicksilver Dash 1 and speeds will be limited to 200 mph.
American Challenge
The American Challenge project http://www.americanchallengewsr.com, has been spurred into action by the new challengers. The American Challenge project is a consortium of businessmen, engineers, and motor-sport professionals focused on returning the World Water Speed Record to the United States. The pilot, Russ Wicks, has committed to bringing the World Water Speed Record back to the United States. Russ Wicks is currently known as the "Fastest American on Water" and holds the world record for the fastest propellor driven boat.Aussie Spirit
Ken Warby has built a successor to the Spirit of Australia http://www.kenwarby.com/introduction.htm. The new boat, Aussie Spirit, is of similar dimensions to Spirit of Australia and is powered by a Westinghouse J34Westinghouse J34
-See also:-External links:* http://www.arkairmuseum.org/engines/engine-westinghouse.php* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/systems/j34.htm...
jet engine.
Restoration of Bluebird K7
In 2001, Bluebird K7 was raised from Coniston Water by members of the Bluebird Project.Record holders
| mph | km/h | Craft | Pilot(s) | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70.86 | 114.04 | Hydrodome IV |  Casey Baldwin |
Bras d'Or Lake Bras d'Or Lake Bras d'Or Lake is a large body of salt water dominating the centre of Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Bras d'Or Lake is sometimes referred to as the Bras d'Or Lakes or the Bras d'Or Lakes system, however its official geographic name is Bras d'Or Lake as it is a singular... |
19 September 1919 |
| 74.870 | 120.492 | Miss America |  Gar WoodGarfield Wood Garfield ‘Gar’ Arthur Wood was an American inventor, entrepreneur, motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel over 100 miles per hour on water.... |
Detroit River Detroit River The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river... |
15 September 1920 |
| 80.567 | 129.660 | Miss America II | Gar Wood |
Detroit River | 6 September 1921 |
| 87.392 | 140.644 | Farman Hydroglider | Jules Fisher |
River Seine | 10 November 1924 |
| 92.838 | 149.409 | Miss America II | George Wood |
Detroit River | 4 September 1928 |
| 93.123 | 149.867 | Miss America VII | Gar Wood |
Indian Creek | 23 March 1929 |
| 98.760 | 158.938 | Miss England II |  Henry SegraveHenry Segrave -External links:* * * * *... |
Windermere Windermere (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... |
13 June 1930 |
| 102.256 | 164.565 | Miss America IX | Gar Wood |
Indian Creek | 20 March 1931 |
| 103.49 | 166.55 | Miss England II | 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:... |
Paraná River Paraná River The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language... |
15 April 1931 |
| 110.223 | 177.387 | Miss England II | Kaye Don | 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... |
31 July 1931 |
| 111.712 | 179.783 | Miss America IX | Gar Wood |
Indian Creek | 5 February 1932 |
| 117 | 189 | Miss England III | Kaye Don | Loch Lomond Loch Lomond Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish... |
18 July 1932 |
| 119.81 | 192.82 | Miss England III | Kaye Don | Loch Lomond | 18 July 1932 |
| 124.86 | 200.94 | Miss America X | Gar Wood |
St. Clair River St. Clair River The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan... |
20 September 1932 |
| 126.32 | 203.29 | Bluebird K3 | Malcolm Campbell Malcolm Campbell Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird... |
Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest of Italy and largest of southern Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.The climate is mild... |
1 September 1937 |
| 129.50 | 208.41 | Bluebird K3 | Malcolm Campbell |
Lake Maggiore | 2 September 1937 |
| 130.91 | 210.66 | Bluebird K3 | Malcolm Campbell |
Hallwilersee | 17 September 1938 |
| 141.74 | 228.11 | Bluebird K4 Bluebird K4 Blue Bird K4 was a powerboat commissioned in 1939 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record.... |
Malcolm Campbell |
Coniston Water Coniston Water Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level... |
19 August 1939 |
| 160.323 | 258.015 | Slo-Mo-Shun IV | Stanley Sayres, Ted O. Jones |
Lake Washington Lake Washington Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and... |
26 June 1950 |
| 178.497 | 287.263 | Slo-Mo-Shun IV | Stanley Sayres, Elmer Leninschmidt |
Lake Washington | 7 July 1952 |
| 202.32 | 325.60 | Bluebird K7 Bluebird K7 Bluebird K7 was a turbo jet-engined hydroplane with which the United Kingdom's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records during the 1950s and 1960s. Campbell lost his life in K7 on January 4, 1967 whilst making a bid to raise the speed record to over on Coniston Water.-Design:Donald... |
Donald Campbell Donald Campbell Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s... |
Ullswater Ullswater Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles long and 0.75 miles wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than .... |
23 July 1955 |
| 216.20 | 347.94 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Lake Mead Lake Mead Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was... |
16 November 1955 |
| 225.63 | 363.12 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Coniston Water | 19 September 1956 |
| 239.07 | 384.75 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Coniston Water | 7 November 1957 |
| 248.62 | 400.12 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Coniston Water | 10 November 1958 |
| 260.35 | 418.99 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Coniston Water | 14 May 1959 |
| 276.33 | 444.71 | Bluebird K7 | Donald Campbell |
Lake Dumbleyung | 31 December 1964 |
| 285.22 | 459.02 | Hustler | Lee Taylor |
Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Alabama Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the... |
30 June 1967 |
| 288.60 | 464.46 | Spirit of Australia Spirit of Australia Spirit of Australia is a wooden speed boat built in a Sydney backyard, by Ken Warby, that broke and set the world water speed record on 8 October 1978.- The Record and Boat :... |
 Ken WarbyKen Warby Ken Warby is an Australian motorboat racer, who currently holds the Water speed record of 317.60 miles per hour... |
Blowering Dam Blowering Dam Blowering Dam is on the Tumut River in Australia. It is part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Associated with the dam is the Blowering Power Station.... |
20 November 1977 |
| 317.596 | 511.13 | Spirit of Australia | Ken Warby |
Blowering Dam | 8 October 1978 |
See also
- Donald Campbell, Bluebird and the Final Record Attempt
- World Sailing Speed Record CouncilWorld Sailing Speed Record CouncilThe World Sailing Speed Record Council, founded in 1972, is the body authorized by the International Sailing Federation to confirm speed records of sailing crafts on water . In the early years the council only dealt with claims of speed records on a one-way leg of 500 metres...
- List of vehicle speed records
- Blue RibandBlue RibandThe Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...