Bluebird of Chelsea
Encyclopedia
Bluebird of Chelsea, formerly Bluebird, is a motor yacht originally built for Sir Malcolm Campbell.
s of Southampton, as a twin petrol-engined wooden carvel-built
motor yacht.
Campbell sold her after three years, as his motor-racing experience made him wary of the fire risks of petrol engines aboard. He was also highly superstitious and believed a gypsy warning that, "his death would come from the water". In hindsight, this may have applied more to his son Donald
.
. Soon she was on her way with the flotilla of Little Ships to Dunkirk. Not without two false starts though, first due to engine trouble and then over-crowding. Her return from Dunkirk was even more fraught: after first refilling the fuel tanks with water, then fouling her screws on debris, she returned under tow.
Her later wartime service was spent in Scotland performing transport work for the RASC
, then later on the South coast around Weymouth and Gosport
.
Her history after this is sketchy, although she was renamed Blue Finch and found herself on the Atlantic coast of the South of France.
H & T Marine (Hiscock and Titterington) of Poole
performed an extensive restoration, to the very highest quality. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongside Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Her condition today continues in this fine tradition.
A double-sided 1/24 scale plan feature by David Metcalf was included in a Model Boats magazine series in 1989.
Ownership by Sir Malcolm Campbell
She was built in 1931 by ThornycroftJohn I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
s of Southampton, as a twin petrol-engined wooden carvel-built
Carvel (boat building)
In boat building, carvel built or carvel planking is a method of constructing wooden boats and tall ships by fixing planks to a frame so that the planks butt up against each other, edge to edge, gaining support from the frame and forming a smooth hull...
motor yacht.
Campbell sold her after three years, as his motor-racing experience made him wary of the fire risks of petrol engines aboard. He was also highly superstitious and believed a gypsy warning that, "his death would come from the water". In hindsight, this may have applied more to his 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...
.
Dunkirk and WW2
She had three further owners before being requisitioned by the Admiralty at the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Soon she was on her way with the flotilla of Little Ships to Dunkirk. Not without two false starts though, first due to engine trouble and then over-crowding. Her return from Dunkirk was even more fraught: after first refilling the fuel tanks with water, then fouling her screws on debris, she returned under tow.
Her later wartime service was spent in Scotland performing transport work for the RASC
RASC
RASC may be:* Reconfigurable Application-Specific Computing, a specialized reconfigurable computer for high-performance computing* Research and Advocacy Standing Committee, part of the Singapore Children's Society...
, then later on the South coast around Weymouth and Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
.
Her history after this is sketchy, although she was renamed Blue Finch and found herself on the Atlantic coast of the South of France.
Survival today
In 1984 the Chelsea art dealer Martin Summers discovered her in France and decided to restore her. Some initial work in France made her apparently fit for a single-engined Channel crossing, but once again another engine failure meant that she returned from France under tow.H & T Marine (Hiscock and Titterington) of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
performed an extensive restoration, to the very highest quality. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongside Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Her condition today continues in this fine tradition.
Modelling
Two 1/12 scale models of Bluebird of Chelsea were featured in a magazine cover article.A double-sided 1/24 scale plan feature by David Metcalf was included in a Model Boats magazine series in 1989.