Bluebird of Chelsea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
|
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | Bluebird |
| Builder | Thornycroft, Southampton |
| Launched | 1931 |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Motor yacht |
| Displacement | 23 tons |
| Length | 52 ft (16 m) |
| Beam | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Draught | 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
Bluebird of Chelsea, originally named Blue Bird, is a historic motor yacht. It was first built for the famous speed record holder, Sir Malcolm Campbell. This boat has a long and exciting history!
Contents
The Bluebird's First Owner: Sir Malcolm Campbell
The Bluebird of Chelsea was built in 1931. It was made by a company called Thornycroft in Southampton, England. This boat was a wooden motor yacht with two petrol engines.
Sir Malcolm Campbell sold the boat after only three years. He was a motor-racing expert and knew that petrol engines on a boat could be a fire risk. He also had a superstition. A fortune teller had warned him that "his death would come from the water." Interestingly, this warning might have been more about his son, Donald Campbell, who later died in a water speed record attempt.
A Hero of World War II: The Dunkirk Evacuation
The Bluebird had three different owners after Sir Malcolm Campbell. Then, when World War II started, the British Navy took control of it. The yacht became one of the "little ships" that helped rescue soldiers from Dunkirk in France.
Getting to Dunkirk was tricky for the Bluebird. It had to turn back twice! Once, the engine had problems. Another time, too many people tried to get on board. The journey back from Dunkirk was even harder. First, the fuel tanks were accidentally filled with water. Then, the propellers got tangled in floating debris. In the end, the Bluebird had to be towed back home.
After Dunkirk, the Bluebird continued to help in the war. It worked in Scotland, moving supplies for the RASC. Later, it served along the South coast of England, near Weymouth and Gosport.
After the war, the boat's story becomes a bit unclear for a while. It was renamed Blue Finch and ended up on the Atlantic coast of Southern France.
The Bluebird's Amazing Comeback
In 1984, an art dealer from Chelsea named Martin Summers found the Bluebird in France. He decided to bring it back to its former glory! Some initial repairs were done in France. The boat seemed ready for a trip across the English Channel with just one engine. But, just like before, the engine failed again! So, the Bluebird had to be towed back from France once more.
A company called H & T Marine in Poole then did a huge restoration project. They worked hard to fix and rebuild the boat. After all this work, the Bluebird was launched again in 1986. Today, it can be found docked at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea, looking as good as new!
See also
- List of Bluebird record-breaking vehicles
