''Bluebird of Chelsea'', formerly ''Blue Bird'', is a motor yacht originally built for

Sir Malcolm Campbell Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1 ...

Ownership by Sir Malcolm Campbell

She was built in 1931 by

Thornycroft Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977. History In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its firs ...

s of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, as a twin petrol-engined wooden carvel-built

motor yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

. 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 is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

Dunkirk and World War II

She had three further owners before being requisitioned by the Admiralty at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She joined the flotilla of " little ships" of the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, though not without two false starts, 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 Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

. 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 () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

performed an extensive restoration. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongside

Cadogan Pier Cadogan Pier is a pier on the River Thames in London, UK. It is located on the North Bank of the river, immediately next to the Albert Bridge on Cheyne Walk near Chelsea Embankment. It has been Chelsea's only river transport link for over 150 ...

in Chelsea. "Bluebird – A Dream of a Boat in Six Acts (after Maeterlinck)"; author Martin Summers, ''Collectors Books 1990''

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.

References

{{National Historic Ships Bluebird record-breaking vehicles 1931 ships Individual yachts Motor yachts Little Ships of Dunkirk Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels

Ownership by Sir Malcolm Campbell

Dunkirk and World War II

Survival today

Modelling

See also

References