The Water Speed Record, that is the fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle, is
one of the most hazardous records to attempt in the world of sport.
Few people attempt it and even fewer survive.
As evidence of this point, since 1930 only thirteen people have attempted the record,
and seven of those were killed while trying.
Before we get into what the record is, who holds it and what machine they used to break
it, let's first discuss why it's so dangerous.
Take for comparison the land speed record.
If you were attempting the land speed record, whether out in the desert or on a tarmac track,
you'd first make sure your intended course was on a smooth surface.
Once you've confirmed there's no dips or bumps on the course, you can be confident you're
not going to encounter any when you take off.
Water, being a fluid, provides no such guarantees.
The condition of your course is constantly changing with waves, currents and wind.
While the surface of the water may look smooth and calm before you set out, there's not much
preventing you from encountering a disturbance in the water while you're travelling at extreme
speeds and battering your craft into it.
Another benefit the land speed record has it that the vehicle is combating air resistance,
rather than water resistance, which is obviously much greater - resulting in a water craft
requiring a lot more power to reach speeds comparable to a land vehicle.
These two factors, power and unpredictability - make the water speed record an incredibly
dangerous venture.
Before the turn of the 20th century, the record was held by steam-powered, propeller-driven
vehicles, like William B. Cosgwell's "Feiseen", a steam yacht that broke the record in 1893
with a speed of 31.6 mph (50.9 kmh).
Another notable record holder of this time is Charles R Flint, who founded the company
that would later become IBM.
His steam yacht "Arrow" broke the record in 1903 with a speed of 45.06 mph (72.5 kmh).
In 1911, the record was broken by the first gasoline-powered craft, the Dixie IV.
Piloted by Frederick Burnham the Dixie IV reached speeds of 47 mph (75.6 kmh).
Later that year, the Dixie IV was in a race when it lost control after crossing the wake
left by another boat, and lept into the crowd, cutting off a boy's leg.
The Dixie never raced again but its gasoline engine signalled a new era of experimentation
for the water speed record.
In 1919, the record would be broken by "Hydrodome Number 4", or HD-4, an early research hydrofoil
developed by Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, and engineer Casey Baldwin.
Baldwin achieved a speed of 70.86 mph (114 kmh) in HD-4.
In 1920, Garfield Wood set a new record of 71.43 mph (114.96 kmh) in a boat called "Miss
America".
In the following years he would build numerous new versions of "Miss America", and break
the record multiple times.
In 1928, Wood would set the record with Miss America VII - 93.12 mph (149.86).
At this point in time, the land speed record was being dominated by British drivers, and
some saw the American-led water speed record as a challenge to bring that honour to Britain
too.
To this end, Miss England was built, to be piloted by Sir Henry Segrave, who had held
a land speed record.
The boat was not capable of beating Miss America, and thus was built Miss England II, powered
by two Rolls-Royce aircraft engines.
In his first two runs in 1930, Segrave set a new world record of 98.8 mph (158.94 kmh).
However, on his third run, in an attempt to improve the record even further, the boat
flipped, killing both Segrave and his co-driver.
In 1931, Garfield Wood recaptured the record for the US at 102.16 mph (164.41 kmh).
But Miss England II was salvaged and repaired to beat Wood, this time with Irishman Kaye
Don at the helm.
Don took the record from Wood just a month later, with a speed of 110.2 mph (177.387
kmh), but in early 1932, Wood reclaimed it with 111.709 mph (179.779 kmh).
The British then built Miss England III, and Don broke the record twice in two runs, leaving
it at 119.810 mph (192.816 kmh).
Garfield Wood was determined to have the last laugh in this rivalry though, and so built
the massive Miss America X, powered by four supercharged Packard aeroplane engines.
In 1932 he set the record again, at 124.86 mph (200.943 kmh).
At this point Kaye Don declined to attempt any more records, and, satisfied he had bested
his rival, Garfield Wood also stepped away from racing.
The two men had traded the record back and forth numerous times, and their departure
from the scene marked the end of an era.
These two great rivals both lived into their 90's, a turn of events that may not have occurred
had they continued, as the record was starting to get dangerously fast, and it would only
get faster with new boat designs.
Another challenger, British man Malcolm Campbell decided he'd take on the record.
Campbell had set the land speed record multiple times in his iconic "Blue Bird" cars.
In 1937 he made his way into the water with "Blue Bird K3", a hydroplane powerboat that
set the water speed record to 126.33 mph (203.31 kmh).
Two years later, Campbell had a new boat, the Blue Bird K4, and with it, a new record
- 141.74 mph (228.11 kmh).
But the year was 1939, and soon the world had more important matters to attend to than
the water speed record.
After World War II, it seemed there was a new way forward for the record - the jet engine.
In 1945, Malcom Campbell renovated the Blue Bird K4 with such an engine, but he was unable
to break the record and retired.
He died in 1948 as the holder.
It wasn't until 1950 that the United States had a chance of reclaiming the record, with
Stanley Sayres' hydroplane, "Slo-Mo-Shun IV" setting it at 160.323 mph (258.015 kmh), and
then beating it again in 1952 with a speed of 178.49 mph (287 kmh).
The American recapture of the record inspired Malcolm Campbell's son, Donald Campbell, to
take it back in his father's memory.
He hopped on board his father's Blue Bird K4, but by now the craft was 12 years old,
and incapable of beating Slo-Mo-Shun.
It suffered a structural failure at high speed and was written off.
Donald Campbell would live to fight another day however.
Englishman John Cobb then stepped up to the plate, with his jet-powered speedboat, "Crusader".
Cobb was another multiple-time holder of the land speed record, but while attempting to
break the water speed record in Loch Ness in 1952, Crusader hit a wake at high-speed
and disintegrated, throwing Cobb from the craft.
When he was recovered from the water, he had already died of shock.
An outlandish theory claims the wake that destroyed Crusader was from the Loch Ness
Monster as it tried to escape from the boat.
Then for the first time, an Italian man attempted the record.
The Italian Motorboat Federation had offered 5 million lire for any Italian who could beat
the record, inspiring Mario Verga to build the hydroplane, Laura III, named after his
daughter.
In 1954 he attempted to break the record, but the boat lost control and somersaulted
through the air, throwing Verga.
Like John Cobb, he died of shock.
Donald Campbell then returned for another attempt at the record, this time with an all
new boat, the jet-powered Blue Bird K7.
With this beastly machine, Campbell dominated the water speed record, breaking it over and
over for years.
By 1964 his record sat at 276.33 mph (444.71 kmh).
He is the most prolific water speed breaker of all time, having broken the record seven
consecutive times over nine years.
Also in 1964, he achieved the land speed record in the Bluebird CN7 (403.10 mph/ 648.73 kmh).
It was the last time the record would be held by a wheel-driven vehicle, before it was taken
over by jet and rocket propulsion.
In 1964, Californian boat racer Lee Taylor attempted the record in his jet-powered boat,
"Hustler".
During a test run, Taylor was unable to turn off the jet, and Hustler crashed into the
lakeside at over 100mph (161 kmh).
The boat was wrecked, although Taylor survived, albeit severely injured.
In 1967, Campbell attempted to break the record for the eight time.
On his first run it seemed the revamped Bluebird K7 was about to break the record, but when
Campbell turned around for the return leg, he neglected to wait for the lake to settle
again and immediately sped off back into his own wake.
The Blue Bird became airborne, and cartwheeled across the water surface, killing Donald Campbell
instantly.
His body wasn't located until 2001.
Like his father before him, Donald Campbell left behind a legacy as one of history's greatest
speedsters, breaking both the land and water speed records.
Later in 1967, Lee Taylor reappeared with a re-built "Hustler".
He tried again for the record, but the wake left by spectators' boats disturbed the water
and he was forced to abandon his run.
Trying again later the same day, he set the record at 285.22 mph (459.02 kmh).
At this point, every water speed record had been set by just four nationalities - American,
Canadian, Irish and British.
In 1977, a whole decade after the record was last set, Australian Ken Warby took a shot
at it with his boat, "Spirit of Australia".
Warby's childhood hero was Donald Campbell, and he wanted to recapture the record from
Lee Taylor in Campbell's memory, just as Campbell had recaptured the record in his father's
memory.
Warby had built "Spirit of Australia" from wood and fiberglass in his backyard.
Evidently he did a good job, because he set the record at 288.6 mph (464.46 kmh).
With this, he was able to find sponsorship to pay for improvements on the boat, and in
1978 set the record again, at 317.596 mph (511.121 kmh).
This is a record that still stands to this day, and there have been only two official
attempts since then.
In 1980, Lee Taylor was determined to take the record back.
Inspired by the rocket cars now entering the land speed scene, Taylor built the rocket-powered
"Discovery II".
He tested it in Walker Lake in Nevada, but this was an inconvenient location for his
financial backers, and so he moved his attempt to Lake Tahoe.
When the conditions of the lake proved unfavourable, Taylor decided against trying for the record,
but he didn't want to disappoint his backers, or assembled spectators and media, so he tried
a test run instead just so demonstrate the craft's capabilities.
At 270 mph (432 kmh), Discovery II came apart and plunged into the water.
The cockpit was intended to float, but for some reason it failed to.
It was recovered three days later with Lee Taylor inside.
He had drowned to death.
In 1989, Craig Arfons attempted the record.
His family name held some prestige in the racing world, as his father had built the
world's first jet car, and his uncle was a multiple-time holder of the land speed record.
Arfon's craft, "Rain X Challenger" somersaulted just a few seconds into his run, sending the
cockpit into the water upside-down.
It was recovered three minutes later, and Arfons was resuscitated until his pulse returned.
He remained unresponsive however, and Craig Arfons was pronounced dead over an hour later.
Ken Warby's record still stands, although many have their eyes set on breaking it, some
who've had a place in water speed record history before.
Project Quicksilver is based on designs by Ken Norris, who had worked with the Campbells
on their "Bluebird" designs.
Ken Warby himself planned a return with Spirit of Australia II, which he had apparently worked
on with his son David, who may assume his father's mantle after his passing in February
2023.
But for now, the water speed record remains the possession of 1978.
For reference, the land speed record was last set in 1997.
The water speed record however, is obviously incredibly hazardous to attempt.
If you tried to beat Ken Warby's record, you'd be joining just two other hopefuls, both of
whom are dead - that means, attempting the current world record has a 100% fatality rate.
Most are probably happy enough to leave this record in 1978, and that's probably
for the best.