Bluebird of Chelsea
| 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,formerlyBlue Bird,is a motor yacht originally built forSir Malcolm Campbell.
Ownership by Sir Malcolm Campbell[edit]
She was built in 1931 byThornycroftsofSouthampton,as a twin petrol-engined woodencarvel-builtmotor yacht.[1]
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 sonDonald.
Dunkirk and World War II[edit]
She had three further owners before being requisitioned by the Admiralty at the outbreak ofWorld War II.She joined the flotilla of "little ships"of theDunkirk evacuation,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 theRASC,then later on the South coast aroundWeymouthandGosport.
Her history after this is sketchy, although she was renamedBlue Finchand found herself on the Atlantic coast of the South of France.
Survival today[edit]
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) ofPooleperformed an extensive restoration. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongsideCadogan Pierin Chelsea.[2][3] [4]
Modelling[edit]
Two 1/12 scale models ofBluebird of Chelseawere featured in a magazine cover article.[5]
A double-sided 1/24 scale plan feature by David Metcalf was included in aModel Boatsmagazine series in 1989.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"National Historic Ships: Bluebird of Chelsea".National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2008.
- ^"Dunkirk Little Ship: Blue Bird, now Bluebird of Chelsea".1999. Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2008.
- ^"Thames Traditional Boat Rally".2002. Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2008.Retrieved20 March2008.photograph
- ^"Bluebird – A Dream of a Boat in Six Acts (after Maeterlinck)"; author Martin Summers,Collectors Books 1990
- ^"Bluebird of Chelsea".Marine Modelling International.January 2008.