Iconic Bluebird K7 returns to Lancashire for conservation work

Volunteers from the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, Cumbria, brought the famous vessel to BAE Systems' Warton site, where essential work has been carried out to help preserve the craft for future generations.

Bluebird K7 returned to Coniston Water in May, marking a significant moment for the vessel which set four world water speed records on the lake during the 1950s and 1960s.

The iconic Bluebird K7 hydroplane which set multiple world speed records has undergone repairs at BAE Systems facility in Lancashire (Image: BAE Systems)

The hydroplane was destroyed during a record attempt in January 1967, when speed king Donald Campbell was killed.

After lying on the bed of Coniston Water for more than three decades, the wreckage was recovered in 2001.

The vessel was subsequently rebuilt by volunteers involved in the Bluebird Project before being handed over to the Ruskin Museum in 2024.

Museum director Tracy Hodgson said the latest trip to Lancashire was necessary to ensure the hydroplane could be properly conserved.

She said: "The Bluebird K7 has had a live engine in it since she was run at Coniston in May and we needed to carry out work to inhibit the engine and systems to preserve them.

K7 broke water speed records up until a fatal crash in 1967 (Image: Bluebird K7 Festival; Ruskin Museum)

"We simply do not have the space to be able to carry out the work at the museum and therefore approached BAE Systems for help and they were able to accommodate our volunteers."

The visit represented something of a homecoming for Bluebird K7.

The hydroplane was originally built by Samlesbury Engineering, a company based near Samlesbury Hall, close to where BAE Systems now employs around 5,000 people at its Warton and Samlesbury operations.

Brothers Ken and Lew Norris, whose engineering company began by repairing and maintaining military aircraft during the Second World War, were commissioned by Donald Campbell to build the record-breaking craft in the 1950s.

Bluebird K7 achieved its first world record in 1955, reaching 202.32mph and beginning a remarkable chapter in British engineering and motorsport history.

The latest work at Warton will allow the historic hydroplane to return to the Ruskin Museum in a conserved state, helping to preserve one of the most famous speed record machines ever built.