Bluebird returns to Coniston
Open Country

Bluebird returns to Coniston

B1IntermediateMay 14, 202624 min
  • History

When Donald Campbell died on Coniston Water in Cumbria in January 1967, attempting to break his own water speed record it was, to many people, the end of an era. Many would always remember where they were when the images of Bluebird K7, the jet hydroplane he was piloting, crashing and disintegrating on the lake appeared on TV screens and the story broke across the world. In March 2001, after 34 years underwater, Donald Campbell’s ill-fated craft was raised from the deep by wreck-finder and engineer, Bill Smith. Later that year, at the request of Donald’s daughter Gina, his...

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  • 91% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 182 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
  • 76 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Got a private banking. Oh, God! He's blown up! She's run cartwheeling over and over.

1:09

What a terrible disaster. It just took off as far as I could see and turned over backwards. Did a complete somersault and dived back into the water just short of the end of the kilometre.

1:22

And then sank? As far as I could see, sank immediately. Anyone who saw the news broadcast back in January 1967 will remember that fateful moment when Donald Campbell tragically died

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