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John
Rhodes Cobb
(December 2, 1899 - September 29, 1952) was a British
racing motorist. He made money as a director of fur
brokers Anning, Chadwick and Kiver and could afford to
specialise in large capacity motor racing. He was born
and lived in Esher, Surrey, near the Brooklands
race track.
Design
excellence: John Cobb's Railton-Mobil Special achieved
394.196 mph using two supercharged Napier Lion aero
engines housed in a neutral teardrop body. Power
was 1,250 hp @ 3,600 rpm per engine - the car weighed
3 tons. It is thought this car inspired Ken
Norris and indeed Ken once mentioned to the BE3
designer, that research into what had gone before was
an essential part of developing a modern LSR vehicle.
John Cobb
- 1900-1952
You
could be forgiven for thinking the lightweight
alluminium body shown above was that of the Bluebird
cn7, however, it is being lifted from the the Railton-Mobil
Special, revealing smaller wheels. The car was
designed by Reid A Railton who previously designed
cars for Parry Thomas and Malcolm Campbell.
He
held the ultimate lap record at the track driving the
24 litre Napier Railton at an average speed of 143.44
mph achieved on 7th October 1935. Driving the
piston engined, wheel driven Railton Special he broke
the Land Speed Record on August 23, 1939 at a speed of
350.20 m.p.h. Without this being beaten he raised the
record to 394.19 m.p.h. in 1947.
The
record was unbeaten until 1963 when it was narrowly
surpassed by Craig
Breedlove in the jet powered Spirit of America.
During World War II he
served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force and between
1943 and 1945 in the Air Transport Auxiliary. He
reached the rank of Group Captain. He died
attempting to improve the water speed record at Loch
Ness in the jet speedboat Crusader at a speed in
excess of 200 mph. There is a memorial to him erected
by the people of Glenurquhart. He is buried at Christ
Church, Esher.
The
petrol engine lost the wheel driven record to
the jet powered Bluebird
cn7, but shortly after the Summers brothers raised
the record above that of the cn7's 403.1 mph to
409.277 mph using 4 V8 petrol engines, in Goldenrod.
Teardrop
bodyform of the Railton Mobil Special
On
the 29th of September 1952, John Cobb made an attempt
at the world water-speed record on Loch Ness. The boat
he was to use in his world record attempt was built by
Vospers Ltd., was based at Temple Pier, Drumnadrochit
and was called 'Crusader'. He was attempting the
double, he already held the world land speed record at
over 390 mph. Loch Ness was chosen because of it's
length and straightness. Because Loch Ness has a
prevailing southwesterly wind this would be one of the
deciding factors on which day to make the attempt. The
water would need to be flat calm in order to reach
high speed without hazard. The distance Cobb had to
cover to gain the official record was 1 statute mile
but in both directions and an average speed being
calculated for both runs. The run had been measured
and marked by two large milestones, one on either side
of the Loch, and can still be viewed today. The
timekeepers where to be supplied by the M.M.A. (Motor
Marine Association).
'Crusader's'
jet engine was tested many times on the run up to the
official attempt, the same engine fitted to the
'Comet' jet airliner, a De Havilland Ghost which
produced a 5000 lb static thrust, who's ear shattering
whine could be heard reverberating around the Glen.
The construction of Cobb's 31 ft long speedboat was of
aluminium and marine ply making it a light,dynamic
vehicle.
John
Cobb's Crusader jet powered WSR boat
For
a number of weeks Cobb gradually pushed Crusader ever
closer to the record during test runs and was quietly
confident of victory. The world media by this time was
beginning to assemble hoping to witness history in the
making and the 'Glen's' population was agog with
excitement. As each day dawned the anticipation for
perfect conditions was overwhelming, this particularly
affected the local school children who wanted to be
present when the attempt took place. Mr Cobb's press
officer, Mr Angus Barr, asked the public to refrain
from boating on the Loch during calm weather so
'Crusader' could be tested safely.
On
Friday 5th September Cobb held two speed trials, on
both occasions the boat handled well. The second trial
was faster than the first. 140 mph for the second
trial and 20 mph slower on the first. Then 'Crusader'
was lifted out of the water for a 48 hr inspection.
Friday 12th September. 'Crusader' back on the loch,
did a double run between Drumnadrochit and
Invermoriston. Cobb was confident he had beaten the
world record in the run to Invermoriston. The record
was held by an American, Mr Stanley Sayres, at 178.4
mph.
By
the 16th of September the equipment used by the
timekeepers to measure 'Crusader's' speed over the
measured mile was in position in the area where the
attempt was to be made. By this time patience was
wearing thin, time ticked by waiting for the right
conditions.
Tuesday
23rd September. Before 8am in the morning 'Crusader'
was lowered into the water and Cobb took her for
another trial run. Shortly after 8am he shot forward
to the run in to the measured mile. A side wind blew
her slightly off course. After that false start he was
towed back and she streaked off on the measured mile
once again reaching over 180 mph. The official timing
for that trial was announced later by Lt. Commander
Bray of the M.M.A., 185.57 mph for the outward trip
and 161.71 mph on the return giving an average of
173.14 mph. An attempt was to be made on Friday the
26th of September for the official record but had to
be postponed because it was reported that flood water
from the River Garry was bringing driftwood i.e. tree
trunks into the loch.
When
the morning of the 29th arrived conditions were far
from perfect, slight ripples on the surface of the
water .By almost 9.30 am conditions had worsened, then
events took a turn for the better in that surface
conditions had improved dramatically. At 11.25
am 'Crusader' was again put in the water at Temple
Pier and the official observers boat 'Maureen' set off
to land the timekeepers at the Drumnadrochit end of
the Loch. The 'Maureen' had reported the timekeeper
were ashore at 11.50 am. At 11.55 am 'Crusader's'
engine was started and she catapulted out at an angle
from Urquhart Bay. Cobb came round to his starting
point and revved his engine up to full power.
'Crusader' rose in the water and the attempt was under
way, the time was almost 12 noon.
John
Cobb and Crusader on Loch Ness
With
a slight burst of spray in front and a trail of white
foam behind she skimmed over the course and reached
the second marker. As 'Crusader' reached 200 mph
eyewitness accounts say she was hardly touching the
water when she came out of the measured mile. Then
'Crusader' started to decelerate to make the second
run but hit a wave causing her to bounce twice, she
recovered for a second but the next moment the
horrified spectators saw the boat plunge in a whirl of
spray and foam, flaked with flying wreckage. There was
no audible explosion but the boat gave the appearance
of bursting apart. Hopes for Cobb's safety was roused
when the yellow light attached to his safety apparatus
bobbed to the surface. The 'Maureen' made her way to
the floating debris and lowered a small boat which
reported Cobb had been found. The news brought an
immediate call over the radio for a doctor and
ambulance, but later it became clear Cobb was dead,
probably killed instantly.
His
body was taken by fast motor boat to Temple Pier where
a large silent crowd waited for news. As the report of
his death grew from a rumour to a certainty the
spectators left and Temple Pier lay deserted. The
disaster had been watched by Mrs Cobb from a point
above the measured mile. Later she was driven back to
Inverness and at 4 pm left by car for London.
Mr Cobb's body was taken to the Royal Northern
Infirmary, Inverness where a postmortem examination
was carried out. Wednesday 1st October.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Inverness to
bid farewell to John Cobb, as the hearse left the
Royal Northern Infirmary heading for Surrey.
The
timekeeper's log stated that before the disaster Cobb
was travelling at 206.89 mph, this is the fastest time
ever recorded over water but cannot count as a record
as the attempt must be made over two runs in opposite
directions. The record holder, Stanley Sayres
fastest speed for a one way run was 185.57 mph. Cobb's
manager said "What John did was to be the first
man to travel in water at over 200 mph".
Crusader
in transit
"Of
records and record breakers, I would remind you that speed
is relative to time. What we consider slow now, was
unthinkable in years gone by. However, each time a
contender goes out onto the field of battle, he or she
faces the same hurdles, the same fears and financial
challenges as those before us, and most importantly of
all, has to muster themselves to boiling point make it all
happen. In the end, players will either triumph or
fail, but in doing so, show others where to, and where not
to tread. All too often players pay the ultimate
price. Whether they raise Man's technical mastery up
another notch or not, history should remember every last
one of them - for they were players." (Nelson
Kruschandl December 2005)
Nelson
Kruschandl
LINKS
:
Hydroplanes
and Racing:
Hydrofest
Hyrdroplane
& Raceboat Musuem
World
Water Speed Records
Hydros
Seattle
Outboard Association
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