Blue Bird II: Vessel History

Blue Bird II was the last of three yachts owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell, renowned holder of the world land and water speed records prior to World War II. His earlier vessels, also named Blue Bird—like his record-breaking cars and powerboats—included a 29-ton yacht now known as CHICO and a 16-ton yacht called Bluebird of Chelsea. All three yachts participated in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940.

Constructed by the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Company and designed by the Scottish naval architects G.L. Watson & Co., Blue Bird II was intended as an ocean-going yacht capable of transatlantic voyages. Sir Malcolm Campbell planned to use her for treasure hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific, inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Islands. Delivered with five cabins, a dining saloon paneled in English oak, and a walnut-paneled smoking room, the yacht’s service was soon interrupted by the outbreak of war.

Requisitioned by the Royal Navy, Blue Bird II’s wartime activities included participation in the Dunkirk evacuation, as recorded in A.D. Divine’s historical account, although detailed records are scarce. A Royal Navy telegraphist provided a first-hand account of the vessel’s crew and operations during this period. In spring 1941, Blue Bird II served with the H.M. Customs Examination Service, staffed by two Royal Naval Reserve officers and sixteen crew members. Stationed west of the Bar Light Vessel, she monitored the approaches to the Mersey Main Channel near Liverpool, spending three-day periods at sea to inspect all incoming port traffic.

During frequent air raids on Liverpool docks and Birkenhead shipyards, Blue Bird II would quickly move to mid-stream positions to watch for enemy mines and approaching vessels. On one occasion, the yacht narrowly avoided destruction when a bomb failed to detonate nearby.

In September 1941, Blue Bird II was reassigned to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, to patrol the coasts of Ulster and Eire. Her mission was to intercept neutral cargo vessels and identify coasters in the channel approaches. The crew, many of whom had fishing backgrounds, improvised fishing gear to catch mackerel, which provided supplementary income and barter currency during visits to Lough Foyle. Periodic visits to Belfast Lough were made for degaussing, a process to reduce the ship’s magnetic signature and protect against magnetic mines.

Following the war, Blue Bird II was decommissioned. Sir Malcolm Campbell, by then seriously ill, was unable to pursue his original treasure-hunting ambitions. He passed away in 1948. In 1953, the yacht was sold to Jean Louis Renault, the French automobile manufacturer, who renamed her Janick and added crew quarters on the foredeck. Under Renault’s ownership, she cruised extensively in the Mediterranean.

Subsequently, Blue Bird II was acquired by Mr. E. Colberg and kept at Long Beach, California. In 1986, Bob Harvey-George and his wife Sheila purchased the yacht and sailed her back to Cornwall, completing a five-week voyage that demonstrated her seaworthiness while avoiding a Pacific hurricane. The vessel then underwent significant restoration, reverting to her original name, Blue Bird, and returning closer to her initial design. Teak planking recovered from a shipwreck in the Bristol Channel (1917) was used extensively on the deck. Her rigging, paneling, and paintwork were restored, and modern technology and comforts were discreetly integrated to preserve her classic elegance.

In 1995, Blue Bird II was sold to a Dutch deep-sea captain who, along with his wife Susan, restored her to immaculate condition over four years of dedicated work. Until 2004, she operated as a passenger charter yacht based in the Port of Rotterdam, cruising the Baltic Sea and the south coast of England.

Acquired by her current owner in 2004, Blue Bird II underwent a comprehensive three-year restoration in Palma de Mallorca. This restoration involved her original naval architects, G.L. Watson & Co., and Bannenberg Designs for the interior. In 2008, she was awarded the World Superyacht Award for Best Refit.

Originally built for treasure hunting in the Pacific Ocean near Costa Rica’s Cocos Island—a plan unrealized due to World War II—Blue Bird II fulfilled this goal in 2015 when her current owner and family navigated her to the island for the first time in her history.

Blue Bird II currently sails the Mediterranean Sea, serving as a mothership to a classic 1937 Sparkman & Stephens yawl.