Water Speed Record Crash: John Cobb Killed (1952) | Sporting History

John Cobb Dies in gallant attempt on World Water Speed Record. Cobb was a British racing motorist who broke the land speed record in 1939. In 1947 he raised his own land speed record to 394.19 mph (634.39 km/h). In 1952, he was attempting to break the world water speed record at Loch Ness, Scotland at speeds in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h). The boat hit an unexplained wake and Cobb was killed. Loch Ness Monster believers claimed the wake was caused by a large animal.
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[@mrcaboosevg6089]

240 mph, in 1952... Even now that would be a ridiculous speed on water

[@Paganiproductions84]

Their are some turbine powered catamaran that have reached that speeds or getting close to that

[@2mallyb]

@@Paganiproductions84 * there

[@kevinmunday5782]

Its insane, but balls of steel tho.

[@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11]

@@kevinmunday5782 Not balls of steel. Immense stupidity. He knew is was extremely dangerous, but still he did it. For what? Being fastest? What good is that?

[@straybullitt]

@@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11 Have you ever legitimately wanted to be the absolute best that there is at something? Or was it satisfactory that your mother always told you that you were the greatest?

[@compressionratio]

I noticed some of the negative comments on John Cobbs attempt at the water speed record. It's interesting to see a whole generation at the time seemly supported men like this and their bravery. Yet now, a few generations in the future, lot of people see these acts of bravery, more like acts of pointless stupidity. I think that's a real shame, as it dishonours those that 'tried' and died trying. It's easy to sit infront of a screen and criticise, but I doubt those that do, would have the courage to do what they did..

[@Sazed0]

Not everything that's old is good. Just because they appreciated him back then doesn't make him immune to criticism now. Neither does being dead. Values change, we're not as reckless now.

[@EOHRyan]

EvTav We're not as reckless now? What about the guys who die in Motorsports yearly? Same concept.

[@naughtydog201]

EOHRyan Not to mention BASE jumpers

[@weatheranddarkness]

Well maybe. Bloodhound SSC has been in progress for ages, to say nothing of Quicksilver WSR. There aren't any slapdash speed record projects these days, they're all incredibly long and heavily researched.

[@RatusMax]

The newer generation is like this because of video games, automated robots, etc. There is no need to place ourselves in harms way anymore to conduct experiments.

[@grahamsowerby6087]

I was surprised to see the boat going under the water as opposed to lifting off, which is what you would expect. Amazing speed and courage!

[@garypeatling7927]

Bottom of boat probably ripped off , a little damage would soon escalate

[@BrianMorrison]

@@garypeatling7927 The planing step on the bottom of the Crusader was known to be weak and to require strengthening. The dynamic stability of the design was not good and the crash was due to hitting a few small wake swells from his previous run that had not dissipated but instead reflected off the shore of the Loch. The extra force applied caused the underside of the hull to rupture and dig in, the momentum of the engine and hull then completed the sequence.

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

Often been said that it hit a piece of unseen driftwood, rather than lifting from speed.

[@Cola64]

@@malcolmnicholls2893 or nessy

[@VidarrKerr]

All I could think of is why oh why he did not have a force triggered ejection seat. Maybe they designed one after this accident.

[@SirBeauJangles]

An old friend of mine witnessed this. He'd travelled from his home in Kintail on the other side of Scotland to watch the speed trials, he never forgot the horror of that moment. There was a real air of tragedy in the community, getting into the newsreels for the wrong sort of reason.

[@xaviermoorman6247]

how old is this buddy now?

[@SirBeauJangles]

@@xaviermoorman6247 Angus was about 25 years older than me. He's been dead a long time. Thats the kind of question asked to cast doubt on what was said, but quite why anyone would claim to know a fictitious person makes no sense to me. Angy went totally blind in later life and was a well known figure in Kintail where he ran a travelling shop from a van before he lost his sight. He was "larger than life" and I was proud that he was a friend. He left a wife and son when he eventually died at Erskine.

[@VidarrKerr]

@@SirBeauJangles I didn't doubt your story at all. But, this is the internet and most of these kids are completely surrounded by -- immersed in -- lies day in and day out. Most don't have fathers and any kind of role model to learn from. So, they have that to deal with on their own, so when they see other peoples' stories, especially about something "Great", or "Famous", they right away think people are lying.

[@itwontcomeout5678]

@@SirBeauJangles thank you for sharing with us his story

[@marknorris1381]

Sort of like if you'd been in the crowd when they launched the Challenger. Terrible to see.

[@georgefitter7656]

Men like John Cobb inspire others to follow their calculated dreams enabling mankind to achieve greatness! Thanks to all the John Cobbs of the world!

[@gertnood]

.."and then the orchestra played a dissonant chord - we knew then that something was about to go wrong."

[@localbod]

The Cobbmeister looked older than I had imagined him to be when he had this accident. What a legend.

[@gotham61]

Hard to believe he was only 52. He looks like an old man in this clip.

[@brucekain6045]

rose white Probably because we were piss poor after the war and still on rationing, make and mend was the order of the day plus we were having to pay the yanks back ' lease-lend ' and for those ' past by sell date ' useless destroyers they sold us, most of them were 20 years old when we bought them and if not sunk were broken up before 1950.

[@gotham61]

Bruce Kain That makes no sense. Cobb was a very wealthy man.

[@erics9754]

rose white I am proud of being British. No wonder the British culture is disappearing with people like you.

[@SmoothCriminalAaron]

52 in the 1950's was like 70 Today.

[@andyelliott8027]

rose white I'm ashamed of being English when i see the X-factor or Britain's Got Talent or any other chav shit like that.

[@timcolledge3732]

RIP John Cobb , a great man.

[@doriangray2020]

He was an idiot and he failed. Nothing great about that..

[@anthonypetty9288]

@@doriangray2020 I'm guessing the only knowledge you have of him is from this video? Reading your first comment, I would ask you to supply the reasoning behind your assertion of him being an idiot. I'm interested to see whether your assertion is based on what you know now, thanks to the past 70 years of experimentation and research, a lack of understanding of the thought processes of those people who challenged themselves and the technology of the time, or something that I haven't considered or included? Cheers.

[@maicolx7776]

Big ego, small lose.

[@John-yy1oy]

"A great English man"

[@ryanmedic789]

@@doriangray2020 He was a pilot in WW2, he set land speed records, he was awarded The British Empire Trophy in 32, Seagrave trophy in 47, Queen's Commondation for Brave Conduct in 53.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Well I'm 72 and still drag-racing and doing Top Speed runs on my drag-bike. I certainly agree about some (but not all) of these young whipper-snappers, to put it politely, who think they know everything and mostly know f-all!

[@ppmaster2410]

@@Lanceolson4586 ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Ok

[@Drobium77]

@@Lanceolson4586 worst comeback ever....

[@getupstairstobed]

RIP Pete

[@Sylvillian]

how does your body handle that tupe of force?

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

@@getupstairstobed RIP? I'm not dead yet, despite a crash off my drag bike last year. Now rebuilt and ready to go again in 2021 and I'm 79 now. Cheers.

[@radiator0]

That thing looked like it could go to space. What a fantastic looking boat. Such a shame he didn't do it. R.I.P. John Cobb.

[@knightowl3577]

In 1952 Cobb was risking all at the age of 52, which in those days was well beyond middle-age. When other men of the same age were reaching for their pipes and slippers he was still reaching for new speed records. A great Englishman indeed. RIP John Cobb.

[@garettanderson6772]

We are dying younger now what are you talking about?

[@Derry_Aire]

You've described a fantasy world there bro. Coal miners, factory workers etc certainly weren't reaching for their pipes and slippers at 52 in 'those days'. They still had 13 years of hard graft in front of them.

[@klaasj7808]

dont act like you are superior, its not like they lived in the stone age back in the 50s and everyone had to do hard labour. For god sake he was in the family business, thats why he had money for this hobby. so there wase not a alot of hard labour for him so also no reason to be far passed middle age.

[@fast03vette4me]

Where would we be without the unconfined brave spirit of man? A great accomplishment. Both then and now.

[@infinitecanadian]

Back in the days where you could still celebrate being 'a great Englishman'. R.I.P., John Cobb.

[@infinitecanadian]

***** Why? They still are Great Britain.

[@infinitecanadian]

***** And John Cobb was an Englishman.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

ENGLAND HAS ALWAYS "ROYALLY" SUCKED. ENGLAND WAS THE EXACT REASON THE USA WAS FOUNDED. THE FOLLOWlNG lS A FACT, YOU CAN LOOK lT UP........THROUGHOUT ENGLAND'S HlSTORY WlTH A QUEEN.........EVERY TlME THE QUEEN TAKES A DUMP, EVEN WHEN TRAVELlNG AROUND THE WORLD, A "SPEClAL BATHROOM" lS SHlPPED ALONG TOO & USED, WHERE SOME POOR SOUL HAS TO CRAWL lNTO A CUBBY-HOLE FROM THE REAR..........AND WlPE THE QUEEN'S ASS. SERlOUSLY........HOW SlCK &TWlSTED lS THAT???..........NO WONDER THE SUN NEVER SHlNES ON THAT DARK, DANK, EVlL PLACE.

[@infinitecanadian]

Howabouthetruth You see the key marked 'Caps Lock'? Yeah; you know which one I am talking about, don't you? It's the one beside the 'A' key. Please make sure it is turned off before typing.

[@jinxed_jinxed_3443]

Fook me lol pmsl :) You sure they have to wipe it, and not lick it clean?

[@ieuanharries429]

Looking at it in slow motion it looked like it hit a small tide caused by his previous run which made him bounce the smallest of margin but ended up the nose diving only the slightest but it was enough to cause a destructive accident. Rest In Peace John Cobb

[@Reece250]

No their was only 1 run that day one lap

[@klaasj7808]

there are other boats, he even passes a boat, and even a almost non moving boat/ship can create waves and the camera is also on a boat. Everyone should have left the water

[@GGiblet]

*a good & gallant Englishman!*

[@luisvillarreal5262]

Looked like that was his body thrown out and continuing the momentum ahead of the crash. R.I.P. John Cobb.

[@VidarrKerr]

Totally. I think it was.

[@commentatron]

Please don't be morbid, that was just his head.

[@BlueTrane2028]

@@commentatron he broke his neck but was not decapitated. Donald Campbell... different story.

[@AVportau]

the item that was thrown out front was probably something more solid like part of the turbine... the rest would be like a bug hitting a windscreen... i don't see any chunks of body work flying that far.

[@Calh92]

@@AVportau His body was thrown about 50 yards from the crash

[@Glen.Danielsen]

He hit the monster just below surface, darn it.

[@hydrogen2oxygen396]

Amazing that he actually survived the collision, he died from the shock later

[@larryslemp9698]

Collision???

[@mirror1675]

Collision with the Loch Ness monster?

[@boxhead7180]

Dunno. Can't find anything to support that. All the info I found said he was dead at the scene.

[@marklynch1305]

I’m pretty sure you can see him skip along the water so I think he died on impact

[@verscy8726]

@@marklynch1305 human bodies dont skip, heis body was most likely somewhere near the crash considering he only got thrown 50meters from the crash

[@spdwebdotnet]

I surmise that he pulled back on the throttle when the boat started to buck the second time. This caused the bow to tip down, possibly more, at the wrong moment. You cant submarine at those speeds. This is also, complete opinion, in no contest to the mans obviously brilliant driving skills to make so many runs.

[@innerspacesuit]

Yes, I agree. You can see the boat start to bobble and at high speeds, this effect is typically exacerbated. Precipitated by a poor design and/or a structural failure? Regardless, the incident appears to start before the crash. He did NOT hit a hidden hazard.

[@jezztech]

@@innerspacesuit . i am no expert , and not saying either way about the pro,s / con,s of the design but if its a hydro plane all the lift seems to be generated from the back, it doesn't seem logical, yes the weight of the engine is at the back but it was with K7.

[@davidsherman1206]

@@innerspacesuit Seems to be structural failure, as you say. The boat falls apart, rather than taking off

[@andrewferraiuolo9869]

1952 safety precautions-, “remain seated at all times”.

[@mickcarson8504]

That turbine engine sounds beautiful 1:26

[@birdieberry]

Clyde Lewis sent me here. Arguably, as disturbing at the JFK assassination or the Hindenburg disaster. Mrs. Cobb must've been devastated. RIP.

[@DoubleMonoLR]

I don't agree, a brutal public assassination, and a mass death using what was considered safe transport, is far from a death in what is inherently a very dangerous sport.

[@sharkusvelarde]

I remember watching documentaries on the Loch Ness monster back in the 70s. They always would speculate that Nessie had something to do with this crash.

[@finley4467]

He did collide with an unknown object in the water

[@texasrockshillcountry6574]

That "monster" was a beer bottle. The doctor who did the film confessed.

[@sharkusvelarde]

@@texasrockshillcountry6574 Ok that clears it up. Hopefully it was an empty beer bottle

[@texasrockshillcountry6574]

@@sharkusvelarde yes, it was. That's why it floated, thus perpetuated the hoax.

[@paulpaul5606]

Total legend. A great English man. Not many of them left today.

[@Cola64]

You have Austin Powers

[@johnarmstrong2679]

Speed addictive and dangerous! I know after 30 years of motorcycling but with nowhere near the courage of Speed Kings and Queens who pay the ultimate price for their passion!!

[@castor4357]

And Queen Mum lived for another 50 years...

[@donaldderp1602]

D:

[@sourwords1808]

C Astor she's dead now.

[@Tarheel13]

10,000 subscribers without a video I think he knows

[@Jannick999]

Queen Mum looks like the typical grannies that you can watch on youporn, crazy that she survived for additional 50 years

[@mixintl]

Wouldn't it be almost 70 years? 1952-2022...would be 70. She is 94 years old now. ...and was 26 in 1952.

[@Alan_Page]

Only reasonable explanation I can see is that some type of large, unidentified water creature interfered.

[@adamledwith7173]

lol

[@LuNaaaaaR]

You fool

[@drapollo3595]

Well it was Loch Ness

[@tahotoy]

Totally, he died. Hilarious. Thumbs up ! "Whats for lunch mom ?!" Right? The useless eater generation is yours, thank your apathetic parents for your early demise by darwin.

[@christopherlucy1772]

The monster got sick of him running over his head and buzzing him all the time..

[@weatheranddarkness]

Well this is the first time i've ever seen footage of this accident, and it kind of blew my mind how fast it just got devoured. I always thought being a tricycle arrangement and top heavy, that it had done similar to the Discovery II and cranked into a roll. Did the running surface at the front disintegrate? Only thing i can think of that would pull the front down SOO hard.

[@craicman4856]

Wonder if he started to throttle back a bit! Just a thought, remember the day and days along side the Lock waiting for weather conditions to be perfect, the Sunday before the accident the conditions were perfect, John Cobb respected the wishes of the locals not to race on the Sabbath. A very brave and respectable Gentleman.

[@carmelpule6954]

The boat was the wrong design for that high speed. Its center of gravity was high placed between two uplifting centers of pressures rather than having the center of gravity right above one center of pressure with an air or water stabilizer at the back. With the design as it was the front skid oscillated and changed its center of lift very quickly which led to an unstable pitching oscillation. Hence the pitch correction was too high acting as an automatic control system with very high amplification and little damping. The Australian design which had the center of gravity above the single center of pressure with a stabilizer at the back proved to be more stable at that higher speed. Donald Cambell made the same design mistake with his three-pointer acting as a Cunard craft!

[@weatheranddarkness]

@@carmelpule6954 What pitch correction are you talking about?

[@jeffp3415]

The speed run required smooth water. Film analysis shows he hit a wake which pitched the boat and caused the torque on it's structure. They don't know where the wake came from as the measured mile was shut off from all other traffic.

[@Steinwaygrande]

I was 8 years old when I was told of this tragedy by my Father. It seemed as if the world had lost something precious as everything for days went earily quiet

[@Cola64]

Lol

[@thatmanstumototours2270]

@@Cola64 That constant whistling noise is the empty space between your ears,btw...

[@stevenwade7466]

@@Cola64 What's so funny you stupid BAST--D

[@dustixo]

Fun fact: Some people say that a mysterious wave hit the Crusader when it was moving way too fast, and they also explained that inside the waves they noticed that a neck of a creature peeked out of the wave, so they say that Crusader crashed because of the legend and myth, The Loch Ness Monster.

[@talkingtom96]

Serious or joke?

[@dustixo]

@@talkingtom96 It’s probably both, scavengers haven’t yet found the truth about the lake. YET.

[@Nitramrec]

But ... aren't the Germans always the bad guys?

[@dustixo]

@@Nitramrec This was after World War II.. this happened in 1952

[@Whyusemyname]

I bet the disturbance in the water that killed him was caused by that large cruise ship or ferry he passed right before the accident. It wasn’t moving but still could’ve caused enough wake to cause that upset at that speed.

[@usmale4915]

Oh wow, this is just so, so sad. I would like to believe that he "passed away" doing what made him extremely happy in life.

[@TheWoodsroamer]

Why must KZbin block the screen with those ads ?

[@phillipboag]

to this day - nobody's died faster at loch ness. rip

[@ImMasteR_Shorts]

2:04 No One Note There Was A Rumour About Lochness ( A Very Mysterious Monster Was There) He Very Lucky That He Died By A Most Mysterious Thing On Our Planet Since Now Its Still A Mystery About That Monster.

[@afians707]

RIP John Cobb, Fastest man in The Water..

[@Del-Canada]

I remember watching this in the seventies and the narrator speculating the boat hit Nessie.

[@09weenic]

No such thing as Nessie - it’s a load of pish

[@samvloger9745]

who agrees this is so sad

[@scottgolden2766]

sam vloger It's sad but he was living life to the fullest. He probably didn't have enough time to think o crap so he was having a great time as it happened

[@jamesmacaskill687]

sam vloger i

[@loopi222]

sam vloger I agree with a stranger!

[@fortissimom.440]

Me

[@what-mj3kw]

sam vloger i

[@je7887]

And in 1967 Donald Campbell died on Lake Coniston (Lake District) with Bluebird K7

[@mattwarrensocal]

I don't like to watch things like this but what got me was balzac of steel and incredible camera work. Truly the monster was Loch Ness. OK had to work that in. Here all week.

[@MaartenvanHeek]

Like Jeremy Clarkson said: if he's Welsh, Scottish or North Irish, they will go in the books as a "British" hero. Unless they are English, of course then they are suddenly an "English" hero.

[@royfearn4345]

Yes, we can be remarkably unthinking at times but still it goes on, eh, David Coulthard?

[@stevefraser8071]

I live in Inverness only 10 minutes from loch ness I always Stop at the John Cobb memorial to pay my respects to A hero off speed records RIP SPEED KING

[@michaelh1889]

01:58 Once you hear THAT music.. HIT THE BRAKES !! ~:O

[@sixtyshippee]

Stopped at the memorial to John Cobb alongside Lock ness a few years ago still find it very moving.

[@ericgeorge5483]

SUCH A BRAVE MAN

[@commentatron]

Let that sink in.

[@ericgeorge5483]

@@commentatron What do you mean?

[@commentatron]

@@ericgeorge5483 It's a joke... I say, it's a joke, son. Doncha get it?

[@ericgeorge5483]

@@commentatron Yes and it was in extremely poor taste.

[@commentatron]

@@ericgeorge5483 Well, as Confucius once said, "Man with two first names should be looked upon with pity, and yet hope that one day he will learn to enjoy life and the living."

[@Chrisovideos]

Looked more like he reached a critical speed where the little wings that held the side pontoons had enough lift to pick up the back end causing the front to catch. Pretty amazing speed before he bought it. 52 was quite old for someone who did things like that. He clearly must have been meticulous in his design and testing to live that long. Surely though he must have assumed the odds would catch up to him eventually.

[@scottwalker8038]

the loch is a dangerous place, submerged logs and unexpected waves ..

[@A.C31]

And a monster to boot.

[@christianpedraza858]

@@A.C31 I personally don't believe the theory that the crash was caused by the Loch Ness Monster. Just because the accident happened at Loch Ness, does not mean it had anything to do with the monster.

[@redtale6527]

They say the boat had been damaged in a previous run and the damage was not picked up before his record run. This is a similar story to demise of the Tempo Alcoa which disintegrated while under remote control at 250+ mph in 1959

[@carmelpule6954]

I feel that the design was not suitable for high speed. The position of the centre of gravity acting downwards with respect to the centre of pressure acting upwards is very important in any fast boat and the fact that the thrust level was above the water while the drag was closer to the surface this contributed to a action which caused the nose to be pushed into the water repetitively, thus the centre of pressure on the central skid moved forward causing a larger up turning moment to bring the nose up, whereby the thrust brought it down again. this repeated action appears not to be damped because the centre of pressure pushing upwards kept moving more forward instanteniously to cause fast porpoising till the thrust line pushed the nose in at such an angle that there was not enough dynamic up lift nor displacement up lift at the front to bring the nose up. When the nose was immersed High drag decelerated the craft so fast while the forward gained momentum caused the driver to proceed forward out of his harness. I did not mention the adjoining complexity of a lifting body and the moving centre of lift due to aerodynamic lift. I feel that the craft could have been stabilised with using an airborne tailplane and a suitable rudder at the back. A related effect occurred with Cambell's boat but that included a higher dynamic body lift due to the body shape and the front outriggers to the side floats. Normally in a fast boat it is much better to have the centre of gravity at the back with the centre of pressure just behind it such that one gets the smallest footprint touching the water. This boat had a long and narrow footprint which oscillated in an undamped manner.I am sure that an airborne tail plane and a rudder would have helped. It is not so easy to design a fast water craft where the centre of gravity remains at the same position and the centre of pressure moving all over the place when operating the shallowest of waves heading into the bows, not easy at all to retained stabillity in all conditions. This is an engineering problem that has not been solved yet!!.

[@carmelpule6954]

rose white To design a planing craft with a long hull is not easy, because the pounding is so indeterminate in its location causing the hull to rotate, I accept that. I would feel more comfortable if as you say the centre of gravity is lifted by a small hydrofoil with the hull lifted out of the water aithout pounding and a great airborne stabiliser at the back/rear to keep the boat straight even when airborne and capable of flaring out. if need arises. Perhaps a pulling jet as the Caspian sea Monster , the Russian eraklon had the right idea for hulls travelling fast and" airborne"

[@carmelpule6954]

rose white I like Ken Warby's boat for many reasons. He not only had a large airborne stabiliser at the back but the sides of the boat had lips extended all the way back to add to the stability and what I liked was that he did not taper the back end to an feathered edge. I had noticed when designing rudders for fast cruisers (40 knots), that if the shape of the rudder was of the normal airfoil section with a feathered edge, these immersed rudders would not bite around the initial angles but will start biting after the rudder angle exceeded a certain angle. I designed rudders with a wedge shape section and aired the blunt trailing edge. This type of wedge rudder was effective at small angles. Ken Warby's sides had his wedge shape all the way to the back and I feel that it was a second reason why this boat kept so straight., as corrections were effective at small angles, obviously that airborne stabiliser was so useful. I feel that the boat was a cunard effect with some lift from the front due to water but I would wager that those two inlets reduced the pressure above the front that it lifted due to this inlet effect. In fact the lateral oscillations seemed precarious with such a narrow boat.( I would have added a small dihedral in the stabiliser. The precession effect of the engine, well with the craft remaining so straight I suppose the effect was there but not too worrying. Craig Arfos boat had no stabiliser at the back and so as it lifted its nose, somewhat like Cambell's boat, It was doomed, there being too much aerodynamic lift at the front.. I am too old for this game now and our local seas are too wavy and too solid for more than 80 mph.

[@carmelpule6954]

That it was a bad design was not so obvious, otherwise they would have been foolish to build it in the first place. It was not so obvious that it was a bad design.

[@rolfen]

Nowadays a computer controlled elevator would be a relatively cheap way of damping any oscillation. However we are 60 years later.

[@outdoors5352]

In a time when even Royalty appreciated the risk that speed men took. Hats off to you sir.

[@FubarGuy666]

What a wonderful way to go, so much better than gasping your final breaths intubated in a geriatric intensive care unit. Dr. Jack Kevorkian could not have done a better job!

[@AlwaysHalloween000]

i like your take on it ,agree 100%

[@veritylindsay7760]

He actually got saved but died shortly after...in pain and the thought of he never set the new record..

[@FubarGuy666]

@@veritylindsay7760 Well if he did survive for a while which I don't believe to be the case then at least he knee he died trying.

[@veritylindsay7760]

@@FubarGuy666 yeah it was the shock kind of like how a bird might die if it slams into a window-

[@garypeatling7927]

Was that him thrown out of boat bouncing along water top man

[@arnaudfauchere1769]

Merci pour la vidéo !

[@aleramone23]

Im pretty sure that thing ejected is his body.

[@marguskiis7711]

true

[@colleencrews9739]

He was extracted from the vessel just before it sank. He was very lucky to survive even that long.

[@Reece250]

@lucy bond he died later on

[@omegavladosovich6757]

That was the Loch Ness Monster which hit his boat. Boat traffic on large aquatic animals is not cool folks.

[@mfree80286]

@@colleencrews9739 A few milliseconds before, sure. His body was recovered 50 yards from the craft.

[@shaunelijah455]

I thought that he would go airborne and crash when he came down. A "nose dip" would never happen on a well designed hull. But, from the early days, unfortunately we "learn" from every crash

[@77chonyc]

Everybody that tries breaking the water speed ends up dying...

[@rnbttz7122]

Ken Warby, the current record holder, is very much alive.

[@77chonyc]

rnb ttz Well then, he better not try it again. Hehe

[@timone1002]

yes 80% of the people who have tried to break it have died

[@aleramone23]

77chonyc well ...the actual numbers are 84% of them.

[@mil0minderbinder]

+77chonyc Well, I'd say 100% of people end up dying...

[@sueneilson896]

The only water speed record holder who didn’t die in the attempt was Ken Warby, who still holds the record, from about 50 years ago!!

[@marguskiis7711]

Queen`s mother had the fatal handshake I see.

[@ghoward6797]

And Nessy hasn't been seen sense...

[@Secretarian]

I was in a movie theater in the 70's. Before the main feature, they played a short film about the Loch Ness Monster and used a clip of this crash as one of the "evidences" for its existence. The theory was that Cobb had run across the wake from Nessie cruising across the lake. Which induced an oscillation in the Crusader, which nosed under and disintegrated.

[@malcomlovejoy]

I used to read that Nessie was the cause of the crash,no foolin, I've seen a show about the recovery of his body before, I don't believe his body was found right away.

[@rodwarren2742]

Why go to Loch Ness for a speed trial, you gotta know Nessy would be there!

[@ghoward6797]

And Nessy hasn't been seen sense...

[@fonziebulldog5786]

By the time this happened they went over this accident again and again but could never find the real reason to why the boat suddenly behaved like it did.

[@jaqjaques]

the placement of those pontoons contributed to that crash in my very humble and slightly uneducated opinion

[@u.s.militia7682]

Omg. I’ve hit water at 30 mph and it felt like hitting concrete. There’s no way I’d go that fast on water or land.

[@commentatron]

Like you have a choice. Report to the dock for speed duty at 0500 hours.

[@King_Therion]

The balls of John Cobb were too big and too heavy for this world. I wish to have his bravery. Honour to whom honour is due.

[@joeletaxi821]

Britain was once a great country that did great things. Few countries could match our endeavour. I'm not so sure our younger generation or the foreign hoardes will enjoy what we have.

[@JD-gj2rj]

May that brave man rest in peace! To bad he didn't have a safety capsule like they do now! I'm sure he's part of why there is now!

[@californiadreaming9216]

J D a fair point. Keep in mind back then engine technologies and speed were advancing MUCH faster than safety. Cheers.

[@johnx9318]

You lost the message a bit when you slapped adverts all over the important scene.

[@Porsche996driver]

Man - the nose stuck in the water, I was waiting for the backflip.

[@robinbeckford]

That was Donald Campbell

[@1StIwY1]

No pictures of the body ?

[@AlwaysHalloween000]

it was the upper portion and skin of the Loch Ness Monster that he hit at 200 mph

[@omegavladosovich6757]

Jon-Erik Beckjord, who filmed bigfoot and Nessie and asserted they were paranormal beings, claims that he filmed an entity surface from Loch Ness with various animal faces on its back and John Cobb.

[@DavidMagann-ky3jj]

Great stuff, love the old school new school coverd in Baandaides.

[@alfx5432]

Long live John Cobb. R.I.P Sir

[@philippesauvie639]

Something failed catastrophically due to...monster? 🤔

[@theodoremartin6153]

Now the english are not allowed to play with knives , let alone jet engines .

[@Thomass7586]

He was making to much noise and woke up the monster who was trying to get some sleep. 🤣

[@tripjet999]

The Loch Ness Mobster.

[@Houndini]

I check this out more. Strange nose dive. rough waters but almost appear something broke on him way it went in.?? 1st time I seen this. Heard about it but not seen it before. Saw Campbell crash before but not Cobb. Water can be very hard learn that hard way water skiing behind fast boat & I crashed got bruised good.

[@Houndini]

Interesting clip. I bet them old timers be amazed at our carbon fiber now days. Can't tell if water too choppy or something broke. But is that him thrown forward rolling on water in front the boat? Almost same thing appear on Campbell crash too. Choppy water. Or ole Loch Ness monster.

[@MrFredSed]

The 'Crusader': Officially holds the Scottish Guiness record for the largest jigsaw piece in Scotland!

[@thunderlips5293]

To add insult to injury, he didn’t even get the record because ”the crusader” didn’t reach the second finish line before the boat sunk.

[@aaronisgrate]

is that him skipping like a stone at the end?? jeez

[@jefferyobryan6351]

Those were his balls skipping along, you need some xtra large ones to do 240mph in that death tub

[@adrianungureanu5261]

@@jefferyobryan6351 That's not funny.

[@uhpig8546]

@@adrianungureanu5261 mmk

[@filipferencak2717]

@Red Cup That actually was his body. He died during the crash and he was found around 50 yards in front of the Crusader.

[@Reece250]

@@filipferencak2717 no he died later on

[@KathrynLiz1]

I remember when this happened... such a pity. He held the land speed record with the Railton Mobil Special at just short of 400mph (best one way 403), I think in 1950. I saw his care at the Fesitval of Britain in 1951, and it was a long time before anyone went faster with a wheel-0pwered (rather than Jet) car. The boats are the most dangerous...... Malcolm Campbell died trying for a water speed record too....

[@jhanick]

all he needed was tree fitty

[@tylerbonser7686]

At least start at a buck o five

[@WaqarDepp]

R.I.P.

[@Coleanhydros]

A great Englishman

[@erepsekahs]

Which bank was the orchestra on?

[@twocentsopinion]

Never understood the need for speed, you cannot control a vehicle at such high rates of speed!! I am sorry he died but really it was dangerous

[@martyyoung3611]

No guts, no glory.

[@itsruf1]

observation: I have a 26" screen and the video is not all so bad. The was no wake? The boat hull failed.? It was taking a beating. Not the first British boat to have a catastrophic fail . . .

[@DougKoper]

Two lives were lost that day. John Cob and our beloved Nessie. The LAST plesiosaur on earth.

[@adriafitzy6459]

What makes you say nessie died, i think Nessie killed him

[@DougKoper]

Murder suicide

[@aleramone23]

Doug K omg that was funny.

[@DougKoper]

Both their deaths were sudden and they didn't have to suffer, most of all they both died doing what they both loved the most.

[@donaldderp1602]

He was riding Nessie, the lastest Plesiosauria.

[@fordxbgtfalcon]

Omg! Was that his body skipping across the water?!?

[@adrianungureanu5261]

No,I was surprised to find out too

[@Cola64]

No it was his free seat cushion from AARP

[@shunter4826]

Today’s ‘bravery & record setting challenges’ are eating tide pods or riding skateboards while drinking juice.

[@DukeLaCrosse20]

oh man, the nose dive... didn't think about that possibility.

[@nealdaleyjr7625]

He skipped like a well thrown stone. That alone has to be a record.

[@rawbacon]

52, looking at him you'd swear he was at least 72.

[@Cola64]

Cigarettes and whiskey and wild wild woman 👴🏻

[@SuperNevile]

@@Cola64 That's Keith Richards. John Cobb doesn't look any older than Jeremy Clarkson at that age.

[@lenafan492]

Personally, I blame the monster. It probably tried to shag the boat as it went past

[@Teuvide]

At 2:04 or 2:05, you can see the nose of the crusader start to go under the water. That could have been the reason. Maybe the boat started going under, and the water acted like some sort of wall and the speed of the boat against the water ripped it apart.

[@Shuturulsdad]

Loch ness monster caused the crash. He popped his head out as the boat passed by because he wanted to know if Cobb, could give him tree-fiddy

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Boat wasn't designed for the speed that the engine made it go

[@commentatron]

I believe that was the exact quote from the engineering section summary of the accident report.

[@honestjohn1129]

He’s the only person to have found & hit the lock ness monster