Our Search for Crusader
2000 - 2019

On September 29 1952 John Cobb, the famous Brooklands racing hero, holder of many speed records, died after his boat Crusader disintegrated after hitting a boat-wake during a world water speed record attempt on Loch Ness. He became the fastest man on water (206.89mph) though did not achieve the record since the accident occurred before he could complete a second run over the measured mile.

At the end of the measured mile Crusader disintegrated after hitting a mysterious wake. John Cobb's body was swiftly pulled from the water by his support team and the wreckage from crusader sank to depths of over 200m.

Smaller floating pieces of the boat, none 'bigger than a card table' were collected and burned on Temple Pier.

Later, a memorial cairn was built at the loch-side by the people of Glenurquhart to the memory of a "gallant gentleman".

An enquiry was held the day after the crash at the Drumnadrochit Hotel. It concluded that the accident resulted from a wake rebounding from the loch's steep sides.

In 2002, that enquiry was reconvened by the Loch Ness Project which set out to search for the wreck as a 50th anniversary tribute to Cobb's endevour. Using photography, archive film and digital image analysis, Adrian Shine began to plot the probable location of the wreckage of Crusader.

Over a period of 18 months Adrian identified strong sonar contacts during night searches of the area using M.V. Ecos and then M.V. Deepscan .

Skipper, John Minshull and Adrian spent many long nights sweeping the plotted line with sonar and mapping the site.


As they closed in on the wreck they were joined by Gary Richardson, manager of Loch Ness 2000 and by other Loch Ness Project members and volunteers including David Martin and Maralyn Shine.

Photographic help and inital calculations from Dick Raynor.

By June the Loch Ness Project felt confident that they had found at least a debris field. At this point Cabaco Marine Inc. were concluding work for the American Academy of Applied Science and wished to search for Crusader with their ROV. Adrian Shine presented the Project's data to the team. On Thursday the 4th July, Joe Caba and pilot Mike Nicholson of Deep Sea Systems began examination of the area.They were aboard the vessel Boy David (Skipper Ken and David Skea).

ROV Team -


On Friday 5^th July Adrian navigated the ROV over the search line and at 3pm what appeared to be someremains of Crusader, stark, angular and twisted pieces loomed out of the dark sitting quietly in 200m of water. But was it bits of Crusader?

Loch Ness Project and Kongsberg find John Cobb's Crusader wreck with its jet engine 28th April 2019.

It was another 19 years before the main wreckage of Crusader was discoverd when Adrian Shine arranged with a film company for Craig Wallace of Kongsberg to bring the Munin AUV for another search. Munin found the remarkably intact aft section of Crusader at the base of the steep north western 'wall' of the loch at a depth of 200m.

Craig Wallace arranged to examine the wreck by ROV and on 28th April Deepscan set out. Also on board, were John from Kongsberg, Skipper John Minshull and videographer Maralyn Shine. Alastair Matheson accompanied Gordon Menzies who brought his boat to steady Deepscan over the wreck for the final and successful confirmation of the discovery of Crusader with the jet engine still in place..

More images and the story to follow ...

Digital Imagery - Maralyn Shine, Loch Ness Project





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©A and M SHINE

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