Three points on a straight line

Puzzle Question: 

A, B and C are three points on a straight line, not necessarily equidistant with B being between A and C. Three semicircles are drawn on the same side of the line with AB, BC and AC as the diameters. BD is perpendicular to the line ABC, and D lies on the semicircle AC.
If the funny shaped diagram between the three semicircles has an area of 1000 square cms, find the length of BD.

Toughness: 
Tough