I know nothing will come back
An evil heart beats in the clock.
Only sometimes will respond
Sun, something eternal in us.

I remember the 85th year. Novorossiysk, the ship "Ivan Franko" is standing at the pier. To me, a five-year-old kid, then it seemed simply huge in comparison with river boats.
Now there is no "Ivan Franko" - like most of the Soviet naval fleet, he ended his life on the "Beach of the Dead" in Indian Alang, someone - in Pakistan or Turkey.
This post is a memory. About the fleet that we once had. And I really want to hope that again handsome liners under the Russian tricolor will sail the seas. But for now - alas - it's a dream. Someone will say - all over the world ships are cut into metal. I do not argue. But instead of the departed, new ones appear. And we are still deaf. Not even used ones. This is sad.

Motor ship "Ivan Franko" leaving Alexandria, 1993

motor ship "Mikhail Lermontov" arrives in Tilbury, 1985. Sunk off the coast of New Zealand on February 16, 1986 (was on charter there). 1 person died.

In total, there were five such ships in Sovtorgflot. The first yatyrs - Ivan Franko, Alexander Pushkin, Shota Rustavelli and Taras Shevchenko
- built in series from 1964 to 1968. Lermontov stood apart here - it was built in 1972, according to a partially modernized project. The fate of the ships of the series is as follows - Ivan Franko, Shota Rustavelli and Taras Shevchenko were cut into scrap metal in 1997, 2003 and 2004, respectively, Mikhail Lermontov sank in 1986, only one ship remains alive - Alexander Pushkin (built in 1965) - now he called Marco Polo. But its prospects are vague, since the vessel does not comply with SOLAS-2010 standards, and the required conversion to these standards, although insignificant, is very expensive.

ASSEDO (ex-Shota Rustavelli) in the Kiel Canal, 2003

turboship "Maxim Gorky"

One of the last veterans. Now it has already been practically dismantled for metal in the Indian Alang. The history of the vessel is as follows - it was originally built as transatlantic liner. But he didn’t manage to work especially on the transatlantic line - almost immediately Hamburg (as the ship was originally called) got under cruises. Built in 1969, the ship was purchased by the Soviet Union in 1973. Almost immediately, the ship begins to work with tourists in different parts the globe. In the 90s, the ship returned to Germany and worked "under the wing" of Phoenix Reisen. Already in the 2000s, problems with turbines and boilers begin. And the rising cost of fuel. They tried to sell the ship more than once, and at the end of 2009 it was sold for scrap. There were repeated attempts by German enthusiasts to buy it (with the return of the old name) and install it in Hamburg as a museum ship. But alas, in December 2009, the ship arrived at its last anchorage. At the moment, the cutting is at the final stage.

turboship "Fyodor Chaliapin"

This is from the breed of British trotters. Cunard realizing that at least the old queens will still get out due to prestige - the future is far from such giants. Nevertheless, the British still hoped that the transatlantic would live. Boeing and others like them slammed hope. The fate of the "small three" of Cunard - the liners Ivernia, Frankonia, Carmania - turned out to be questionable. Two liners - Ivernia and Carmania in 1973-1974 were bought by the USSR. Our transport workers came to the yard - especially in the Far East - Ivernia went there, becoming "Fyodor Chaliapin". Then he was transferred to the CHMP. Carmania (formerly Saxonia) went to the Black Sea under the name "Leonid Sobinov". Chaliapin was dismantled in 2004, Sobinov - in 1999.

turboship "Leonid Sobinov"

In general, it should be noted here that the main focus of the work of the Soviet maritime fleet was for the most part transport, rather than cruise. This was especially evident in the Far Eastern Shipping Company. Another feature of the passenger fleet of the USSR was its diversity - in contrast to the river fleet, which in the 50s began to be actively updated with serial ships (at the same time, many old non-serial steamers remained until the mid-late 60s). A significant influence here was the small number of shipyards in the USSR that could build sea ​​vessels. The shipyards were loaded for the most part with orders for the cargo and navy. Construction abroad was not cheap, since the shipyards of the socialist countries, again, in the mass were either on the rivers, where it was impossible to carry large ships, or were loaded with orders from the Ministry of River Fleet. Construction at the shipyards of capitalist countries was very expensive. To a large extent, the loading of maritime shipyards (especially in Vladivostok and the Black Sea) was also due to the very difficult repair of old sea trophy ships. In the Far East, "libertos" - sea transporters of the Liberty type, built during the war years in the USA, "turned on the heat" "turned on the heat". A simple and unpretentious vessel, but which was essentially "disposable". After the war, they were driven to the shipyards, the metal on the skin was almost completely changed. Until recently, one Liberty was still alive - it was the cargo steamer "Odessa", which stood in one of the harbors of Vladivostok and was used as a floating ship.
In general, until the mid-70s, the passenger fleet held on to pre-war ships quite strongly - this was the trend all over the world. Cheap fuel, well-developed ships and lines - all this made it possible to go on the "old men".

ship "Admiral Nakhimov"

This photo is unique (thanks to Vitaly Kostrichenko, a seafaring enthusiast, you can now find quite a lot of quite unique photographic material on domestic ships on shipspotting) in that it was taken in Wismar, Germany, during the reconstruction of the ship.
The ship was built in 1925. Original name "Berlin". The ship was lucky as a drowned man in the literal sense. Like many large ships of that time, Berlin was built for the transatlantic line. But unlike his colleague "Bremen" (which went to the British and was mercilessly sawn into nails), his task was not in the records for the blue ribbon of the Atlantic. It was a ship for transporting customers across the ocean is simpler. After the Nazis came to power in Germany, the ship was removed from the transatlantic line and began to work under the auspices of the KDF (an analogue of our trade unions). During the war, Berlin becomes a transport. In 1945, she was scuttled in shallow water by her crew. After the division of the fleet, the ship was transferred to the USSR. After lifting, she was sent to Newcastle, where hull repairs were made, after which the ship was transferred to Wismar to the Matias Tessen shipyard. Repair of the ship continued until 1955. The ship was originally supposed to go to Far East, but at the very last moment his fate changed and he stood on the Crimean-Caucasian line of the Black Sea Shipping Company. And "Asia" went to the Far East. The ship had to put on a military jacket again during the Caribbean crisis - it made several voyages to the shores of Cuba. The Admiral Nakhimov sank abeam Cape Doob when leaving Novorossiysk on August 31, 1986. Dry cargo ship "Pyotr Vasev" hit him on the side. You can read more about the disaster here - http://admiral-nakhimov.net.ru/stat.htm
There were 897 passengers on board at the time of the crash. 359 people died.

1945 Here in this form "Berlin" went to the Soviet Union

"Admiral Nakhimov" in the port of Novorossiysk

steamship Der Deutsche. As a result of the division of the fleet, he ended up in the USSR, renamed "Asia". Scrapped in Japan in 1967

steam turbine ship "Soviet Union"

This ship was rightfully considered the flagship of the Far East shipping company. Built in Germany by order of HAPAG in 1922 and named after the first president and founder of the company - Albert Ballin. Ballin committed suicide in 1918 on the day of the German surrender. On account of HAPAG before the First World War - the blue ribbon of the Atlantic. Turboboat "Deutschland" snatched it literally from the British.
Albert Ballin was the fruit of a different doctrine. Realizing that it was unrealistic to snatch the "Blue Ribbon" from Britain, the company followed the principle - Comfort and size over speed. In speed, the new ship was certainly inferior to the queens, but in terms of comfort and carrying capacity it even surpassed them. A total of four such vessels were built. After Hitler came to power, the ship was renamed Hansa. After the war, Hansa goes to the Soviet Union along with the Hamburg liner of the same type. I must say that the ships were repeatedly modernized in Germany. The most radical modernization was carried out in the winter of 34/35, when the bow of both liners was lengthened by 10 meters. This, coupled with the tuning and modernization of turbines and boilers, gave an increase in speed to 19 knots. Hansa became " Soviet Union"and went to the Far East as passenger liner(taken over by the shipping company in 1955), and Hamburg became the whaling base "Yuri Dolgoruky"

"Soviet Union" lead to the harbor

As part of the FESCO, the ship worked until 1980. It passed another modernization of the machine in Hong Kong in 1971. In the late 70s, the ship became a training ship. Cut up in Japan in 1982-1983.

"Soviet Union" in Kamchatka, 70s

turboship "Baltika"

The history of this vessel began in 1939. The government of the USSR for the Baltic Shipping Company ordered two ships of the same type in the Netherlands - "Vyacheslav Molotov" and "Joseph Stalin". Already in the first days of the war, ships were mobilized and turned into military vehicles. During the evacuation from the Hanko Peninsula, both ships came under fire. "Stalin" lost speed and control. The current carried the ship to the shores of Estonia, where it was sunk by the fire of German batteries. According to another version, the ship was blown up by a mine. In 1945 the ship was raised and towed to Tallinn. According to various sources, in the same year it was butchered in Tallinn, according to others - in Polish Gdansk.
"Molotov", after the war, initially stood on the Leningrad - New York line, then was replaced by the "Russia" d / e. For some time, Molotov worked first in the Far East, and then in the Black Sea, after which he returned to the Baltic.

off the coast of Kamchatka, 1955

turboship "Vyacheslav Molotov" on the Black Sea

In 1957, the ship was renamed "Baltika". In the same years, N. S. Khrushchev made a visit to Great Britain on it.

turboship "Baltic" near Rendsburg, Kiel Canal, 1967

Already under the rule of L. I. Brezhnev, the ship fell into some kind of "disgrace" - Khrushchev's visit had an effect. After that, the ship for the most part works on the internal lines of the Baltic. In 1984, the Baltika turbo ship was decommissioned, and in 1987 it was cut into scrap metal in Denmark.

ship "Abkhazia" in Yalta, 1940

"Abkhazia" goes on a flight

June 1942, Sevastopol

As a trophy, the USSR received the unfinished motor ship MARIENBURG, the construction of which began in 1939. In 1955, he became part of the Cheromorsk Shipping Company under the name "Lensoviet", and in 1962 - another renaming - now "Abkhazia". Initially, the ship was built to work in the Baltic as a ferry between the ports of Germany and East Prussia. Cut into metal in 1980 in Barcelona, ​​Spain

"Abkhazia" in Sochi, 1972

1975 on the right is the false pipe "Victory"

"Victory" in Sochi, 70s. The ship was stripped for metal in 1977. We see "Victory" in the film "The Diamond Hand" - the hero of Yu. Nikulin boards the ship "Mikhail Svetlov" (in real life d/e "Russia"). And on the pier behind "Russia" is just "Victory" - the former German Iberia (not to be confused with Kunard's "namesake" built in 1954)

motor ships "Tajikistan" and "Victory" (right) in Yalta, 70s

There is no need to provide a photo of this vessel. "Mikhail Svetlov tu-tu", "Russo tourist, morale", "Our people don't go to the bakery by taxi" - of course - this is the Rossiya diesel-electric ship. As already noted, episodes of the foreign cruise of the film comedy "The Diamond Hand" were filmed on board the ship. In the film, the ship was called "Mikhail Svetlov".
Of all the captured liners of the USSR, "Russia" received in almost perfect condition.
The liner was built in Germany in 1938. This despite the fact that the keel of the liner was laid down in 1937. It took 14 months from the moment of bookmarking to the first flight! The liner was named "Patria" (Motherland). It is the Motherland, not Adolf Hitler. Once launched "duck" still roams the open spaces. But then, in 1938, the Patria became the largest diesel-electric ship, a bold move for the time.

Patria in the Norwegian port of Hammerfirst. Photo of 1938 (from the collection of Ya. Pichenevsky)

In 1945, the ship was transferred to the USSR. After working for some time on the Leningrad-New York line (where she replaced the Vyacheslav Molotov), ​​in 1948 Rossiya embarked on the Odessa-Batumi line.

1948 The ship is already painted white

The diesel-electric ship was decommissioned in 1984, in 1985 the ship was sold for scrapping, by the end of 1985 it arrived in Singapore, from where it went to Japan for scrapping, where, apparently, by the end of 1986 it was dismantled.

motor ship "Ilyich" - the former German Caribia. In the Far East, as part of the FESCO, its sistership, Rus (ex Cordilera), also worked. Rus was decommissioned and sold for cutting in 1981, Ilyich - in 1983, cut in Japan at the end of 1984 in Japan.

"Rus" in Vladivostok

motor ship "Koperatsia"

"Cooperation" is one of the " last mohicans"The first merchant fleet of Soviet Russia. Built in 1928 in Leningrad, she first worked on the Leningrad-London line carrying passengers and cargo. During the war she became a military transport, in the post-war years she worked on different lines, repeatedly went to Beirut (these flights are described in the story of B. A. Remenya "In a foreign port, far from home") and Alexandria. In 1979, the ship was transferred to Interlighter and became a floating hostel. It stood on the site of the current port of Ust-Dunaysk. In 1987, the ship was sold for cutting and by the end of 1988 cut into metal in Egypt.

ship "Emperor Peter the Great"

Built in 1913. During the First World War, it was used as a hospital ship on the Black Sea. Subsequently, the steamer repeatedly worked in different basins. For some time he worked at FESCO (at that time it was called "Yakutia"). After returning to the Black Sea, the ship was returned to its original name - "Peter the Great". Broken down into metal in 1973.

In 1938, two liners of the same type were built at the Blom und Voss shipyard by order of Romania - Basarabia and Transilvania. After Romania capitulated, her fleet was divided. Basarabia remained in Romania, while Transilvania was transferred to the Black Sea Shipping Company and renamed "Ukraine". The ship was decommissioned in 1987. In general, the 87th was the last for many old ships - the Nakhimov disaster affected. Basarabia was cut into metal already in the 90s.

Transilvania in Yalta, 1972

ship "Vologda"

Built in 1930 in Danzig. Worked on the North Sea. During the war - escort transport. In 1956, Wismar underwent modernization. Then he worked on the line Murmansk - Gremikha. Decommissioned in 1975 and used as a hotel. Broken down for metal in 1981.

after modernization in Wismar

Alas, of course, not all ships are here. Everything has its time.

In the first half of the XIX century. The basis of progress in science, technology, and economics was the use of a new type of energy - steam energy. The further development of the fleet was due to achievements in the field of metallurgy and rolled metal. Especially - the invention of armor plates for use in iron shipbuilding

At the beginning of the XIX century. in Russia began the construction of steam ships. The first such vessel in Russia, the Elizaveta, was designed and built in 1815 by Karl Byrd, the owner of an iron and copper foundry in St. Petersburg. With only 4 liters. with. power, the machine gave the steamboat (as the steamboat used to be called) a speed of about 9 miles per hour.

Russia's first steam ship "Elizaveta"

In 1823, about a dozen steamboats were built on the Volga, including those with two machines with a total capacity of up to 40 hp. with. And in 1843, in St. Petersburg, a steamship company "On the Volga" was formed, which had several steamships with machines of 250-400 hp. with. capacity ("Volga", "Hercules", "Samson", "Kama", "Oka", etc.), dozens of heavy barges. This society lasted until 1918.

Diesel ships

In 1903, the Sormovsky plant in Nizhny Novgorod built the first diesel motor ship for the Volga Shipping Company - a self-propelled tanker barge "Vandal" with a displacement of 1150 tons, with three diesel engines of 120 liters each. with., and diesel-electric transmission to the propellers. "Vandal" became the world's first diesel ship and diesel-electric ship at the same time.

The first motor ship in the world is the Vandal oil barge.

By 1913 in different countries There were more than 80 diesel ships in the world, 70 of them were in Russia. As for steamships, by 1913, through the efforts of all six shipping companies of the country and the government, their number was increased to 1016 (with a total displacement of 487 thousand tons), and sailboats became 2577 (257 thousand brt). The Russian fleet ranked 8th in the world after the fleets of England, Germany, the USA, Norway, France, Japan, and Italy. At the same time, own steamships, accounting for 65% of the commercial fleet of Russia, could provide only 8% of sea freight.

Creation of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade (ROPiT)

In January 1856, the adjutant wing N.A. Arkas and well-known entrepreneur-shipowner N.A. Novoselsky. They proposed to create a commercial shipping joint-stock company on the Black Sea with a large number of modern steamships for cargo and passenger traffic At the same time, they specified that in the event of war, these ships could be used for the military transport needs of the country.

On August 3, 1856, Emperor Alexander II approved the Charter of the ROPiT (Russian Society of Shipping and Trade). Thus was born what later became the largest Russian shipping company.

By 1860, the Society had more than 40 steamships, and 30 of them had great prospects: all of them were in operation for no more than 3 years.

Steamer ROPiT "Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna" stands at the pier in Saratov.
Approximately 1910 (Photo from the archive of Alexei Platonov)

Since 1863, the Society, replenishing the composition of the fleet, began to build new screw post-passenger steamers and wheeled goods passenger ships mixed swimming. In addition to Lazarev, Kornilov, Nakhimov, Chikhachev, Grand Duke Mikhail, Grand Duchess Olga and General Kotzebue, by 1870 another 11 steam schooners for cargo transportation across the Sea of ​​Azov were put into operation.

With the construction of the Suez Canal (1869), new prospects opened up, and ROPiT ships began to sail to India, China, and the Far East (Vladivostok).

Creation of the "Volunteer Fleet"

In the period 1873–1883. sharply increased public attention to the needs of the fleet. In this regard, a Society was founded in Moscow to promote Russian commercial shipbuilding (for patriotic donations). The idea of ​​creating the "Voluntary Fleet" society appeared, caused by the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1878.

All over the country, fundraising was held for an organization that would have fast and capacious ships, allowing them to be quickly converted and armed, making them auxiliary cruisers in case of war. About 4 million rubles were collected, and in 1878 the society was created.

First, Dobroflot purchased from the Germans cargo-passenger steamships, which immediately became registered in the navy as auxiliary cruisers: Moskva, Petersburg, Rossiya. Henceforth, a tradition was established: to call all new ships by the name of the centers of the provinces - "Nizhny Novgorod", "Ryazan", etc.

Since 1879, the charter of the Volunteer Fleet society provided for the possibility of using its ships for military purposes in case of war.

The work of Dobroflot began with the transportation of Russian troops from Varna and Burgas, participating in the Russian-Turkish war of 1878. regular flights to the Far East. Soon the management came to the conclusion that it was necessary not to buy, but only to build ships for society - this is more profitable. True, to build not only at their own factories, but also abroad. The first steamship - "Yaroslavl" according to the drawings of the English cruiser "Iris" was ordered in 1880 in France.

Until 1896, a series of 6 ships of 4500-5600 tons with a displacement came from England to Russia. As a result, before Russo-Japanese War"Dobroflot" has already advanced to the 2nd place after ROPiT. Its cargo turnover reached 196,000 tons per year.

Postcards from the early 1910s dedicated to passenger and freight
steamships "Dobroflot": "Simbirsk" and "Ryazan".

Boris Vasilyevich Kurylev, who passed away in October last year, left a photo archive of passenger ships. Today, this photo archive has temporarily migrated to our office.

And now river passenger ships of the past are looking at us from photographs. Paddle steamers 737 of the project are a milestone in the history of many Soviet river shipping companies. Now they are no longer in operation, and the century of most of them was short-lived - few of these ships served for more than thirty years. But at one time such vessels were widespread on many Russian rivers. And they were built in a large series in the 1950s, filling the need for shipping companies in the passenger fleet after the war. These ships were built first in the USSR, but most of them were built in Hungary.

Boris Vasilyevich photographed many of them during his travels along the river. I post some photos here. One could talk a lot about each ship, but I will limit myself to only small comments. The photo at the beginning of this material, taken in 1963, shows the Perm steamship of the Kama River Shipping Company.

Steamboat "Pavel Bazhov", 1960.

The ship "Vyacheslav Shishkov". The photo, apparently, was taken no later than the mid-sixties, because then the ship was transferred from the Kama Shipping Company to the Dnieper. There, in the early 1970s, he was commanded by Captain Vadim Mikhailovich Lapidus, who later moved to Leningrad and worked as a captain on the four-deck ships Alexander Ulyanov and Sergey Kirov. It was extraordinary interesting person remembered by everyone who had a chance to communicate with him. He is always remembered very fondly.

The ship "Yaroslav Galan" below Gorky, 1959.

Steamboat “V.A. Zhukovsky, Kostroma, June 9, 1965. Who lived at that time, can you remember what you did that day? Oddly enough, sometimes it works. You, for example, rested in Yalta. And the ship "Zhukovsky" at that time was approaching Kostroma with passengers. By the way, the Zhukovsky is a long-lived ship (of course, by the standards of this series): it was one of the last to be decommissioned in the European part of the USSR, after navigation in 1985. Almost all his life, the ship sailed along the passenger line Moscow - Ufa. Tickets for the steamers of the line could be bought at river ticket offices, including those in Moscow. And very simple. Here he came from the street and bought very inexpensively. Well, not always, of course, but if by chance there was an unallocated place in a six-seater cabin.

I could not help but scan "Mayakovsky", since photographs with him are a rarity. This ship worked for a very short time, and then disappeared.

The same - and with "Eduard Bagritsky". Like the Mayakovsky, this ship worked in the Volga-Don Shipping Company in the 1950s.

Steamboat "Vladimir Stavsky" in the Aksai EW, 1976. Here, a quarter of a century later, the legendary Volga steamships Volodarsky and Spartak ended their lives.

Steamboat "Kyiv", 1960.

Steamboat "Ivan Kadomtsev", July 1966, Gorky.

The ship "Anton Makarenko". This ship, unlike its counterparts, which were usually involved in transport lines, lived a "tourist" life. For many years "Anton Makarenko" worked on the "Moscow Round the World" and on other routes with tourists.

Steamboat "Volgograd" on the Moscow Canal.

Steamboat "Demyan Poor" on the Moscow River.

The steamer "40 years of the Komsomol" (former "Rybinsk"). Most likely, between 1962 (renaming of the vessel) and 1964 (transfer of the ship to the Dnieper). That is, a rather rare frame on which the already renamed ship was captured back in the Volga basin.

Steamboat "A. Serafimovich", 1963.

Steamboat "Ufa". Together with V.A. Zhukovsky" this ship worked on the Moscow - Ufa line until 1985. And in the photo he is depicted in his youth, in 1961.

Steamboat "Sergeev-Tsensky" in Kasimov.

Steamboat “A.P. Chekhov, 1963. In the next navigation, he will go to the Dnieper.

Steamboat “A.F. Pisemsky" on the Moscow channel, August 2, 1972. What did you do that day? I wasn't born yet, but I planned to do so within the next few months. In general, if I am not mistaken, I was in Kyiv that day. That is, my mother was there, and, it turns out, that I was. However, since I have no idea how long before the birth the soul moves into the body, it is quite possible that on that day I was not in Kyiv, but enjoyed last days in the subtle worlds before the next incarnation. And, wow, at the same time, just like now, there was a channel named after Moscow, along with passenger steamers and joyful river travelers on the decks. There is a suspicion that all this will safely exist after us.

Steamboat “N.G. Pomyalovsky.

The ship "Sergey Alymov".

Steamboat “I.S. Nikitin.

Well, this is just a photo from the deck of the steamer 737 of the project approaching the pier.

Steamboat “K.M. Stanyukovich" from the deck of some ship of the same type. Today it is the only vessel of this type that has been preserved in a tolerable condition in the European part of Russia, but without any special prospects for work.

Steamboat "Vladimir Arseniev".

Steamship "Sverdlovsk"

The Ryazan steamer stood idle opposite the White Town for many years until it burned down. And in the photo he is alive and on a flight with passengers.

Here it is - in a perspective familiar to most river tourists. Suitable for Uglich.

The ship "Evgeny Petrov" departs from the Volga pier. And behind him, some diesel-electric ship 785 of the project approaches her.

Steamboat "Stalingrad" in Gorky. Later it was renamed Volgograd, and at that time it worked on the Moscow-Gorky passenger line. The line ran along the Moscow River and the Oka.

These are the photos of the steamships of the 737 project that have already become historical. Next time I will scan photos of ships of another series. Good evening!

Let's listen to him: The largest river vessels.) So here it is, in a nutshell...

One of the oldest ways of transporting goods is transportation by river. Previously, some cargo that could float could be transported by alloy, they were simply dumped into the river and caught downstream. Today river transport cargo is carried out with the help of a developed network of river transport. Although the entire territory of Russia is riddled with large and small rivers, the river cargo turnover is only 4% of the total cargo turnover in the country.

There are quite a lot of goods transported by rivers, and, basically, these are goods that do not require fast or urgent delivery. Such cargoes include grain, oil products, fuel (coal, coke), building materials (for example, river sand with delivery), that is, bulk and bulk cargo. However, it is possible to transport goods in small containers and containers on river vessels, however, this depends on the type of vessel and its capacity.

All river vessels can be divided into twoe big categories:

1. Ships equipped with an engine, that is, self-propelled. This includes motor ships, steamships, boats, motor boats, etc.
2. Vessels without an engine, that is, non-self-propelled. These are primarily cargo barges, as well as pontoons and other structures.

The main type of self-propelled vessel is a bulk carrier. Bulk carriers carry cargo in a hold located inside the ship's hull. As the name implies, dry cargo ships carry cargo that is not desirable to be exposed to moisture, so dry cargo ships are equipped with special hatches.

Among dry cargo ships, there are three types of ships:

1. Roller (ro-ro). This ship is equipped with vertical loading, it transports cars and other equipment. Cars can enter the ship under their own power through folding bow ramps.
2. Bulker. This type of vessel is intended for the carriage of bulk, bulk, non-packaged (and sometimes liquid) cargo. For example, if the cargo is river sand with delivery, then most likely it will be delivered on a bulk carrier.
3. Bulk dry cargo. Such bulk carriers carry various types of liquid cargo, such as oil, ammonia, liquid fuel, etc.

If we talk about non-self-propelled ships, then the leader here is a cargo barge. There are several types of barges:

• Bilge (closed and open),
• Areas for transportation in bulk,
• tented,
• self-unloading,
• car carriers,
• cement trucks,
• Other.

However, all these types are dry-cargo barges, there are also tanker barges.

Advantages of transportation river transport

1. River transportation of goods has a fairly low cost, and this is a big plus for customers. Low cost is possible due to the low speed of transportation and the presence of currents on the rivers.
2. No need to build and, accordingly, repair transport routes, as is done for auto and rail transport.

Disadvantages of river transportation

1. Paradoxically, what provides the main advantage is the main disadvantage. It's about low speed. river vessels and correspondingly long delivery times.
2. Relatively weak opportunities in relation to traffic volumes.
3. Pronounced seasonality of transportation associated with short navigation. In other words, in winter the rivers freeze and ships are laid up.
4. Different depths and widths of rivers in different places and size of vessels impose additional restrictions on transportation.

The largest displacement belongs to the Volgo-Don vessel and is 5000 tons.

Volgo-Don - river dry-cargo ships designed to transport bulk cargo (coal, ore, grain, crushed stone, etc.) along large inland waterways. Built from 1960 to 1990, one of the most massive series of Soviet river ships (in total, up to 225 ships of various series were built).

During the construction of the court were repeatedly modified:

Projects 507 and 507A - the first modifications, an open hold-bunker without bulkheads

Project 507B - lower power machines were installed (1800 hp instead of 2000 hp)

Projects 1565, 1565M - closed holds, modern superstructure

Project 1566 - a composite vessel that had a self-propelled part and a non-self-propelled attachment barge.

Open holds. The only ship was built in 1966 under the name "XXIII Congress of the CPSU".

A further development of the project was motor ships of the Volzhsky type. In the 1990s, some ships of the Volgo-Don type were reconstructed into the "river-sea" type, which allowed them to go to inland seas and make voyages, for example, to the UK.

The reconstructed ships are shorter, have a higher bow and more advanced equipment of holds. Vessels of projects 507, 507A, 507B and 1566 were built at Navashinsky shipyard"Oka", Project 1565 and 1565M - in the same place and at the Santierul Navale Oltenita plant, Romania.

Structurally, the vessels are motor ships with a carrying capacity of 5000-5300 tons (project 1566 - 10,000 tons with an attachment) with open or closed holds.

The length of the vessels is 138-140 m, the width is 16.6-16.7 m, the draft is 3.5-3.6 m. The power of the main engines is 1800-2000 hp, the empty speed is 21-23 km/h Vessels of the Volga-Don type were actively operated and continue to be operated on the Volga, Kama, Don, the Volga-Baltic water system, on the Dnieper, as well as on the Yenisei below the Kazachinsky rapids. Since the 1990s, many ships, especially reconstructed ones, have sailed the Azov, Black, Caspian and Baltic Seas.

PROJECT RSD44

The implementation of the project for the construction of a series of RSD-44 ships is carried out under a leasing scheme for state support of domestic shipbuilding: joint financing by the state United Shipbuilding Corporation (85%) and the future owner of the ships - Volga Shipping Company (15%) on the terms of state subsidies 2/3 refinancing rates of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

The carrying capacity of the RSD44 vessels in comparison with the Volgo-Don dry cargo ships is 500 tons higher and amounts to 5.5 thousand tons; at the same time, the overall height of the new vessels is 8 meters (almost 2 times lower). Motor ships will be automated as much as possible and equipped with modern rudder propellers, which provide high maneuverability and good controllability.

Dry cargo ship "Kapitan Ruzmankin" was laid down at Okskaya Shipyard on February 24, 2010 and handed over to the customer in 2011 after sea trials. The ship is named after the Volga captain Pyotr Fyodorovich Ruzmankin, who died near Stalingrad in 1942.

Multi-purpose dry-cargo vessel with a deadweight of 5458 tons of the Volgo-Don max class

Dry-cargo vessel "Volgo-Don max" RSD44 class "Kapitan Yurov" made a unique voyage from Ladoga to the Southern port of Moscow with a load of crushed stone. At the first stage, the ship took on board 5400 tons of cargo, upon arrival in northern port part of the cargo was loaded. Having on board 3680 tons of crushed stone and a draft of 2.80 m, "Kapitan Yurov", having a length of 140 m, passed along the Moscow River with its small radii of curvature of the ship's passage under low-gauge Moscow bridges (8.6 m above water clearance) to the South Port.

The ship "Kapitan Yurov" was built at the Oka Shipyard (director Vladimir Kulikov): laying on 12/28/10, launching on 10/14/11, commissioned on 11/18/11.

In the navigation of 2012, OJSC Volga Shipping Company (Director Alexander Shishkin) put into operation all ten vessels of the new series at once.

The series can be called the "Heroes of Stalingrad series" - all ten captains of the Volga Shipping Company, in whose honor and in memory of which the ships of the RSD44 project are named, gave their lives defending their Motherland in the battles for Stalingrad.

It should be noted that the RSD44 series of vessels set a record not only in terms of construction speed, but also in terms of deadweight in the river with a draft of 3.60 m (5540 tons according to the results of inclining the lead ship and weighing the second one) and speed during tests (average speed along the current and against the current during sea trials of the lead ship was more than 12 knots).

The RSD44 project was developed by the Marine Engineering Bureau.

Class of the Russian River Register - + M-PR 2.5 (ice 20) A.

New dry-cargo vessels of the RSD44 project "Volga max" class (DWL length 138.9 m, beam 16.5 m, depth 5.0 m, coaming height 2.20 m) are intended for transportation by inland waterways Russian Federation general, bulk, timber and bulky cargo, grain, lumber, potash and mineral fertilizers, sulfur, coal, paper, building materials, metal products, as well as up to 140 containers.

The deadweight of the vessel with a draft of 3.60 m in the river is about 5543 tons, with a draft of 3.53 m in the sea - 5562 tons. The volume of cargo holds is 7090 cubic meters. m.

The operation of ships is also envisaged along the Volga-Don Shipping Canal (VDSK), the Volga-Baltic Canal, in the Sea of ​​Azov to the port of Kavkaz and in Gulf of Finland. The passage under the Nevsky bridges in the area of ​​St. Petersburg and under the Rostov railway bridge (Rostov-on-Don) is supposed to be carried out without their wiring (the maximum clearance when passing under the bridges is 5.4 m).

The dimensions of the RSD44 project (overall length 139.99 m, overall width 16.80 m) make it possible to ensure the operation of vessels through the VDSK, including through the “old” branch of the Kochetovsky lock without the “special wiring” mode.

Double bottom and double sides along the entire length of the "box" cargo holds (hold dimensions: hold N1 37.8 m x 13.2 x 6.22 m, hold N2 49.8 m x 13.2 x 6.22 m) and fuel, oil and waste tanks allow for the convenience of loading and unloading cargo, high operational reliability of the vessel, and also guarantee protection environment and reducing the risks associated with environmental pollution in the area of ​​operation of the ship.

The propulsion unit consists of two full-revolving rudder propellers, combining the properties of propulsors and controls in a single complex, which can significantly improve the maneuverability of the vessel in cramped river conditions. The ship is equipped with two medium-speed diesel engines, each with a capacity of 1200 kW, running on heavy fuel.

The ship's hull shape, made as technologically advanced as possible to ensure low cost of hull work, is at the same time quite seaworthy and optimal in terms of fuel consumption for the given operating conditions in the M-PR river class, providing an operational speed of 10.5 knots.

To ensure a sufficient view of the water surface from the ship's control position, the wheelhouse is located at the bow of the ship. When passing through bottlenecks and locks, the vessel is controlled from on-board control panels installed on the open deck from each side in the cabin area.

The vessels are equipped with a 120 kW propeller-in-tube bow thruster.

In connection with the need to ensure the passage of vessels under the Nevsky bridges and the Rostov railway bridge without their distributing, single-level residential cabins are provided in the aft part of the vessels.

The ships provide all the necessary conditions for a comfortable stay of the crew on board, including an advanced climate control system, the use of anti-vibration and anti-noise coatings inside the premises.

Crew - 8 people, the captain and chief engineer are accommodated in block cabins, the rest in single cabins.

It is interesting to note that at the suggestion of the Volga Shipping Company, the total number of seats is 16, which will allow taking on board cadets, specialists Maintenance equipment, as well as crew members (women). The latter can be a serious advantage in the selection of personnel for work on a new series.

Market demand for domestic transport services water transport in 5-10 years it will be impossible to satisfy due to the rapid aging and the prospect of decommissioning the fleet. Railway will also not cope with the growth in demand in the transport market, since it is already operating at the limit of carrying capacity. In this regard, the problem of updating the river dry-cargo fleet through the construction of new Volga Max class river vessels to replace the Volgo-Don, Volzhsky type vessels is of particular relevance (there are 161 such vessels on the Russian GDP, and the vessels of project 507B have the average age is about 37 years, project 1565 - 33 years, project 05074M - 22 years).

The deadweight of the RSD44 project vessel with a draft of 3.60 m in the river is 7% higher than that of the newest existing vessels of the Volzhsky type (project 05074M).

The surface clearance in the ballast of the proposed vessel is only 5.4 m (even less when loaded), which, unlike the Volzhsky, will allow it to pass under the bridges across the Neva River and under the Rostov railway bridge without their wiring. As a result, the ship will save up to 20 days of waiting time for bridges in line for navigation.

The volume of cargo holds of the RSD44 project is 21% larger than that of the Volzhsky, which will allow it not only to transport bulky cargo, but also significantly increase the load when transporting "light" cargo - barley, sunflower seeds, cotton, scrap metal and large diameter pipes and etc.

With the same length and width, the RSD44 dry-cargo vessel has a lower side height, as a result of which its module is 8% less than that of the Volzhsky-type vessels, which will save up to 8% of the total cost of port and navigation dues.

Thus, the vessels of the RSD44 project, the serial construction of which was carried out by Okskaya shipyard, are a unique engineering complex that combines optimal dimensions for inland waterways with modern equipment and navigation technology, which has significant advantages over existing counterparts.

Keel of the first RSD44 vessel Kapitan Ruzmankin was laid down on 24.02.10. Launched on 11/23/10. Put into operation on 20.05.11.
Keel of the second RSD44 vessel Kapitan Zagryadtsev was laid down on 27.04.10. Launched on 04/12/11. Put into operation on 16.06.11.
Keel of the third RSD44 vessel Kapitan Krasnov was laid down on 26.06.10. Launched on 05/05/11. Put into operation on 14.07.11.
Keel of the fourth RSD44 vessel Kapitan Gudovich was laid down on 26.08.10. Launched on 05/27/11. Put into operation on 10.08.11.
Keel of the fifth RSD44 vessel Kapitan Sergeev was laid down on 29.09.10. Launched on 07/15/11. Commissioned on 07.09.11.
Keel of the sixth RSD44 vessel Kapitan Kadomtsev was laid down on 11/29/10. Launched on 08/16/11. Put into operation on 10.10.11.
Keel of the seventh RSD44 vessel Kapitan Afanasiev was laid down on 28.12.10. Launched on 09/14/11. Put into operation on 10.11.11.
The eighth vessel of the RSD44 project Kapitan Yurov was laid down on 28.12.10. Launched on 10/14/11. Put into operation on 11/18/11.
Keel of the ninth RSD44 vessel Kapitan Shumilov was laid down on 05.05.11. Launched on 11/22/11. Put into operation on 29.04.12.
Keel of the tenth RSD44 vessel Kapitan Kanatov was laid down on 22.06.11. Launched on 01/18/12. Put into operation on 29.04.12.

(data as of September 2012)

The ships were built under a leasing scheme, according to which 85% of the funds were provided by the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) as part of state support for domestic shipbuilding, and 15% was financed by the Volga Shipping Company. The conditions of the scheme are subsidizing by the state 2/3 of the refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

And we are moving on to passenger ships:

Project 92-016 river passenger ships are large passenger ships designed for river cruises. This project is unique in that motor ships 92-016 are the largest river cruise ships in the world. The construction of ships of project 92-016 for our country was carried out at the Czechoslovak shipyard "Slovenske Lodenice Komarno" in the city of Komarno. During construction, it was planned that the motor ships of this project would replace the motor ships of the project 26-37 on the "fast" Volga lines. The lead ship of project 92-016 "Valerian Kuibyshev" was laid down on the stocks in 1975. The construction of the series was carried out until 1983, in total 9 motor ships of project 92-016 were built.

The motor ships of project 92-016 delivered by the shipyard were placed at the disposal of the Volga and Don Shipping Company (the ship of the Don Shipping Company made a serious accident in 1983, after which it also entered the balance of the Volga Shipping Company). The ships were operated on the Volga tourist routes. To date, most of the ships are used in the North-West cruise direction, they make flights between Moscow and St. Petersburg, cruises of short duration from St. Petersburg. Some ships operate on the Volga tourist routes from Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, along the Volga, Don, Kama and the Volga-Baltic waterway. Initially, the project on ships included single, double, triple cabins, each of which is equipped with an individual bathroom, premises for two restaurants, cafes, salons and a cinema hall with a retractable roof.

During the operation of the ships, modernization was carried out on almost all ships: salons were transformed into bars, cinema halls on the sun deck were converted into bars and conference rooms. Cabins were partially remodeled, on some ships the number of deluxe and semi-luxe cabins was increased by combining several standard cabins into one. To operate in the North-Western direction (Ladoga and Onega lakes), the motor ships are equipped with a large number of life-saving appliances (life rafts) to meet the requirements of class "M".

Main specifications Project 92-016 vessels: Vessel length: 135.8 m Vessel width: 16.8 m Vessel height (from the main line): 16.1 m Number of passenger decks: 4 Average speed: 24-26 km/h Number of main engines : 3 Power of each of the engines: 1000 l / s River Register class: "O" (internal waterways, rivers and reservoirs, passage through the Ladoga and Onega lakes with height and wavelength restrictions)

List of vessels of project 92-016

Motor ship "Alexander Suvorov"
Motor ship "Valerian Kuibyshev"
Motor ship "Georgy Zhukov"
Motor ship "Mstislav Rostropovich" (before the fire and reconstruction Mikhail Kalilin)
Ship "Mikhail Frunze"
Motor ship "Semyon Budyonny"
Motor ship "Sergey Kuchkin"
Motor ship "Fyodor Chaliapin"
Motor ship "Felix Dzerzhinsky"

And the longest ship of this series Motor ship Valerian Kuibyshev- four-deck vessel of project 92-016. Built in 1975 in the Czech Republic. It has a length of 137.5 m. A distinctive feature of the ship is the absence of passenger cabins on the lower deck.

Speed ​​- 24-26 km / h. Passenger capacity - 321 people.

But there is still a ship that can compete with our project:

The American rear-wheel cruise ship American Queen (built in 1995) outperforms Project 92-016 ships in the following parameters:
Width - 27.2 m
Height - 29.7 m (primarily due to the high "traditional" chimneys, but the number of passenger decks is also greater than on 92-016 - 5 decks plus the sixth promenade)
Number of passenger cabins - 222
Number of beds - 436

Mark Twain named wheeled steamships floating down the mighty Mississippi River like "floating wedding cakes". At the end of the 20th century, a ship appeared, which became the largest wheeled steamer in the history of shipbuilding. Although it is carefully hidden, but vessel literally full of surprises river cruise . This is modern steamer whose roots are hidden in the past. 150 years after dawn steamships on the Mississippi River, american queen” gives its passengers a unique vision of the world.

(And not only river.)

Something made me sentimental.
This is how it happens - you live and keep thinking - "But I will do this. But then."
And then something happens - and this "later" never comes.
That's how I - when we moved to Tolyatti - dreamed of "sailing" (well, I'm a passenger, they will take me;) to Volgograd on the Meteor, I even encouraged my father to do this - but somehow it didn't work out.
And even when I studied at the institute, I never used Meteors and Rockets - although I could.
And then Perestroika happened and the 91st year...
And all river transport was slowly covered with a copper basin.
But it was...

Original taken from riverskipper in As if a steamboat is coming to your heart - 13 - from the heritage of S. O. Friedland

Quite a long time ago, I published photographs of the Volga, found in the US archive. Although ... Google now does not understand at all whose office, but this archive lay on their resources with an imprinted logo of a shark pen of imperialism - LIFE magazine. The magazine seemed to be bent safely, but the archive, thank God, is alive. Photo archive. Then I pulled out only naval pictures. There was something to see. Old Volga chariots, the new three-deck Gastello, which has just arrived on the Volga, is now squared up in Alexei Tolstoy. Yes, and already the magic of names written on the piers like "Stalingrad" or "Stavropol" (we are talking about Stavropol-on-Volga - now Togliatti) is doing its job - I do a rack on such things like a trained dog :)
In general, who cares - here is the publication "How the Americans rode along the Volga."
Now - again the American archive. This time we're gutting the digital photo archive of the University of Denver Library. One can only guess how the prints and negatives of Semyon Osipovich Fridlyand, a Soviet photographer, photojournalist for the Ogonyok magazine, got there. The archive there is not small - about 17 thousand frames. Everything was scanned in a row - that is, the same object can be in several copies. Still to be disassembled. Topics - the Great Patriotic War, the Pacific Fleet of the 50s, the Soviet army of the first post-war years - that is, various photo sections of the history of our country. In the meantime, the river and the sea. I hope this is only the first publication on the work of SO Friedland.
Someone will definitely say - they say de this is the front side of life in the USSR. Yes, front door. And it's good that we can see it. There is a sea of ​​​​those who like to dig up dirt now, but it’s much more pleasant to talk about good things. In general - as always
The other day I was at the river station - I immediately remembered the right bow anchor, which came out "hell" - that is, resting its horns on the ship's hull. Rivermen did not allow themselves this before. On these shots there is no anchor that came out like a devil. They have a fleet that operated under the red flag in the middle of the twentieth century on rivers and seas. The photos were not subjected to any processing and cropping by me. Where smog - ships were identified.

1948, in the gateway of the DneproGES


diesel-electric ship of the Murmansk Shipping Company "VolkhovGES"


project 564, type "DneproGES", 6 such vessels were built in total

Mariinsky Canal, 50s. The steamer "G. Dimitrov" of the Sheksna River Shipping Company is heading to the lock

steamship "G. Dimitrov" leaving the lock, Mariinsky Canal, 50s

steam sea tug project FIN-500 "Vladivostok" in the lock of the White Sea Canal

small fishing trawlers (MRT) in the lock of the White Sea Canal. 50s. In the foreground "North" and "Vyg"

in the lock of the Rybinsk hydroelectric power station, a tanker barge for 9 thousand tons.

the very first. not yet serial Rocket

apparently, she was photographed during the first flight to Moscow, when the author of the project, R. E. Alekseev, was on board

it was quite different from serial ships. She worked until the 80s of the last century.

subsequently, Rockets will be built at the Sormovsky plant in the city of Gorky and in Feodosia at the More plant

tug "Kasprybflot"

steamer "Radishchev" in the glock of the Volga-Don Canal

steamer "Lomonosov" on the Volga


built by order of the shipping company "Rus" in 1905. In 1965, it was taken out of service and decommissioned. In 2003, the ship was burned and dismantled in the backwater of the Memory of the Paris Commune. During internavigational repairs in 1956-1957 at the Balakovo Shipyard, its length will increase to 102 meters - it will become the largest paddle steamer on the Volga.

propaganda boat of the magazine "Ogonyok"

motor ship project 588 "Bagration"

built at the Mathias Thesen Werft shipyard in Wismar, GDR, in 1958, transferred to the Volga Shipping Company in 1959. In 1999, the ship will be dismantled for metal in the backwater of the Memory of the Paris Commune

motor ship project 576 "Petropavlovsk". Built in 1958, will be dismantled in 1993 in Chaikovsk

steamship Garlinge in Arkhangelsk


built in 1951 in the UK. In 1972, she was sunk by a cement dust explosion.

cargo-passenger motor ship "Moskva" of the Caspian Shipping Company at the quay wall in Astrakhan


built in 1896. On October 24, 1943, an explosion occurred on board - the ship was unloading in Krasnovodsk. In 1958, the ship was restored, the main power plant was also replaced - instead of a steam engine, two diesel engines of 800 hp were installed. In 1972, the ship was decommissioned and dismantled for metal.

in the upper lock of the Gorodetskaya hydroelectric power station the steamer "Akademik Bakh"


built -1897
Christopher Columbus (1897-1918), Torch of Revolution (1918-1920), Labor Front (1920-1936), Nikolai Pakhomov (1936-1939), Academician Bach (1939-1967)
decommissioned - 1967
Pakhomov Nikolai Ivanovich (1893 - 1938) - People's Commissar river fleet(1934-1938)
Bakh Alexei Nikolaevich (1857-1946) - a prominent Russian biochemist and plant physiologist. The name of Academician Bach is currently called the Institute of Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
See more photos of this ship

steamer "Artem"

steamboats "Pavel Bazhov" (left, 737 project) and "Vera Figner" at the Kazan pier

tugboat "Bobrovskaya Zapan" and bulk carrier Selvik in Arkhangelsk

The ship "Krillon" enters the Golden Horn Bay. On the left at the pier you can see the steamer "Gogol"

steamboats "Yenisei" and "Mogilev". The ship "Yenisei" is clearly used as a pier - i.e. already out of service

view of Markina Square and the place where it now stands River Station Nizhny Novgorod. In the foreground m/v "Joseph Stalin"

diesel-electric ship "Indigirka"

The project was developed by "De Schelde" (Netherlands). The series was built at the shipyard "B.V. Koninklijke Mij Scheepswerf & Machinefabriek "Royal Schelde" (Vlissingen, the Netherlands). In the period from 1954 to 1957, 5 ships of this series were built for the MMF of the USSR.

"Indigirka" was built in 1957, in 1982 the ship was decommissioned

the steamer "Kirov" enters the gateway of the DneproGES, 1948

and at the exit of the gateway

whaler "Hurricane" goes with a catch to the island of Iturup, to the whaling plant

Bunkerer "Kineshma" is moored to the side of the "Lena"


"Lena" is the lead ship of a series of ships of the same type (including the previously published "Indigirka"). Built in 1954, decommissioned in 1983.

turboelectric ship "Lensoviet" enters the port water area

in the sluice of the Ugliskaya HPP, the motor ship of project 11 "Makhachkala"

steamship "Msta" and diesel-electric ship "VolkhovGES" at the pier

motor ship "Noginsk" project 576. Decommissioned in 1992 in Tolyatti

ship "Kazan", received from Germany as reparations

steamship "Priozersk" and Finnish-built steam tug "Ponoy"

steamship "Vyatka"

steamship "Primorye" in the port of Kholmsk, Sakhalin

tug "Sormovets", project 10.

ship "Kaluga" (project 11) in the port of Stalingrad

Steamboat "Stanislavsky"

construction of the tanker "Grodno" at the Kherson shipyard

ship "Ukraine"


built in 1938 in Copenhagen. He worked in Romania, was interned. Dismantled for metal in 1987 in Pakistan.

steam tug "Pasha Angelina" at the Khimki reservoir


180 hp tug It was built in Kyiv in 1937 at the Leninskaya Kuznitsa plant. Later it was renamed "Nerl"

motor ships "Chermoz", "Karaganda" and "Bryansk" in the Kazan port