Hydrofoil butterfly. Russian hydrofoils: for the first time in the 21st century

Hydrofoils

Motor ship "Rocket" was intended for high-speed river passenger transportation on suburban and local lines, with a length of up to 500 km, with entry into reservoirs Length - 27 m. Width - 5 m. Draft afloat - 1.8 m. Draft when sailing on the wings - 1.1 m. Power plant power - 850 hp. Speed ​​- 60 km/h. Passenger capacity - 64 people.

On August 25, 1957, the first domestic hydrofoil ship, Raketa, set off on its maiden voyage.

The first attempts to create a hydrofoil vessel were made back in late XIX century. In 1897, a Russian citizen living in France, Charles de Lambert, built and tested a small hydrofoil. However, the power of the steam engine used as an engine on this ship was not enough to develop the speed necessary to raise the ship's hull above the water.
The experiments of the Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini were more successful.

Enrico Forlanini (center)

He had been experimenting with hydrofoil models since 1898. In 1906, the full-size experimental vessel he created reached a speed of 42.5 miles per hour (68 km/h) during tests on Lake Lago Maggiore. This boat had multi-tiered wings like whatnot.

boat Forlanini

In the 30s, German engineer Hans von Schertel large group Scientists and practitioners worked very seriously on the idea of ​​a high-speed hydrofoil vessel. By that time, suitable materials for the construction of the hull and quite suitable powerful engines had appeared. There was only one thing that did not exist - the optimal shape of the hydrofoil.
Schertel tested models of the most unimaginable shapes, but nothing worked. The ship was not sailing. In some cases, it lacked stability when moving on the water, in others, the lifting force of the wing was insufficient and the ship did not rise above the water. The golden mean was never found, although the hydrofoil system created by Schertel found application. And yet, the full practical implementation of the hydrofoil idea was not given to foreign researchers.

Hans von Schertel

Around the same years, Rostislav Alekseev, a student at the shipbuilding department of the Gorky Polytechnic Institute, became interested in an article in the collection scientific works TsAGI. The article examined the behavior of an airplane wing in a certain dense flow, for example, in water. The author proved: the stronger the flow, the faster hydrodynamic forces arise that provide the lifting force of the wing.
Young man I was captivated by the idea - to force into service those hydrodynamic forces that did not allow ships to increase speed and made water transport slow-moving. In a word, I decided to turn my enemy into a friend.
And he did!

In the autumn of forty-one, Rostislav Alekseev, a graduate of the institute, defended his thesis “Glider on hydrofoils" The State Examination Commission heard about a ship that it did not yet know world history shipbuilding. The thesis was recognized as corresponding to the level of the candidate's dissertation.

Alekseev's project used the effect of a low-submerged hydrofoil (Alekseev effect). Alekseev's hydrofoil consists of two main horizontal load-bearing planes - one at the front and one at the rear. The dihedral angle at toe is either small or absent, the weight distribution is approximately equal between the front and rear planes. A submerged hydrofoil, rising to the surface, gradually loses lift, and at a depth approximately equal to the length of the wing chord, the lift approaches zero. It is due to this effect that the submerged wing is not able to fully come to the surface. In this case, a relatively small hydroplaning (sliding along the surface of the water) fender liner is used to help with “coming out on the wing”, and also does not allow the ship to return to displacement mode. These fender liners are located in close proximity to the front pillars and are installed so that they touch the surface of the water while moving, while the load-bearing wings are submerged to approximately the depth equal to the length their chords. This entire system was first tested on a small boat powered by a 77-horsepower car engine.

After defending his diploma, R. E. Alekseev was sent to the Gorky plant "Krasnoye Sormovo", to the technical control department: the young shipbuilder became a quality control inspector for the acceptance of tanks - the main product of the plant. It was wartime.
On his first boat, R. E. Alekseev went to Moscow in 1946. He was received by interested organizations, and specialists got acquainted with the ship. The idea hydrofoils The first supporters appeared not only in Gorky, but also in Moscow. A tiny laboratory team began the technical project of the world's first hydrofoils under the code name "Rocket".
The first passenger hydrofoil under the same name entered service in 1957. First ship in the series "Rocket-1" was built at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant. Raketa-1 made its first flight on August 25, 1957. During this flight, the distance of 420 kilometers from Gorky to Kazan was covered in seven hours. There were thirty passengers on board.

Serial release "Rocket" was established at the Feodosia shipyard "More". From 1959 to 1976, 389 were built "Rocket", including 32 for export. High-speed diesel engines were supplied by the Leningrad Zvezda plant.
“Rockets” were very popular, their name became a household word and all ships of this type are often called that way. Trip to "Rocket" to some picturesque bay was one of the favorite, although not cheap (ticket prices for such ships were noticeably higher than the prices for commuter trains for the same distance), types of family recreation on the river.
IN Nizhny Novgorod "Rockets" used in daily commuter transportation, as well as excursion vessels.

passenger compartment of the “Rocket”

The first in Moscow "Rocket"(namely "Rocket-1") appeared on the days of the VI International Festival of Youth and Students in the summer of 1957. "Rocket" brought to the capital by the chief designer of the ship Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev and personally demonstrated it to Khrushchev.

Based on Alekseev’s developments, it was built in Russia a large number of commercial hydrofoils: "Rocket", "Arrow", "Satellite", "Meteor" , "Comet" , "Cyclone", "Petrel" , "Sunrise" . Military vessels were also built, including the largest ship of this class in the world - “Butterfly”; it was preceded by “Bee”, “Turya” and “Locust”.

ship on PC of the “Butterfly” project

missile boat on PC MRK-5

MRK-5 at the pier of the naval base

MRK-5

TTD:
Displacement: 432 tons.
Dimensions: length - 56.6 m, width - 10.2 m (21.1 m with wings down), draft - 2.35 m (8.0 m with wings down).
Maximum speed: 60 knots.
Cruising range: 700 miles at 45 knots.
Power plant: 2 gas turbines M-10, 18,000 hp each. on 4 screws in lowered columns, 2 DRA-211 diesel engines of 1100 hp each. for low speed
Armament: 2x2 Malachite anti-ship missile launchers (4 P-120 missiles), 1x6 30-mm AK-630 artillery mount, 1x2 Osa-M air defense missile launchers (20 missiles).
Crew: 40 people.

Mass operation of “Rockets” in Moscow took place from the early 1960s until 2006. There were also routes in the Moscow region: from MSriv to Chiverevo, Aksakovo, Tishkovo, Rechka Chernaya.

There was also a fire modification " Raketa-P» with two fire nozzles and water and air-foam protection systems. Firing range - 90 m. Water supply - 800 cubic meters. m/hour.
IN short term hydrofoils have become one of the most popular modes of transport. Speed, seaworthiness, comfort, and high efficiency allowed winged ships to successfully compete with other types of transport. Soviet Union possessed the world's largest fleet of cruise ships. In addition to the Raketa, other types of civil hydrofoil ships were built in the USSR. By 1985, more than 1,000 Volga boats and hundreds of motor ships were used on the country's waterways "Rocket", dozens of motor ships “Kometa”, “Meteor” and “Belarus”. In our country hydrofoils annually transported more than 20 million passengers on regular lines. Soviet cruise ships were successfully exported to many countries, including the USA, Germany, France, Italy and the UK.

Since 2007, the gradual restoration of “Rocket” began in Moscow. For example, in 2009, four “Rockets” were in operation: 102 (VIP lounge, not used in regular transportation), 185, 191 ( former number 244) and 246.

The motor ship "Belarus" was distinguished by the fact that it had a very shallow draft: afloat - 0.91, when moving on the wings - 0.3 meters. For comparison: the same parameters for the ship "Rocket"- 1.8 and 1.1 meters.

"Belarus" served suburban and local river lines with a length of up to 320 kilometers. The ship carried 40 passengers and, with an operating power of 600 horsepower, reaches a speed of 65 kilometers per hour.

The Volga boat was intended for walks, water tourism and service and traveling purposes.

Can be used on coastal sea lines, as well as on rivers, lakes and reservoirs up to 180 km long. Length - 8.5 m. Width - 2.1 m. Draft afloat - 0.85 m. Draft when moving on the wings - 0.55 m. Speed ​​- 60 km/h. Power - 70 hp Passengers - 6 people.

The motor ship "Meteor" was intended for high-speed river passenger transportation on suburban and local lines with a length of up to 600 km. Length - 34.6 m. Width - 9.5 m. Draft afloat - 2.3 m. Draft when moving on the wings - 1.2 m. Speed ​​- 65 km/h. Power plant - 2x850 hp. Passengers - 124 people.

"Meteors" were produced from 1961 to 1991 at the Zelenodolsk shipyard named after Gorky. In total, more than 400 motor ships of this series were built. The Nizhny Novgorod hydrofoil design bureau named after Rostislav Alekseev developed the Meteor-2000 modification with imported engines and air conditioners, which was also supplied to China. By 2007, the Meteor production line at the plant was dismantled.

The motor ship "Kometa" was designed for high-speed passenger transportation on coastal shipping lines with a length of up to 230 miles. Length - 35.1 m. Width - 9.6 m. Draft afloat - 3.2 m. Draft when sailing on the wings - 1.45 m. Speed ​​- 32 - 34 knots. Power plant - 2x850 hp. Passengers - 118 people.

Motor ship "Voskhod" was created to replace older hydrofoils - "Rocket" and "Meteor". Length - 27.6 m. Width - 6.4 m. Draft afloat - 2.1 m. Draft when moving on the wings - 1.1 m. Speed ​​- 65 km/h. Power plant - 2x500 hp. Passengers - 71 people.

The Voskhods were built at the More shipyard in Feodosia. High-speed diesel engines for the ship were supplied by the Leningrad Zvezda plant and the Barnaultransmash plant. In total, by the beginning of the nineties, more than 150 Voskhods were built. In the nineties, production of Voskhods practically stopped due to the difficult situation of the manufacturing plant.

Gas turbine ship "Burevestnik" designed for high-speed passenger transportation on transit and local lines of rivers and reservoirs with a length of up to 500 km. Length - 43.2 m. Width - 7.4 m. Draft afloat - 2.0 m. Draft when moving on the wings - 0.6 m. Speed ​​- 90 km/h. Power - 2x2700 hp. Passengers - 150 people.

"Burevestnik" was the flagship among river SPCs. Had a power plant based on two gas turbine engines(GTE) AI-20 designed by A. G. Ivchenko, borrowed from the Il-18 aircraft. "Burevestnik" existed in a single copy. It was operated from 1964 until the end of the 70s on the Volga on the route Kuibyshev - Ulyanovsk - Kazan - Gorky.

"Meteors" were built from 1961 to 1991. Unlike the Komets, they were used for river cruises and, compared to the Raketa, they had greater speed and capacity. In total, more than 400 motor ships of this series were built. The Nizhny Novgorod hydrofoil design bureau named after Rostislav Alekseev developed the Meteor-2000 modification with imported engines and air conditioners, which was also supplied to China. By 2007, the Meteor production line at the plant was dismantled, and motor ships of the new A45-1 project were laid down. The motor ship Meteor of project 342E is a duralumin, diesel, single-deck, twin-shaft hydrofoil motor ship, designed for high-speed transportation of passengers during daylight hours along navigable rivers, freshwater reservoirs and lakes in areas with a temperate climate. The remote control and monitoring system provides control of the ship directly from the wheelhouse. Passengers are accommodated in three salons equipped with soft seats: bow, middle and stern - for 26, 44 and 44 seats, respectively. The wing structure consists of bow and stern load-bearing wings and two flaps mounted on the side and bottom struts of the bow wing.

Below is a magnificent photo of the ship and the beautiful landscape:

“Meteors” also successfully made river cruises along the Neva in St. Petersburg:

"Comet" is the naval version of "Meteor". The project was developed in 1961. They were serially produced in 1964-1981 at the Feodosia shipyard "More" (a total of 86 Komets were built, including 34 for export) and in 1962-1992 at the Poti Shipyard (project 342 ME, 39 ships). High-speed diesel engines for the ship were supplied by the Leningrad Zvezda plant.

Less known and rarely remembered is Typhoon:

...and also don’t forget about “Swallow”:

The current condition of the surviving examples built in 1960-1980, unfortunately, is not very good. With rare exceptions. Motor ships can be seen in completely different places: some are collapsing in the worst conditions, some are waiting to be converted into a floating restaurant or yacht, and others are completely forgotten.

Not far from Perm - rusting hero ships of the past against the backdrop of autumn:

In Finland, somehow you can find several perfectly functioning ships at once. Feeling like you are going back in time:

And at the end - a great shot of the Meteor gliding in calm water:

The most beautiful and famous hydrofoil motor ship “Meteor”, built in 1959 by the Gorky shipyard “Krasnoe Sormovo”, is still used on the rivers of our country to this day. "Meteor" is a high-speed motor ship that carries passengers along freshwater lakes and reservoirs and navigable rivers during daylight hours.

History of the development of hydrofoils

For the first time, a small hydrofoil vessel (SPK) was tested in France on the Seine River in 1897 by a Russian citizen, Charles de Lambert. However, the power of the steam engine used was not enough to lift the ship's hull above the water. At the same time, the Italian inventor E. Forlanini accelerated an experimental ship on multi-tiered wings to 68 km/h. At the beginning of the last century, tests of SPK models were carried out by inventors in the USA, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Italy. In 1919, Frederick Baldwin's HD-4, approved by the US Navy, set a world record with two engines, reaching a speed of 114 km/h through the water. The single-wing models of the British shipbuilder D.I. Thorneycroft had a length of about 7 meters and reached a speed of about 64 km/h.

In the 40s, the German design bureau under the direction of Hans von Schertel built a winged ship that could reach speeds of up to 74 km/h with a cargo on board of 20 tons. In the 50s, Schertel, having founded the Supramar company in Switzerland, built a wooden ship with partially submerged wings, which was the first in the world to carry out commercial transportation of 32 passengers between the cities of Italy and Switzerland. In 1956, under license from Supramara, the Rodriguez company began mass production of RT-20 hydrofoils for use at sea. The RT-20, with a displacement of 32 tons, carried 72 passengers through the Strait of Messina, developing a speed of about 62 km/h. For 20 years, Supramar developed a series of models on partially submerged hydrofoils and more than 200 ships were built under its license in Italy and Japan.

In the United States in the 60s, Boeing participated in the development of military patrol and missile-carrying boats. The Pegasus-class fast armed ships were part of the US Navy from 1977 to 1993. Since 1974, Boeing has produced about 20 Jetfoil marine civil vessels, carrying from 167 to 400 passengers on board. Today, Jetfoils are built under license by the Japanese company Kawasaki.

In the 60-70s of the last century, the Canadian and Italian navies were armed with high-speed armed hydrofoil boats.

The appearance of "Meteor"

In the USSR, most SPCs were designed under the leadership of the talented engineer Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev. In 1941, in his diploma work “Hydrofoil glider”, R.E. Alekseev. described the operating principle of a low-submersion hydrofoil. The examination committee of the Gorky Polytechnic Institute learned about a ship that has no analogues in the history of shipbuilding.

In the early 50s, military torpedo boats on bow hydrofoils were built in the Soviet Union. During 1963-1967, 16 patrol and 12 border hydrofoil boats were built according to the Antares project and 2 anti-submarine ships Sokol.

In the 60s, several single experimental SPKs “Strela-1, 2 and 3”, “Chaika”, “Burevestnik”, “Sputnik”, “Vikhr”, “Typhoon” were built. Volga hydrofoil boats were used in the service of ship supervision and at rescue stations. The Soviet Union exported passenger SECs to dozens of countries around the world.

During testing in November 1959, the experimental motor ship "Meteor" completed its first journey - from Gorky to Feodosia. After wintering in May 1960, Meteor returned to Gorky. The successful test voyage of the vessel made it possible to exhibit the passenger motor ship "Meteor" as an exhibit at the river fleet exhibition in Moscow for presentation to the leadership of the Soviet Union. Demonstration of the first motor ship "Meteor" to the head of the USSR N.S. Khrushchev was held under the joint direction of R.E. Alekseev and the famous aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev.

Serial production of the motor ship "Meteor"

The river fleet of the Soviet Union had the largest fleet of cruise ships. More than 1000 high-speed boats and hydrofoil motor ships were used on the rivers and lakes of our Motherland. Floating riverboats increased speed and became an attractive means of transport for local passenger transport and quick trips between cities. River travel attracted Soviet residents with its comfort, speed and economy.

Since September 1961, serial production of the Meteor motor ships was carried out in Tatarstan by the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant named after A. M. Gorky. Over 30 years, more than 400 motor ships of the Meteor series were launched. An increase in passenger traffic required new, more spacious and comfortable ships. And in May 1962, Meteor-2 left the plant’s waters, carrying 115 people on board with a bar and cafe.

Nizhny Novgorod Design Bureau for SPK named after. R.E. Alekseeva developed a modification of the motor ship "Metor-2000", equipped with imported engines and a comfortable interior with air conditioning. Since 2007, the line that produced Meteora has been reconstructed for the production of new motor ships of the A45-1 series.

Description of SPK "Meteor"

The single-deck duralumin river hydrofoil ship “Meteor” is equipped with a diesel engine. In autonomous mode, without refueling, the ship delivers passengers a distance of no more than 600 km along navigable rivers and freshwater lakes of Russia. Tourist excursions or intercity business trips on the Meteor ship are carried out only during daylight hours. Remote control of the vessel's movement from the wheelhouse is carried out by a team of 3 people.

Three passenger cabins for 124 people, located in the bow, stern and middle parts of the ship, are equipped with soft comfortable chairs and a single audio system for transmitting information to passengers. There is a bar in the middle salon, and in the bow salon the picturesque surroundings float past behind huge panoramic windows. Through the deck of the ship there is a passage between the passenger salons, to the toilet, to the utility room and the engine room.

Technical characteristics of the motor ship "Meteor"

The Meteor motor ship operates at a speed of 60-65 km/h, although it can accelerate to 77 km/h in open spaces. With a vessel length of 34.6 m and a width with a wingspan of 9.5 m, the empty ship has a displacement of 36.4 tons, and when fully loaded - 53.4 tons. When moored, the height of the vessel is 5.63 m and the draft is 2.35 m. While moving on the wings, it “grows” to 6.78 m and settles by 1.2 m.

The high fuel consumption of the Meteor motor ship is a significant drawback of the winged vessel. The first models of the ship consumed approximately 225 liters of diesel fuel per hour. The use of new modern engines reduces this figure to 50 liters per hour.

Meteor engine

The main engines on the ship are 2 twelve-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines of the M-400 type, which have a turbocharger, a reversible clutch and water cooling. The rated power of each engine at 1700 rpm is 1000 horsepower. Auxiliary propulsors are a pair of five-bladed propellers 710 mm in diameter. Ship needs are served by a unit consisting of:

• Diesel engine with a power of 12 horsepower at 1500 rpm.
• Generator (5.6 kW).
• Compressor.
• Self-priming vortex pump.

The design of the wings includes load-bearing (bow and stern) steel wings and two flaps made of magnesium-aluminum alloy mounted on the struts of the bow wing.

Electricity in running mode is supplied by two DC generators installed on the main engines, each with a power of 1 kW. During the stay, an auxiliary generator is used, and the ship is equipped with an automatic parallel operation of the generator with batteries.

Safety on board the ship

All devices and mechanisms of the ship are controlled by the ship's control system. Smooth movement and reliable operation of engines is guaranteed by regular, thorough maintenance of passenger ships. The deck and passenger compartments are protected from the weather by a durable roof. Comfortable chairs and safety on board the ship "Meteor" make you ready for exciting trips and river walks with your family or friends.

Everyday life of Meteor today

Despite the fact that the Meteor hydrofoil motor ships are no longer produced, these ships are still used today for passenger transportation in Russia, the CIS countries and abroad. In the difficult 90s, many river shipping companies, left without work, were forced to sell Meteora to travel companies in Greece, China and Vietnam. In Italy, Hungary, Romania, and Czechoslovakia, the Meteor motor ships and other hydrofoils manufactured in the USSR are still used to this day.

In Russia, regular flights operate during the navigation period along the routes Irkutsk - Bratsk along the Angara, from Petrozavodsk to Shala, Kizhi and Velikaya Guba along Lake Onega, along Ladoga to Valaam from Sortavala. Between the cities of the navigable rivers Volga, Don, Lena, Amur and Kama, passengers are happy to use motor ships rather than electric trains and trains.

“Rocket” is the name of a series of Soviet passenger river hydrofoils (Projects 340, 340E, 340ME). Production of “Rocket” began in 1957 and continued until the mid-70s. In total, about three hundred motor ships were built.

The first ship in the series, Raketa-1, was built at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant. Raketa-1 made its first flight on August 25, 1957.

During this flight, the distance of 420 kilometers from Gorky to Kazan was covered in seven hours. There were thirty passengers on board.

Serial production of "Rockets" was launched at the Feodosia shipyard "More".
From 1959 to 1976, 389 “Rockets” were built, including 32 for export.

“Rockets” were very popular, their name became a household word and all ships of this type are often called that way. A trip on the “Rocket” to some picturesque bay was one of the favorite, although expensive (ticket prices for such ships were noticeably higher than the prices for commuter trains for the same distance), types of family recreation on the river.

In Nizhny Novgorod, "Rockets" are used in daily commuter transportation, as well as as excursion vessels. The shipping company Volga Shipping Company operates the ships.
In Moscow, the first “Raketa” (namely “Raketa-1”) appeared during the VI international festival youth and students in the summer of 1957. The “Rocket” was brought to the capital by the ship’s chief designer, R. E. Alekseev, and personally demonstrated it to N. S. Khrushchev.

Mass operation of "Rockets" in Moscow was carried out from the early 60s until 2006. Since 2007, the gradual restoration of “Rocket” began in Moscow. During navigation in 2009, four “Rockets” are on the move: 102 (VIP cabin, not used in regular transportation), 185, 191 (former number 244) and 246. According to some information, several more ships may be restored in the near future.

There was a fire modification "Raketa-P" with two fire nozzles and water and air-foam protection systems. “Firing” range - 90 m. Water supply - 800 cubic meters. m/hour.

Spreading

Finland, 1962 - 1983, 2005-present

Lithuania - used on the line from Kaunas to Nida, Juodkrante.

Romania - hydrofoils are currently used on regular daily services to

Romania in the Danube Delta, between the cities of Tulcea and Sulina, Tulcea and St. George.

Interesting Facts

The tests of the SPK "Raketa" were entrusted to the famous fighter pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Devyatayev, who during the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War was able to escape from captivity by hijacking a German bomber.

When I was a child, there was nothing more fascinating than looking at civil jet aircraft and hydrofoils. Their swift contours seemed to come out of the future, from the science fiction novels that we read. When fast-moving sea “Comets” appeared on the sea horizon, all the beaches involuntarily froze, following these amazing ships with their eyes. And the question of what to travel from Leningrad to Petrodvorets on was rhetorical - of course, on the Meteor. The Soviet Union was as proud of hydrofoils as it was of space rockets.

Clipped wings

We can say that our country was one of the last to embark on hydrofoils. Shipbuilders began conducting their first experiments at the end of the 19th century. Quite quickly, the ships hit the speed limit of around 30 knots (about 56 km/h). To add one more unit to this speed, an almost threefold increase in engine power was required. That is why fast warships consumed coal as a good power plant.

To overcome the resistance of water, a beautiful engineering solution- lift the ship's hull above the water using hydrofoils. Back in 1906, the hydrofoil vessel (HFV) of the Italian Enrico Forlanini reached a speed of 42.5 knots (about 68 km/h). And on September 9, 1919, the American SPK HD-4 set a world speed record on water - 114 km/h, which is an excellent indicator for our time. It seemed that a little more and the entire fleet would become winged.

"Kometa 120M" in the workshop of the Rybinsk shipyard looks more like an unfinished one spaceship than a passenger ship.

Before World War II, almost all industrialized countries experimented with hydrofoils, but things did not go beyond experimental models. Quite quickly the shortcomings of the new ships came to light: low stability in rough seas, high fuel consumption and the lack of light marine “fast” diesel engines. The furthest people in creating the SPK were German engineers, who produced hydrofoil boats in small series during the war. After the war, the chief German designer of the SPK, Baron Hans von Schertel, founded the Supramar company in Switzerland and began producing passenger hydrofoil ships. In the USA, the company Boeing Marine Systems took up SPK.

The Russians were the last to enter this race, but when hearing the words Hydrofoil Boats, the whole world first of all remembers Soviet hydrofoils. Over the entire period, Boeing managed to build about 40 SPK, Supramar - about 150, and the USSR - more than 1300. And this happened thanks to the talent and inhuman tenacity of one person - the chief designer of domestic SPK Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev.

Rocket

For quite a long time, Alekseev’s small design bureau, which worked on hydrofoils in Nizhny Novgorod, was unlucky: it was transferred from ministry to ministry, from one plant to another, and most of the orders went to competitors in Leningrad at TsKB-19, which had an incomparably greater lobbying potential. But unlike the St. Petersburg residents, Alekseev dreamed from the very beginning civil courts. He first tried to launch the production of civilian SPK back in 1948, when he proposed to the Krasnoye Sormovo plant a project for a high-speed hydrofoil crew boat with a speed of more than 80 km/h. Moreover, by that time for two years the amazing self-propelled model A-5 had been cutting through the surface of the Volga on hydrofoils, mesmerizing the boys. The leaders of that time found the idea of ​​having a speedboat for travel tempting - there were almost no roads along the rivers.

Orders began to arrive for Krasnoye Sormovo, but the military banned work on the civilian use of hydrofoils due to secrecy. Alekseev then many times resorted to various tricks, trying to circumvent military prohibitions, and received endless reprimands. In the end it shot completely incredible story- Bypassing the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry, Alekseev achieved consideration of the issue of building a passenger hydrofoil ship at the party committee of the Krasnoye Sormovo plant. The Party Committee supported him and recommended that management build such a vessel using the plant’s resources.

At that time, few could refuse the party. In addition, Alekseev enlisted the support of river workers - the Ministry of River Fleet - and went to the organizing committee on the 6th World Festival youth in Moscow with a proposal to show the first Soviet SEC in action as outstanding achievement water transport of the USSR. This proposal smacked of a real gamble - there was a year left before the festival. Nevertheless, Alekseev and his team performed a miracle, and on July 26, 1957, the hydrofoil motor ship “Raketa” set out on its first voyage to Moscow for the festival, unexpectedly becoming one of the main show-stoppers there: it opened the parade of ships and carried numerous delegations , including secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee.

For SPK enthusiasts, everything changed: from outcasts they became heroes, the team received the Lenin Prize, and orders began pouring in for SPK. One after another, the Alekseev Central Design Bureau issued various SPKs - river and sea, small and large, diesel and gas turbine. In total, about 300 “Rockets”, 400 “Meteors”, 100 “Komet”, 40 “Belarus”, 300 “Voskhodov”, 100 “Polesiev”, 40 “Kolchis” and “Katranov”, two “Olympia” and about a dozen more experimental vessels. Soviet SPKs became an important export product - they were bought all over the world, including the USA and Great Britain, countries with highly developed shipbuilding. One of the last SPCs - the large sea "missiles" "Olympia" with a capacity of 250 passengers - were built in 1993 in Crimea. A few Western competitors also curtailed their production. It seemed to many that the era of the SPK was over, just as the beautiful sailing clippers once disappeared.

New "Comet"

How dedicated one must be to one’s work in order not to let technology and the design school die during three decades of inactivity and to believe in the revival of the SPK fleet! Nevertheless, on August 23, 2013, at the Vympel shipyard, the keel of the lead ship of Project 23160 “Kometa 120M”, designed by JSC Central Design Bureau for the Alekseev SPK, was laid down. We are sitting in the office of the chief designer of SPK Mikhail Garanov, marveling at the majestic view of the frozen Volga outside the window, looking at photographs of the Comet 120M under construction in Rybinsk and talking about the future. Externally, the new “Comet” looks more like a direct heir to that very first Alekseev’s “Rocket” with a wheelhouse moved back and contours reminiscent of sports roadsters from the golden era of cars. The first “Comets” were the sea sisters of the river “Meteors”, which can be seen in large numbers in St. Petersburg on the Palace Embankment, from where they depart for Petrodvorets. The deckhouses of those “Meteors” and “Comets” were moved forward, and although at the end of the 20th century they looked like aliens from the future against the background of other ships, now they look a little old-fashioned.

The winged dream of Nizhny Novgorod residents is the Cyclone 250M gas turbine ship, designed to transport 250 passengers over a distance of more than 1,100 km at a speed of over 100 km/h. The main market for them is in Southeast Asia.

The new Comet 120M sets a new bar in ship design. “From a design point of view, Comet 120M is a development of Colchis and Katran,” says Garanov. — If you take photographs of “Meteor” or “Comet”, the nose contours are somewhat different. The new ones resemble the sketches of Rostislav Alekseev, who, as you know, drew the design of his ships himself. And a completely different cabin, made like the “Rocket” cabin, is located a little aft amidships. Its relocation allowed us to free up space in the bow and middle salons, where we accommodated 120 passengers, and in the stern, an area of ​​increased noise and vibration, to allocate large spaces for the bar.”

Aviation technology

The management of the Vympel shipyard decided to build the lead Comet 120M in Rybinsk. To do this, it was necessary to master new technologies, many of which came from the aviation industry. The fact is that the body of the SPK “Kometa 120M” is made of aluminum alloys. But welding aluminum is not easy - welding “pulls” the metal. If we start welding from the starboard side, the ship will bend to the right. Let's start on the left - it will pull to the left. To preserve the geometry - and this means safety, stability of the vessel on course, aesthetics - there is such a technology in shipbuilding as a conductor slipway. The construction of high-speed vessels from an aluminum-magnesium alloy is carried out in a special conductor made of steel profiles, fixed, set “to zero” along the level, along the axes. In fact, like a bed of the future bottom with hundreds of stiffeners. The skin of the bottom and sides is attached to these ribs using screw lanyards. After welding the skin, a rigid structure is obtained that will not go anywhere. Next, frames, stringers, transverse and longitudinal bulkheads are installed on the skin. After completing the welding work, the jig-conductor is disconnected from the bottom, and with the help of a crane the body is moved to the second slipway position.

The superstructure panels are assembled from aluminum alloy sheets and profiles using spot (contact) welding, which replaced rivets. The designers proposed complex contours of the hull and deckhouse, but Rybinsk shipbuilders managed to translate their concept into metal.

The wing device, made of stainless steel, has flaps driven by the Serdolik automatic vessel motion control system. The system allows you to increase comfort on board by reducing pitching and overload when moving in rough seas, as well as in automatic mode control the ship's movement along the course. You can set a route on the display of the cartographic system, marking points and turning angles, and our ship, like an airplane, will reach the desired port. All this complicated the wing, and in order to perfectly comply with the geometric dimensions, Vympel also manufactured conductor slipways. The captain's bridge, says Garanov, is made in a modern “glass cockpit” design. This is the realm of modern electronic devices with displays - strictly in accordance with the rules of the register. The high-speed vessel is controlled by only two people - the captain and the chief engineer.

There are many innovations on the Comet 120M. For example, the idea of ​​an airplane door was first realized here. The result is improved design and reduced air resistance. Since the ship “stands” on two wings when moving, it bends during waves, and in the past the doors on the ship often jammed. To prevent this from happening, the doorways have now been strengthened and their rigidity has increased significantly.

The wing itself with the stand is made of stainless steel, and the bracket with which it is attached to the body is made of aluminum. As is known, aluminum and steel form a galvanic couple, which leads to electrocorrosion. To avoid this, the fastening bolts are covered with fiberglass and an electrically insulating gasket is placed between the flanges. In a dry state, the insulation resistance must be at least 10 kOhm.

A method for monitoring the strength of hull structures and wing devices also came from aviation. The SPK will soon be launched. Strain gauges will be glued to the wings and hull in the area of ​​greatest stress, the vessel will be ballasted to “full” displacement and will go to sea trials. If the sensors detect that the permissible voltage is exceeded, the body or wings in this area will be strengthened. You can lay in excess metal in advance, says Garanov, but then the ship will turn out to be too heavy. And we make an elegant, light beauty.

Optimists

Sergey Korolev, director of marketing and foreign economic activity at the Central Design Bureau for the SPK named after. Alekseeva looks to the future with optimism. For about 20 years, no one has created a hydrofoil, he says. The entire high-speed fleet with SPK is the remnants of the former luxury of the 20th century. And there is a demand for it. For example, passenger traffic at the SEC in St. Petersburg increased from 700,000 in 2014 to a million people in 2016. This is the market for the new Comet 120M. Laid out in Nizhny Novgorod, the 45-seat river passenger transport ship "Valdai-45" is aimed at a different market - social regional transportation in the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Severrechflot transports a large number of passengers there, since there is practically no road communication.

Negotiations are actively underway with Egypt, the countries of the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia. Particular hopes are placed on the new passenger gas turbine ship Cyclone 250M, which is ideal for long-distance sea routes in Asia. But more on that another time, so as not to jinx it.

The article “The first hydrofoil ships of the 21st century are being built in Russia” was published in the magazine “Popular Mechanics” (No. 3, March 2017).