The world's first ship. How is the boat set up? River cruises in Russia

It is also customary to refer to motor ships, especially since the power plant of such ships often includes diesel engines. Thus, almost all self-propelled modern ships are motor ships, except for nuclear-powered ships, sailing ships, and ships using other energy sources.

Classification [ | edit code]

A ship, as follows from the definition, can be called almost any modern ship.

Motor ships can be divided according to their purpose:

• Passenger motor ships - includes passenger ships with both unlimited and limited navigation area, ferries, hydrofoils.
• Cargo ships - include ships for the transport of goods, for various purposes, such as tankers, dry cargo, container ships, ro-ro ships, car carriers, lighter carriers, timber carriers, ore carriers, etc.
• Fishing vessels
• Auxiliary vessels - such as icebreakers.
• Warships.

By sailing area:

• Unlimited.
• Limited sea navigation area.
• Mixed navigation (river-sea).
• Inland navigation area (lake and river).

By type of GEM:

• Diesel.
• Steam turbine (boiler turbine).
• Gas turbine (gas turbine, gas turbine electric).
• Combined power plant - includes, for example, a gas turbine and a diesel engine.

• Single shaft.
• Two-shaft.
• Multi-shaft.

Device [ | edit code]

The engine of the ship can be low-speed (in this case it works directly on the propeller shaft) or high-speed. The high-speed engine is connected to the propeller shaft by means of a transmission. The most common types of transfers:

• mechanical (reducer)
• electric
• hydraulic (less often)

Motor ship "Hero of Dancers" (S-541) on the Ternopil pond

Spreading[ | edit code]

Currently, motor ships are the most common type of ships. They almost completely replaced steamboats. Only high-speed vessels use turbine power more often. power plant(however, such courts, turbo ships, are also classified as motor ships).

Also, a diesel-electric power plant is used on non-nuclear submarines for surface navigation.

Story [ | edit code]

The first diesel ships in the world appeared in Russia, thanks to the Nobel Brothers Oil Production Partnership.

The Nobels took an early interest in the invention of the engineer Rudolf Diesel. Already in 1898, Nobel acquired drawings of a diesel engine with a capacity of 20 liters. With. After several years of technical research, Nobel engineers managed to create a working marine diesel engine. Three such engines were installed in 1903 on the Vandal oil-loading river barge (built at the Sormovo plant and brought to St. Petersburg), which thus became the first motor ship in the world. Three diesel engines were installed on the Vandal, each with a capacity of 120 hp. with., which set the propellers in motion with the help of an electrical transmission, which consisted of three generators and electric motors. Such a complex drive scheme was chosen due to the unresolved problem of diesel reverse and speed control over a wide range.

In 1904, the Nobel company built the next motor ship, the Sarmat, also a former river tanker. He had two diesel engines of 180 liters. With. and two electric generators, but the power transmission was used only for reversing and maneuvering, and the rest of the time the diesels set the propeller shafts in motion directly. "Vandal" and "Sarmat" had a carrying capacity of 750 tons each.

The first reversible (which can work in both directions) diesel engine was also created in Russia. It was installed on the submarine Minoga built in 1908. In the same year, the design of the mechanical reverse device was tested on the ship "Thought".

In the same year, and again in Russia, the first offshore motor ship, the Delo tanker, was built, designed to operate on the Caspian Sea. It had two engines with a total capacity of 1000 hp. With. (according to other sources - 2000 hp). The Delo was a large ship, its length was 106 meters, its width was 15 meters, and its carrying capacity reached 4,000 tons.

Interestingly, along with screw motor ships, wheeled motor ships were also built: for example, the Kolomensky tugboat (later - Mys). However, such vessels were unsuccessful: a complex mechanical transmission was used to drive the paddle wheels with a diesel engine, which often broke down. Soon, wheeled ships were abandoned.

Ship "Ural"

The first ships of Russia:

• 1903 - "Vandal"
• 1904 - "Sarmatian"
• 1907 - "Kolomensky"
• 1908 - "Ilya Muromets"
• 1908 - "Lezgin" (360 nominal forces)
• 1908 - "The Case"
• 1910 - "Experience" - a wheeled ship for the transportation of flour, with a carrying capacity of about 50 tons
• 1911 - "Ural" - a wheeled ship, the first passenger ship in the world, 800 nominal forces (burned down in 1916)
• 1912 - "Engineer Koreyvo" - a cargo ship with a capacity of 600 nominal forces and a carrying capacity of 70 thousand pounds. Built at the Kolomna plant
• 1913 - "Danilikha" - dry cargo ship, carrying capacity 2000 tons, power 300 nominal forces. Built according to the project of engineer N. V. Kabachinsky at the Sormovsky plant
• 1915 - "Moskvich", the world's first tugboat with a horizontal engine

In addition to large ones, some of which are noted in the list, they were built or converted into motor ships and small vessels. By 1914, there were already about two hundred of them on the Volga, and the number of large ships was 48 (passenger and cargo-passenger - 16, cargo - 12, tugboats - 20). Thus, within a very short time Russian industry mastered the production of ships. The experience gained made it possible to move from experienced single ships to serial production. In 1907, the Kolomna Plant began building a series of passenger motor ships with a screw drive (the customer was Joint-Stock Company"Caucasus and Mercury"). The first ship of the series, which was named "Borodino", was ready by 1911. The construction of a series of such motor ships continued until 1917, a total of 11 motor ships were built. The most durable ships of this series, "Uritsky" (originally - "Tsargrad"), "Paris Commune" (originally - "John the Terrible") and actually "Memory of Comrade. Markin" (originally "Bagration") - worked on the Volga until 1991.

Outside of Russia, motor ships began to be built in 1911 in Germany and in 1912 in Great Britain and Denmark. The Danish "Zealand" (Sealandia), launched in 1911, became the first ocean-going ship. This ship was very successful: in the first twelve years of service, engine repairs had to be carried out only once. Zeeland worked until 1942.

Motor ships became quite massive by the thirties (according to the Lloyd's register, in 1930 they accounted for 10% of the world's civilian fleet), and by 1974, according to the same source, they already accounted for 88.5% of the world's civilian fleet.

Compared to steamships, motor ships had the following advantages: higher

Inventor: the firm "Association of the Nobel Brothers"
A country: Russia
Time of invention: 1903

At the beginning of the 20th century, significant changes took place in shipbuilding - steamboats, which have been widely used for a hundred years on all water transport routes, are being replaced by more advanced ships with.

The beginning of this important revolution was laid in Russia - it was here that the first reverse marine diesel engine was created and the world's first motor ships and were built. All these developments were initiated by one of the largest Russian firms, the Nobel Brothers Partnership. Nobels were among the first to appreciate importance inventions of Rudolf Diesel.

As soon as there were reports of his engine, Emmanuel Nobel began negotiations to purchase a license. The main thing that bribed Nobel in the new engine was that it could run on heavy fuel. In 1898, having paid huge money for those times (about 500 thousand rubles), Nobel received drawings of a 20-horsepower diesel engine.

After their careful study at the St. Petersburg plant of the company, many engine parts were changed as for constructive reasons, and, mainly, because it was decided to make the first engine run on oil, and not on kerosene. The difficulties of using petroleum fuel were not yet overcome anywhere in the world at that time.

The world's first oil-powered diesel engine was launched in 1899. He developed 25 Horse power and spent about a quarter of a kilogram of oil per hour per 1 horsepower. It was an important success, but the cherished dream of Nobel was the use of diesel as a ship engine.

At that time, skepticism about diesels was still widespread among many engineers. Most considered that these engines were not suitable as a drive for the movement of ships. The reasons for this were good enough.

Firstly, diesel engines did not have a reverse gear (reverse) and, installed on, could only rotate the propeller in one direction.

Secondly, it was impossible to start the first diesel engines at some extreme positions of the piston.

Thirdly, the operation of diesel engines was difficult to adjust - it was difficult to change the mode of their operation, for example, to reduce or increase the speed of the shaft, thereby increasing or decreasing the speed of the vessel.

These shortcomings, which did not of great importance with a stationary installation and the small size of a diesel engine operating under constant load, they were a very significant flaw for transport engine. The steam engine, which was widely used at that time, had an advantage over a diesel engine in this sense - reverse, changing the shaft speed and starting from any position were achieved on it without any difficulty. In this case, it would seem, was it worth messing with diesel at all? It turns out that it was worth it - elementary calculations convinced Nobel of this.

The great advantage of a diesel engine lies in its high efficiency and, consequently, in its efficiency. Since diesel engines required four times less fuel than steam engines of the same power, it was easy to imagine what great prospects such a reduction in the weight of fuel consumption opened up for shipping, both in commercial and especially in the navy.

Comparing an ordinary steam ship with a thermal ship designed for the same cruising range, it was easy to calculate that the second of them, equipped with a diesel engine, would be able to take a fuel supply four times smaller in weight, thereby increasing its carrying capacity. On the contrary, if the same amount of fuel is taken by both, then, obviously, the ship will be able to cover four times the distance than .

Of course, for a short cruising range, the difference between both types of ships was not so great, but with an increase in cruising range, the difference between a motor ship and a steam ship increased exceptionally. On a voyage of 10,000 miles with a carrying capacity of 1,000 tons, the steamer could actually carry twice as much cargo as the same steamer. For the conditions of Russian shipping, this was of tremendous importance, since it became possible, without resorting to loading additional fuel along the way, to travel a greater distance with one's own reserve.

There were other important benefits as well. For example, the ship was loaded with oil in bulk, while coal had to be loaded manually. True, the unprofitability of the steamship was compensated by the cheapness of coal fuel, but for Nobel, one of the largest oil magnates of that time, this aspect was not of significant importance.

Despite all the difficulties, Nobel ordered his engineers to start designing the first ship. In order for the new vessel to be able to maneuver, he ordered that the diesel engine be connected to the propeller shaft not directly, but through a transmission that allowed changing both the direction of rotation of the propeller and its number of revolutions.

In 1903, three 120 horsepower diesel engines were installed on the Vandal tanker barge, manufactured at the Sormovo plant and brought to St. Petersburg. Together with these diesel engines, three electric generators worked, generating current for three electric motors that rotated the propellers. By switching the windings on the Vandal, it was possible to change the mode and direction of rotation.

Tests of the new ship gave encouraging results, but in general such a drive system could hardly be considered successful and fraught with many inconveniences - first of all, it was expensive and uneconomical in terms of energy costs.

In the same year, Nobel bought a license for the Del Proposto propulsion system, which allowed more it is economical to use diesel as a ship engine. The principle of its operation was that in forward gear the diesel engine was directly connected to the propeller, and the electric transmission was used only for reverse gear and maneuvering.

This significantly reduced energy losses, because most of the time the screws received rotation directly from the diesel engine, and full power was not required for maneuvering and reversing. In 1904, the Sarmat oil tanker was equipped with this system. It was equipped with two diesel engines of 180 horsepower and two electric generators.

Each diesel engine was connected to an electric generator, and then through a coupling with a propeller, on which an electric motor was located. During the forward stroke, the diesel engine worked directly on the screw, and the generator and electric motor rotated, neither giving nor receiving current, like flywheels. When reversing, the engine began to work on an electric generator, which sent current to the electric motor and gave the propeller reverse rotation.

The results of the very first voyages of the Sarmat showed all the advantages of diesel installations on ships. Expenses oil against the same type of steamers (which worked on oil, not on coal) turned out to be five times smaller. At the same time, maneuvering and control did not deteriorate at all. ABOUT technical tests reports were printed on the ship, and not only in Russia - "Sarmat" became a celebrity.

However, the lack of a reverse still prevented the wide distribution of motor ships. Only in 1908 did the long-term search culminate in the creation of a reverse engine. As already noted, in a reverse engine it was necessary to have, firstly, a mechanism that switches the forward and reverse distribution elements, putting one into action and simultaneously turning off the others, and, secondly, a device for starting the engine in any position of the crankshaft shaft.

Of these two reverse elements, the first, that is, the mechanism for rearranging the distribution, was created quite easily: two cam systems were placed on the camshaft - one for the front and the other for reverse. By moving the entire system in one direction, the engine received distribution for the forward stroke, by moving in the opposite direction - for the rear.

Reversing the engine (transition from "full forward" to "full reverse") took 10-12 seconds. The device for launching, on the contrary, was the main and more difficult task, but it was also very successfully solved by Russian engineers at the Nobel factory. True, these diesel engines were not made for the ship, but for the Lamprey submarine launched in 1908, which thus became the world's first diesel submarine.

Diesels on the "Lamprey" were three-cylinder. The problem of getting out of the dead stroke was solved as follows: the transition from the operation of the system with air to work with oil did not occur immediately, but gradually - at first all cylinders worked with air, then one switched to oil, after it gave a working stroke, the second cylinder was transferred to oil and so on.

The timing and sequence of flashes in the cylinder brought the crankshaft out of any position. At the same time, speed control was achieved by reducing and increasing the oil supply. Thus, all the problems of creating a marine diesel engine were resolved. The second reverse engine was installed on the Akula submarine, and then Nobel began to equip his oil tankers with them.

After successful tests in Russia, diesel engines as ship engines began to be introduced around the world. At first, diesel engines were installed only on small ships, but in the second decade of the 20th century, a turning point occurred in marine shipbuilding. In 1911 and 1912, the shipyards in Germany and England began building several large ships.

In 1912, the first passenger and freight ship Zeelandia, with a displacement of 3200 tons and a carrying capacity of 7400 tons, left the stocks in Denmark. The whole world followed its first voyage from Copenhagen to London. It was soon calculated that the exploitation of the "Zeeland" gives 160,000 marks of savings per year compared with steamships of the same class. This decided the fate of the new mode of transport.

Three-deck passenger (passenger-and-freight) motor ship for long-distance navigation.

It is intended for work on river fast passenger lines and tourist cruises. The most numerous and successful of the mass series of river passenger ships in the USSR. Most of the ships are currently in operation.

Project number 588 was developed in the early 1950s. TsTKB and a plant in the GDR. The project proposed a new architectural solution for a river passenger ship (the first three-deck ships), distinguished by the rational layout of passenger rooms and high comfort for that time. The appearance of the vessel and the layout of the premises were developed under the guidance of the chief architect of the Ministry of River Fleet, academician Dobin L.V.

In the architecture of the ships of this project, for the first time, dynamic forms of the surface of the ships were used, the fashion for which came in the late 1950s - early 1960s. due to the rapid development of aircraft and automotive industry. When creating the ship, shipbuilding engineer Lev Dobin applied a smooth aerodynamic curve, inscribing all above-deck structures into its contour. That's why appearance The ships of this project are reminiscent of the kinship with the "aviation design" characteristic of the cars of the 1950s. and accurately conveys the aesthetics of the era.

Motor ships were built in the German Democratic Republic, in the city of Wismar, at the VEB Mathias-Thesen-Werft Wismar shipyard, which bore the name of the German communist Matthias Tezen, who was shot in a concentration camp. In total, 49 motor ships were built during the period 1954-1961.

Shipyard designation: BiFa Typ A, Binnenfahrgastschiff - type A river passenger ship. The first ship of the V. Chkalov was launched in 1953 and handed over to the Soviet side on March 30, 1954.

Motor ships were built in 2 series:

• Series I type "B. Chkalov" (1954-1956), 11 courts
• Series II type "Cosmonaut Gagarin" (1957-1961), 38 vessels

Motor ships of different series differ in the shape of the stern, superstructure elements, the location of some ladders and the layout of the premises. The ships of the first series have a luxurious wooden finish. Reduced number of lifeboats on Series II ships (4 instead of 6); they also differ in displacement, some change in the layout of rooms and ladders, and slightly reduced passenger capacity due to increased cabin comfort.

During the operation of the project 588 vessels underwent various upgrades. Almost on all ships, a cinema hall was additionally placed at the end of the 3rd deck. Since the late 1980s, a comprehensive reconstruction and modernization of ships in Austria was planned with the replacement of equipment and the redevelopment of passenger facilities, however, due to economic crisis and the collapse of the USSR, this project was not implemented. Some motor ships were modernized later and are currently being reconstructed in accordance with modern ideas about comfort (for example, Ilya Muromets, etc.), while several ships were converted or converted into four- or two-deck ships.

Motor ships of the series

As soon as summer comes to Russian cities, all residents have an irresistible desire to relax, get away from the dusty and noisy metropolis, and become closer to nature. Someone is going to Vacation home, and someone goes to the river for a hike, completely breaking away from civilization. If you are an adherent of comfort, then such options are unlikely to appeal to you.

It is better to consider the possibility of a river cruise, where you can enjoy the natural splendor and fresh river air in comfort. Everyone is free to choose the degree of comfort based on their financial capabilities and taste preferences. The main thing is that such a vacation will not make you bored, because constant change landscapes and cities will make your vacation interesting and eventful.

In addition, with the expression "river cruises" we are used to associate only cruises on the rivers of Russia, but this is far from all: there are various cruises on the rivers of Europe, North and South America, as well as cruises on the rivers of exotic Asian and African countries.

River cruises in Russia

Great amount water arteries, here and there crossing the vast expanses of Russia, provide a wide variety of possible river cruises. The duration of the river trip can be different - from a short trip for three days to a long trip for 24 days.

The excursion direction, of course, depends on the point of your departure. The most popular routes departing from Moscow are Uglich, Tver, Konstantinovo. Such a walk takes an average of two to three days and is usually organized on weekends and holidays. A week-long boat trip from Moscow can be made to Kostroma, Yaroslavl or Gorodets. A popular short river cruise departing from Nizhny Novgorod is Makaryevsky monastery.

River cruises in Europe

River trips in Europe are very popular among tourists., This is primarily due to the fact that in this way you can see a large number of European cities, while spending a minimum of effort. However, this pleasure will not be cheap. Unfortunately, not all possible routes and destinations of European cruises are known in Russia, some you can only order on the spot. However, when planning a river holiday in European countries, it is better to take care and book a tour in advance, because because of their popularity, tours sell like hot cakes.

European river navigation for tourists from Russia is traditionally opened by cruises on May holidays. The most popular routes for such trips are the rivers Seine and Rhone, Rhine and Danube, Elbe and Oder, as well as the rivers of Spain and Portugal.

River cruises to exotic countries

If you don't know where to choose between a river cruise and a holiday in exotic country, you can simply combine these directions. A variety of river routes are available for tourists, as in South-East Asia as well as in the countries of South America.

As for Asia, the most popular river arteries here have long been the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Mekong. Unfortunately, the comfort and quality of services provided during the cruise often leaves much to be desired.

However, these minor shortcomings are fully compensated by the saturation of the program, the bright color of Asian countries and the huge cultural and historical value of local attractions. Often, cruise ships are styled according to a particular era, which correlates with the main theme of excursions along this route.

For the first time, the Vandal oil barge was equipped with three diesel engines in 1903, designed for navigation on rivers, which is considered the world's first motor ship. Her diesels had a power of 120 hp. and were propelled by screws using an electrical transmission, which included three electric motors and a generator.

In 1904, the Nobel company developed a new motor ship "Sarmat", which was a river boat. It was equipped with two electric generators and 180 hp diesel engines. each, however, the power transmission was intended only for maneuvering and reversing, while the rest of the time the movement of the propeller shafts was carried out using diesel engines. Both Vandal and Sarmat could carry up to 750 tons of cargo each.

Ship "Ural"

Russia also became the birthplace of the first diesel engine of a reversible type, capable of working in both directions. It was equipped with the "Lamprey", built in 1908. In the same year, the performance of the mechanical reverse device, which was installed on the ship "Thought", was tested. Also for the first time in the same year and again in Russian Empire local shipbuilders were able to build the world's first offshore tanker, called "Delo", which was supposed to work on the Caspian Sea. His distinctive feature was that this ship had two diesel engines, the total power of which was 1000 hp. (according to other sources - 2000 hp).

Most good example wheeled ships can serve as a tug "Kolomensky", soon renamed the "Mys". However, this experiment was not entirely successful: the paddle wheels were driven by a diesel engine, and for this the ship had to be equipped with a complex mechanical transmission, which often failed. Therefore, such ships soon sank into the past.

The first Russian ships:

• 1903 - ship "Vandal";
• 1904 - ship "Sarmat";
• 1907 - tug "Kolomensky";
• 1908 - motor ship "Ilya Muromets";
• 1908 - motor ship "Lezgin" (360 hp);
• 1908 - ship "Delo";
• 1910 - motor ship "Experience" (a wheeled motor ship capable of carrying up to 50 tons of cargo was used to transport flour);
• 1911 - wheeled ship "Ural", which became the first passenger ship in the world. Its engine power was 800 hp;
• 1912 - the ship of the cargo type "Engineer Koreyvo" with a power of 600 hp, which had a carrying capacity of 70 thousand pounds;
• 1913 - dry cargo ship "Danilikha" with a diesel power of 300 hp. and a load capacity of about 2000 tons;
• 1915 - the world's first tugboat "Moskvich", equipped with a horizontal engine.

The heyday of the era of ships

The beginning of the construction of motor ships abroad dates back to 1911 (Germany) and 1912 (Denmark and Great Britain) years. The first ship that managed to conquer the ocean was the Danish Zeeland, the construction of which was completed in 1911.

By the 1930s projects of new ships and their construction began to be massive: for example, in 1930, according to the data given in the Lloyd's register, these ships accounted for 10% of the entire civilian fleet in the world. By 1974, this figure had risen to 88.5%.

Motor ships had a number of undoubted advantages compared to their steam predecessors: low fuel consumption, significant efficiency and high reliability, which distinguished diesel engines, the ability to transport large quantity various cargoes.