The boat "Meteor" is a river passenger ship. It is a hydrofoil ship. It was developed by the domestic shipbuilder Rostislav Alekseev.
History of the Meteor
The boat "Meteor" has its history since 1959. It was then that the first such experimental vessel was launched. Sea trials took place for almost three weeks. In their framework, the very first boat "Meteor" passed the distance from Gorky to Feodosia. The ship was built at a factory called "Red Sormovo".
In Feodosia, the Meteor hibernated. He set off on his return trip only in the spring of 1960. This time it took him five days to sail from Feodosia to Gorky. The tests were considered successful by all participants.
Mass production
The characteristics of the vessel suited everyone, so already in 1961 he was sent to serial production. It was established at the Gorky shipyard , which was located in Zelenodolsk. Over 30 years, more than 400 motor ships from this series have been produced here.
At the same time, the design bureau did not stand still. Constantly developed new, improved versions. So, Nizhny Novgorod designers proposed to make a "Meteor" hydrofoil. At the same time, imported engines and air conditioners were used. The history of this vessel ended only in 2007, when the line was finally dismantled, rebuilding it under the new class motor ships.
Inventor of the Meteor
By right, the shipbuilder Rostislav Alekseev is considered the creator of the Meteor boat. In addition to air-winged ships, his merit is the appearance in our country of ekranoplanes (high-speed vehicles flying in the area of the aerodynamic screen) and ekranolet (using the screen effect for flights).
Alekseev was born in the Chernihiv province in 1916. In 1933 he moved with his family to Gorky, where his successful working career developed. He graduated from an industrial institute, defended his thesis on hydrofoil gliders. He began to work as a shipbuilding engineer.
During the Great Patriotic War, he was allocated resources and people to create hydrofoil combat boats. The leadership of the Soviet Navy believed in his idea. True, their creation was delayed, so they did not have time to take part directly in hostilities. But the resulting models convinced skeptics of the possibility of implementing this project.
Work on the Meteor
A hydrofoil "Meteor" group of scientists began to develop under the leadership of Alekseev. Initially, it received the symbolic name "Rocket".
The world community about this project became known in 1957. The ship was presented at the international festival of youth and students, which was held in Moscow. After that, active shipbuilding began. In addition to the Meteor boat, whose technical characteristics turned out to be impressive, projects were created under the names Petrel, Volga, Voskhod, Sputnik and Comet.
In the 60s, Alekseev created an ekranoplane for the navy and a separate project for the airborne troops. If the flight altitude of the first was only a few meters, then the second could rise to a height comparable to airplanes - up to seven and a half kilometers.
In the 70s, Alekseev received an order for the Eagle’s landing craft. In 1979, the ekranolet-ship was for the first time in the world adopted by the Navy as an official combat unit. Alekseev himself regularly tested his vehicles. In January 1980, during the break-in of a new model of a passenger civil screen, which was supposed to be completed by the Moscow Olympics, it crashed. Alekseev survived, but received numerous injuries. He was urgently hospitalized. Doctors fought for his life, two operations were performed. But on February 9 he died. He was 63 years old.
Hydrofoil
The hydrofoil Meteor is a prime example of vessels of this class. Under the body he has hydrofoils.
Among the advantages of such aircraft, high speed of movement, low drag during movement on the wings, insensitivity to pitching and high passability are noted.
However, they have significant disadvantages. Their main disadvantage is low profitability, especially in comparison with low-speed displacement vessels, and at the same time they begin to have problems with water unrest. In addition, they are not adapted for unequipped parking, and for movement they need powerful and compact engines at the same time.
Description of Meteor
"Meteor" - hydrofoil ship, which is designed for high-speed transportation of passengers. It runs on a diesel engine; it is single deck. It is used exclusively during daylight hours on navigable rivers. It is also possible to move through fresh water reservoirs and lakes, but only in areas with a predominantly temperate climate. It is controlled remotely, its movement is controlled directly from the wheelhouse.
Passengers are in three lounges with comfortable and soft seats. They are located in the fore, middle and aft parts of the vessel. A total of 114 passengers are accommodated. The movement between the parts of the vessel is carried out through the deck, from which the doors lead to the toilet, utility rooms and engine room. In the middle cabin there is even a buffet for those who want to eat.
The wing device includes carrier wings and flaps. They are fixed on the sides and bottom racks.
The main engines are two diesel engines. At the same time, a combined unit consisting of a diesel engine with a power of up to 12 horsepower is required to service the power plant. The mechanical installation is controlled from the wheelhouse and engine room.
Motor ship power supply
"Meteor" - a motor ship for which two main direct current generators are considered the main source of electricity. Their power is one kilowatt with a stable and normal voltage.
There is also an automatic machine for simultaneous operation of batteries and a generator. There is also an auxiliary generator, which is used directly to power consumers.
Specifications
Passenger ship "Meteor" has enviable technical characteristics. Empty displacement is 36.4 tons, and a full 53.4 tons.
The vessel is 34.6 meters long and nine and a half meters wide with a hydrofoil span. The height when parked is 5.63 meters, while on the wings it is 6.78 meters.
Draft also varies when standing and running on the wings. In the first case, 2.35 meters, in the second - 1.2 meters. Power varies from 1,800 to 2,200 horsepower. The speed of the Meteor boat can reach a maximum of 77 kilometers per hour, as a rule, it is operated at a speed of 60-65 kilometers per hour. Autonomously, the ship can sail about 600 kilometers.
One of the disadvantages of Meteor is its fuel consumption. Initially, it was about 225 liters per hour, but thanks to the use of new modern engines, today it can be significantly reduced - by about 50 liters of fuel per hour.
The crew is small - only three people.
Meteor Distribution Countries
Currently, batch production of Meteors has been discontinued, so new vessels of this type no longer appear. But their exploitation continues today. In particular, they are used by the Russian river fleet, and they are also common in other countries.
Until now, they can be seen in Hungary, Greece, Vietnam, Italy, Egypt, China, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
These hydrofoil river vessels were actively used in Bulgaria until about 1990, in Latvia until 1988, in Ukraine until 2000, in the Netherlands until 2004, and in Germany until 2008. Now in these countries they have been replaced by more modern vehicles.
Safe travel
Fascinating river travels and walks are organized today using the Meteor. Safety on the ship for passengers is guaranteed by a special control system and regular thorough maintenance of all devices and mechanisms. Therefore, we can say with confidence that, setting sail on the Meteor, you risk nothing.
You can ride on this river ship in different parts of the country. For example, excursions from St. Petersburg to Peterhof and vice versa are very popular today. The ship embarks on a journey through the picturesque places of the Neva, tourists can enjoy the amazing beauties of North Palmyra. Moreover, everything has been done for the convenience of people, it is not even necessary to spend time in line at the box office, it is enough to purchase a ticket online.
This high-speed river boat will delight you with a smooth ride, which is provided by powerful and reliable modern engines. Each ship has radionavigation, communications and air conditioning systems on board.
In three comfortable lounges, passengers are protected from any whims of nature. In soft armchairs that take the form of a tourist, they can fully relax, have a bite to eat, using the folding wooden tables hidden in the armrests.
Between the chairs there are also round tables made of natural wood, which are much larger. They are useful if you are traveling in a friendly company along the way.
Service for tourists
It is worth noting that today these vehicles are mainly used for tourism purposes. Therefore, they organize the most comfortable pastime. Great attention is paid to the service.
The companies organizing such river cruises provide a full range of services, providing everything that a vacationer may need. For example, travel services, which include not only transportation and accommodation of passengers, but also the organization of good nutrition, exciting entertainment programs and educational excursions.
Using the convenient form for booking tickets for these river boats on the Internet, you will not only save time, but also fully enjoy an unforgettable trip along the great rivers of Russia.
Interesting facts about the Meteor
The Meteor vessel is devoted to a lot of fascinating and useful facts that will not only broaden your horizons, but will also make the trip on this ship even more exciting.
Most of them are collected in a book called “Cruise Ships of Russia”, which combines all the most interesting about this unusual type of water transport.
For example, one of the captains of the Meteor vessel, which moved on hydrofoils, was the famous Hero of the Soviet Union, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, Mikhail Devyatayev. Fighting against the Nazi invaders, he was captured, but managed to free himself and even hijack an enemy bomber.
A successful escape was carried out in February 1945 from a concentration camp located in Germany.
And in 1960, the new ship was demonstrated to the leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev. The famous aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, who was present at the same time, was so impressed with what he saw that he even asked permission from the main developer, Alekseev, for joint control of the ship.
Today, the Meteor was replaced by the passenger ship Lena, which is also produced at the shipyard in Zelenodolsk. In the future, this project is being developed at a shipyard located in Khabarovsk. It is capable of covering a distance of 650 kilometers. At the same time, it develops an average speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour. It can accommodate 100 passengers or 50 for VIP accommodation. And the crew is only 5 people.