Hearing the wonderful name of this ship, many immediately recall the scene from the film directed by L. Gaidai “The Diamond Arm” (1968). In the story, the main character of the tape, a simple Soviet worker Semen Semenovich Gorbunkov (artist Yu. Nikulin), is leaving for a trip abroad on a ship, the stern and board of which is decorated with the poetic inscription "Mikhail Svetlov". The ship with this name is a four-deck cruise handsome, popular among fans of water travel, launched in the spring of 1986. How so? This is worth sorting out.
Christening from Christina
We will return to the eighties of the twentieth century. The ship “Mikhail Svetlov” (a photo of it can be seen in the article) was created according to the project Q-065. These are medium passenger vessels for river cruises. He came down from the stocks of the shipyard in Korneuburg (Austria) in 1985.
He went on his long career in 86th (was put into operation in April). There is evidence that the wife of Franz Vranitsky (Austrian state politician, Federal Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997) admonished the vessel into "great life".
The ship was named after the Russian and Soviet poet and playwright Mikhail Svetlov (to be precise, Svetlov is the pseudonym of the Lenin Prize Laureate, his real name is Sheinkman). River liners of this type have 6 single, 33 double (plus 8 first class) and 22 four-berth cabins. There are bathrooms, rooms are equipped with refrigerators, air conditioning. There are two cabins. Temporary shelters for river travelers are located mainly on the main and boat decks. On board can be up to 210 passengers.
Everything for a pleasant stay
Favorite places for many travelers are the restaurant and bar. Here you can enjoy a cup of coffee, watching how eternal natural plots quietly swim overboard, as well as eat, have fun in your free time. A pair of salons, a cinema hall and a souvenir kiosk - everything is provided for a pleasant stay.
It is known that during operation the internal equipment (of this and some other typical vessels) was modernized in accordance with the requirements of modern standards. During the transformation, the three-decker "Mikhail Svetlov" (motor ship) became four-decked.
As for the crew, it consists of seventy people (including restaurant employees, as they would say in Soviet times - representatives of the catering industry). The floating hotel does not carry an environmental threat. It does not produce any harmful emissions into the environment - all waste is recycled (disposed of or passed through purification filters).
On the main deck
Judging by the reviews of tourists, the furniture in the apartments is rational, comfortable. And the shower set cannot be overestimated: what could be better than water procedures before bedtime or in the early morning? A radio point allows you to always be in the know. In addition to the TV, the suites have a tool for watching videos, as well as a minibar and additional air conditioning.
As travelers say, “Mikhail Svetlov” is a comfortable motor ship. Going to the main deck, the passenger is within walking distance from several "institutions" of consumer services and health care - a hairdresser, a medical center. The massage parlor is quite popular among the traveling fraternity. Many people love the sauna. Clothes can be brought into a divine form in ironing. On the same element of the ship's hull (main deck) there is a buffet and a restaurant with seventy seats.
On the boat deck is no less interesting. It is especially popular with those who don’t think of themselves outside the mood-raising notes, because this is the location of the music lounge-bar. But not only. The panoramic lounge is also a great place! It is located in the bow. Convinced book lovers and chess players are eternal inhabitants of the territory.
Different routes
There is also a deck, the name of which speaks for itself - the sun. There is a cinema hall and a place for entertainment programs and discos (unless, of course, the weather allows). Achieving time - satellite communications. She is supported on the boat, which is very popular with tourists.
Those who are interested in the routes that Mikhail Svetlov (motor ship) travels need to know that they change every year. Using the board, it is possible to visit the Arctic, to admire the peculiar beauties of Yakutia. Comfort, high-level service give a severe but beautiful route a special charm.
But not only in the Arctic, the ship "Mikhail Svetlov" is known. Theodosius (Crimea) also remembered him in his waters. So, according to special programs, a sea excursion to the foot of the extinct Kara-Dag volcano (2016) is assigned to the routes.
Two motor ships - one image
Well, what about the movie and his “Mikhail Svetlov” (ship)? A "diamond hand" without this ship would be completely different. But in the picture could not figure a ship built almost twenty years after the shooting! It turns out that the film director Leonid Gaidai, a big fan of the poet’s work, “assigned” the bright name to the “cinema” liner for a while.
In fact, the role of an important “inanimate character” was played by two motor ships - “Russia” (the Soviet marine cruise diesel-electric ship, built in 1938 in Germany, originally Patria) and “Victory” (a passenger ship with a difficult fate, built in 1928 in German Dancing, originally “Magdalena”, since 1935 - “Iberia”).
On the pier, where the family escorts Gorbunkov on a cruise, "Russia" flaunts. But about the eternal Mondays on the Island of bad luck, Kozodoev (artist Andrei Mironov) sings already on the deck of Victory. It is noteworthy that before Gaidai, this vessel with films, to put it mildly, “did not work out”.
Sad movie with a happy ending
It is known that in September 1948, when the Victory took place in Novorossiysk, the sailor Skripnikov, at the request of the ship projection engineer Kovalenko (radio engineer), began to pack the films he had watched in boxes (he was preparing for delivery to the cultural base). Rewinding was carried out on a manual machine. The tape was electrified, sparkled. The small pantry, where the process was carried out, was instantly engulfed in fire.
The flame quickly spread throughout the ship (even a spare walkie-talkie burned, through which it was possible to give an SOS signal). Extinguishing the fire was first done independently. When rescuers arrived, the fire was almost defeated. The ship even managed to get to Odessa under its own power (rescued passengers were transported separately). It was later repaired and worked until the 1970s, then it was disposed of.
But this is all from the fate of the prototype of Gaidaev’s “King of the Seas”. As for the biography of this ship, it continues. How many tourists have already managed to appreciate the ship "Mikhail Svetlov"! Reviews, and there are many of them in the ship's book, indicate that people really like to stay and travel on the ship!