The motor ship "Dawn" or a river bus was created by the project of A. A. Oskolsky and many specialists of the Central Research Institute named after Ak. Krylova in 1962. At that time, its design was a real breakthrough. The vessel could move along absolutely non-navigable rivers of the country with a rocky bottom. In connection with this purpose, the developers have laid down a number of features in the design of the ship, which until then no ship in the Soviet Union had, and there were no analogues of such technology in world practice.
A motor ship of the Zarya type is a planing ship carrying people and luggage along small rivers, but only in the daytime. Let us consider in more detail why its design allowed passing in those places where another vessel did not even begin to move.
Vessel design features
In the ship "Dawn" used fiberglass. This significantly reduced the weight of the vessel and allowed passengers to be transported on small rivers of the Soviet Union. For the first time in the world, at the Dawn, the developers installed air bottom lubrication. This technology has been known for a long time, but has never been applied in practice. This allowed to reduce the resistance to the movement of the ship, significantly increasing the speed.
The contours were made combined: in the bow of the vessel they used the Sea Sled system with reverse pitching, and at the stern - the usual one. Due to this property, the vessel can move along a rocky shallow bottom.
First, a single-stage semi-submerged water cannon was installed on the Zarya motor ship with a straightening device and with a compressed output section of up to 0.8, but during the experiments the technologists came to the conclusion that this device increased the speed of the vessel very slightly, and decided not to set it. As a result, the vessel does not have a straightening apparatus for a water cannon.
A vessel of this type is capable of mooring on sloping shores, without berthing facilities, as it has a low draft of 0.5 meters and can go forward directly to the shore of the earth. For the descent of passengers, the gangway is not even used.
Specifications
The motor ship “Zarya” has a diesel four-stroke supercharged engine with 12 cylinders and a capacity of 900 horsepower. The engine is reliable and economical. At 1400 rpm fuel consumption is about 130 kg per hour.
The diameter of each cylinder is 18 cm.
The vessel is 23.9 meters in length and 3.93 meters in width.
The displacement of the ship with cargo is 29.85 tons, and when empty - 19.45 tons.
The motor ship Zarya can reach speeds of up to 45 km / h.
On the vessel there are two rudders, located beyond the nozzle of the water jet, which provide good maneuverability both when moving forward and during reverse, when the shutters are closed and water is directed into special channels that provide the vessel with a reverse.
A protective grill is located on the water intake, which is cleaned through a special small hatch.
Ship structure
The hull is made of aluminum-magnesium alloy. The upper settings of the ship are mainly made of fiberglass. The engine room and the wheelhouse are located in front of the ship. The passenger compartment has a bus type with soft and comfortable seats for three people near each side.
There are 60 seats on the ship. In such vessels there is also a luggage compartment. On others, where the space for cargo transportation is not calculated, there are more seats. Accommodates 66 people. The rules are allowed to carry and standing passengers. Then 86 people are accommodated on the ship. But standing can only be on a ship when the voyage is no more than two hours.
The engine compartment is separated from the passenger by a cargo compartment and a toilet.
Operation of Zarya vessels
For the first time, this ship passed sea trials on the Msta River in 1964. He proved to be excellent. Since then, a lot of time has passed, and riverboats have pleased both passengers and various shipping companies of the vast country.
There were remote settlements without roads. The only vehicles for people living in the outback were rivers. Before the development of such motor ships, it was impossible to reach such settlements, since the rivers had a rocky bottom and were shallow. With the advent of such glider trams, people got the opportunity to travel to large towns and cities for shopping and work.
Such vessels were present on almost all rivers and shipping companies in Russia (except the Kuban).
Ship disadvantages
Motor ships of the Zarya type were periodically repaired and improved designs. There were about 200 motor ships operating on the rivers of Siberia, the Urals, the Far East and North-West of Russia. The ships transported tourists and mushroom pickers who came to admire the beauty of the nature of those places. But due to the planing structure, the ships were shaking violently, especially at the slightest agitation on the river. The noise in the cabin was such that people were forced to raise their voices in order to hear each other.
The developers struggled with the shortcomings, but the blue smoke from the engine and the off-gas spoiled the ecology of those places, often emissions of oil products fell overboard. At gentle stops, the structure of the coastline was disturbed, the coast eroded. On ships with a single engine were frequent accidents associated with engine failure.
Limitations
In the European part of the country, the operation of the Dawn is prohibited. Now ships can only be found on Siberian rivers. According to the schedule, the Zarya motor ship travels from May 15 to October 11, carrying passengers twice a day.