History of Soviet hydrofoils. Motor ship "Meteor": description, technical characteristics History of the development of hydrofoils

Meteor is a series of river passenger hydrofoil ships. These are reliable, economical, high-speed vessels. As of 2017, Russia is the only country in the world that has resumed production of hydrofoil ships, maintaining and improving the technology of design and construction of ships.

Description:

Meteor is a series of hydrofoil river passenger ships designed by Rostislav Alekseev.

The first experimental Meteor was launched in 1959. Serial production of Meteors was launched at the Zelenodolsk Shipyard named after. A. M. Gorky. From 1961 to 1991, more than 400 ships of this series were built.

The history of the creation of these vessels dates back to the early 1940s, when Alekseev became interested in the topic as a student and in 1941 defended his graduation project on the topic “Hydrofoil glider.”

Alekseev's project used Effect 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. Submerged hydrofoil rising to surfaces, 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. At the same time, a relatively small hydroplaning (sliding along the surface) water) the 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 struts and are mounted so that they touch the surface of the water while moving, while the main wings are submerged to approximately a depth equal to the length of their chord.

Due to different flow rates in accordance with Bernoulli's equation, a vacuum is created on the upper surface of the hydrofoil, and increased pressure on the lower surface - this leads to the formation of lift. As the depth decreases, the pressure on the upper surface of the wing increases, because in the boundary zone, fluid particles are slowed down, as a result the lifting force decreases and the ship stabilizes.

Advantages:

– reliable, economical, high-speed vessels,

– as of 2017, Russia is the only country in the world that has resumed serial production of hydrofoils, maintaining and improving the design and construction technology ships.

Technical characteristics of the hydrofoil vessel “Kometa 120M” of project 23160:

The new generation marine passenger hydrofoil "Kometa 120M" of Project 23160 is designed for high-speed transportation of passengers during daylight hours in cabins equipped with aircraft-type seats.

Characteristics: Meaning:
Vessel class KM SPK – A
Operation area seas with a marine tropical climate R3-RSN (h at 3% 2.0 m)
Overall length, m 35,2
Overall width, m 10,3
Displacement, t 73,0
Overall draft afloat, m 3,5
Speed, knots at least 35
Crew, man 5
Passenger capacity, person: 120
business class cabin 22
economy class cabin 98
Engine power, kW 2 x 820
Hourly fuel consumption, kg/hour 320
Cruising range at full displacement, miles 200
Sailing autonomy, hours 8
Distance from port of refuge in the open seas, miles 50
Seaworthiness (wave height h3%), m <2,0 (крыльевой режим) /2,0-2,5 (водоизмещающий)
Fuel consumption, kg/hour 320

Note: description of the technology using the example of the hydrofoil ship “Kometa 120M” of project 23160.

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  • “Burevestnik”, “Sputnik”, “Comet” and “Meteor” - the names of these Soviet ships gave rise to romantic thoughts about flight. Although we were talking only about a river trip. However, it’s hard to say, a trip on a hydrofoil is also swimming, but there is something of flying in it. These ships, which in general terms were called rockets and could reach speeds of 150 km/h (carrying up to 300 passengers), were the same symbol of the USSR of the 60s - 80s, like the real space rockets that roamed the Bolshoi Theater outer space.

    The severe economic crisis (if not an industrial disaster) of the 90s led to a sharp reduction in the number of ships of this class. Now let's remember the brief history of these unusual ships.


    The principle of movement of these ships was twofold. At low speed, such a ship moves like an ordinary ship, that is, due to the buoyant force of water (hello to Archimedes). But when it develops high speed, due to the hydrofoils these ships have, a lifting force arises, which lifts the ship above the water. That is, a hydrofoil is both a ship and, as it were, an airplane at the same time. He just flies low.

    Perhaps the most elegant high-speed hydrofoil was the so-called. gas turbine ship "Burevestnik". It was developed by the Central Design Bureau of the SPK R. Alekseev in the city of Gorky and, with a length of 42 meters, could reach a design speed of 150 km/h (although there is no data that the ship ever reached such a speed).

    The first (and only) experimental vessel, Burevestnik, was built in 1964.

    It was operated by the Volga Shipping Company on the Volga along the route Kuibyshev - Ulyanovsk - Kazan - Gorky.

    The two aircraft gas turbine engines on the sides made this vessel especially impressive (such engines were used on the IL-18 aircraft).

    In such a ship, travel should indeed resemble flight.

    The captain's cabin was particularly elegant, the design of which was reminiscent of the design of futuristic American limousines of the 50s (the photo below, however, is not the cabin of the Burevestnik, but about the same).

    Unfortunately, having worked until the end of the 70s, the unique 42-meter “Burevestnik” was written off due to wear and tear, and remained in a single copy. The immediate reason for the decommissioning was an accident in 1974, when the Burevestnik collided with a tug, severely damaging one side and the gas turbine engine. After this, it was restored, as they say, “somehow” and after some time its further operation was considered unprofitable.

    Another type of hydrofoil was the Meteor.

    The Meteors were smaller than the Burevestnik (34 meters in length) and not as fast (no more than 100 km/h). Meteors were produced from 1961 to 1991 and, in addition to the USSR, were also supplied to the countries of the socialist camp.

    A total of four hundred motor ships of this series were built.

    Unlike the aircraft engines of the Burevestnik, the Meteors flew using diesel engines driving propellers typical of ships.

    Vessel control panel:

    But the most famous hydrofoil is probably the Rocket.

    “Rocket” was first presented in Moscow in 1957 at the International Student Youth Festival.

    The leader of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev himself then expressed himself in the spirit that, they say, it’s enough to swim along rivers in rusty bathtubs, it’s time to travel in style.

    However, at that time only the first experimental “Rocket” was running along the Moscow River, and after the festival it was sent for trial operation to the Volgna on the Gorky-Kazan line. The ship covered a distance of 420 km in 7 hours. An ordinary ship would travel the same route for 30 hours. As a result, the experiment was considered successful and “Rocket” went into production.

    Another famous Soviet ship is the Comet.

    "Comet" was a naval version of "Meteor". This 1984 photo shows two Comets in the seaport of Odessa:

    "Comet" was developed in 1961. They were mass-produced from 1964 to 1981 at the Feodosia shipyard "More". A total of 86 Komets were built (including 34 for export).

    One of the “Comets” that has survived to this day in a bright design:

    By the beginning of the 70s, “Rockets” and “Meteors” were already considered obsolete ships and the “Voskhod” was developed to replace them.

    The first ship of the series was built in 1973. A total of 150 Voskhods were built, some of which were exported (China, Canada, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, etc.). In the 90s, production of Voskhods was stopped.

    Sunrise in the Netherlands:

    Among other types of hydrofoils, it is worth remembering the Sputnik.

    It was truly a monster. At the time of construction of the first Sputnik ship (October 1961), it was the world's largest passenger hydrofoil ship. Its length was 47 meters, and its passenger capacity was 300 people!

    "Sputnik" was first operated on the Gorky - Tolyatti line, but then, due to its low landing, it was transferred to the lower Volga on the Kuibyshev - Kazan line. But he spent only three months on this line. On one of the voyages, the ship encountered a sinkhole, after which it stood in a ship repair yard for several years. At first they wanted to cut it into scrap metal, but then they decided to install it on the Togliatti embankment. “Sputnik” was placed next to the river station, where it housed a cafe of the same name, which with its appearance continues to delight (or frighten) the residents of Avtograd (proof).

    The marine version of Sputnik was called “Whirlwind” and was intended for sailing in waves up to 8 points.

    It is also worth remembering the ship “Chaika”, which was created in a single copy and took 70 passengers on board, but reached a speed of up to 100 km/h

    Another rare one we can’t help but mention is “Typhoon”...



    ...and "Swallow"

    A story about Soviet hydrofoils would be incomplete without a story about a man who devoted his life to creating these ships.

    Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev (1916-1980) - Soviet shipbuilder, creator of hydrofoils, ekranoplanes and ekranoplanes. Yacht designer, winner of all-Union competitions, master of sports of the USSR.

    He came to the idea of ​​hydrofoils while working during the war (1942) to create combat boats. His boats did not have time to take part in the war, but in 1951 Alekseev was awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree for the development and creation of hydrofoils. It was his team that created “Rocket” in the 50s, and then, starting in 1961, almost every year a new project: “Meteor”, “Comet”, “Sputnik”, “Burevestnik”, “Voskhod”. In the 60s, Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev began work on creating the so-called. "Ekranoplans" - ships for the airborne forces, which were supposed to hover above the water at a height of several meters. In January 1980, during testing of a passenger ground-propelled aircraft, which was to be put into operation for the 1980 Olympics, Alekseev was seriously injured. He died from these injuries on February 9, 1980. After his death, the idea of ​​ekranoplanes was never returned to.

    And now I offer some more photos of these incredibly beautiful hydrofoils:

    Built in 1979, Comet-44 is today operated in Turkey:



    Project "Olympia"

    Project "Katran"

    Double-decker monster "Cyclone"

    Ship cemetery near Perm.



    Bar "Meteor" in Kanev (Ukraine)

    Red Meteor in China

    But even today these ships of the 60s designs look quite futuristic.

    "Meteor", project 342E- a series of river passenger hydrofoil ships designed by Rostislav Alekseev.

    Story

    M/v "Meteor"

    Produced from 1961 to 1991 at the Zelenodolsk shipyard named after. A. M. 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, and motor ships of the new A45-1 project were laid down.

    Description

    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 - with 26, 44 and 44 seats, respectively. The transition of passengers from the middle to the aft salon is carried out along a deck that has a roof (visible in photographs as a “hump”), from the deck doors lead to the toilet, engine room and utility room. There is a buffet in the middle salon.

    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.

    The main engines on the ship are two diesel engines of type M-400 (12CHNS18/20) of right and left rotation, twelve-cylinder, four-stroke, turbocharged, water-cooled, reversible clutch, rated power 1000 hp. each at 1700 rpm, converted from aviation M-40. Propulsors - two five-bladed propellers of a fixed pitch ø 710 mm. To service the power plant and ship needs, a combined diesel-generator-compressor-pump unit was installed. The unit consists of a 12 hp diesel engine. at 1500 rpm. with starter and manual start, 5.6 kW generator, compressor and vortex self-priming pump. The mechanical installation of the ship is controlled from posts in the wheelhouse and in the engine room.

    Electricity sources

    The main source of electricity in running mode are two running DC generators with a power of 1 kW each at a normal voltage of 27.5 V, installed on the main engines. There is an automatic parallel operation of the generator and batteries. To power electricity consumers, an auxiliary DC generator with a power of 5.6 kW and a rated voltage of 28 V is installed in the parking lot.

    "Meteor-236" on Lena

    • The first captain of the Meteor SPK was the famous pilot Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Devyatayev, who during the Great Patriotic War was able to escape from captivity by hijacking an enemy bomber.
    • In the center of the Sormovsky district of Nizhny Novgorod, on Burevestnik Square, a Meteor model was installed. At this time, the model has been moved to the park in front of the Polytechnic College near Sormovsky Park.
    • A Meteor model was installed near the Kazan River Technical School.

    Motor ship Meteor-86

    VIP class ship!
    In 2011, the ship's interior was completely renovated, the decoration and layout of the premises were changed (the bow and middle compartments were combined). Equipped with leather seats with folding wooden tables, a wardrobe and separate tables for negotiations.
    Passenger capacity = 86 people
    There is a bar on the ship; meals can also be arranged on board by delivering snacks using special carts (like on an airplane). In addition, there is a well-equipped closet.
    The windows are tinted and there is a built-in air conditioning system.
    The ship's hold was also given due attention: new rivets, straightened floras, fresh paintwork. The ship's hull also received the necessary care.
    The ship is equipped with the latest radio navigation equipment of class O2.0. A separate cabin is equipped for conducting special communications when accompanying VIP flights.
    In addition, the diesel power plant was updated: the company carried out a major overhaul of two M419 engines (2200 hp in total). Additionally, a Westerbeke 220 V generator is installed.

    In contact with


    At first glance, it looks like a space boat from Star Wars. In fact, this rusting ship was made more than 40 years ago. During the Cold War, similar hydrofoils plied rivers in the Soviet Union at tremendous speed, causing general delight and admiration of passengers.


    The creators of Soviet passenger hydrofoil ships used a technology in which, after reaching a certain speed, the ship's hull rose above the surface of the water. This reduced drag and allowed incredible speeds of up to 150 km/h.




    These ships were called “Rockets”, “Meteors”, “Comets”, “Satellites” (not surprising, since the space program was actively developing at that time), and some of the models were even equipped with turbines from aircraft.



    The father of modern hydrofoils, ekranoplanes and ekranoplanes is the Soviet inventor Rostislav Alekseev. It was according to his drawings that almost 3,000 ships were built for Russian and Ukrainian rivers. Over the years, many different models have been introduced, with names inspired by the Soviet space age (Sputnik, Comet, Voskhod).



    But then came the collapse of the Soviet Union and production of hydrofoils ceased. They were taken out of service and many of them today rust in ship cemeteries, one of which is located in the forest near the city of Perm.



    Other vessels were sold to various countries. For example, in Vietnam, the Voskhod hydrofoil boats, built in the 1970s, are still in use today, plying daily between Cat Ba Island and the city of Haiphong. Other former Soviet "Rockets" are still flying over rivers in Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey and China.



    One wealthy Russian even turned one of the ships into his personal luxury yacht. Another ship was turned into a trendy bar in the Ukrainian city of Kanev.

    The most beautiful and famous hydrofoil motor ship “Meteor”, built in 1959 by the Gorky shipyard “Krasnoye 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 ship's successful test voyage 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. The 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 hydrofoil river motor 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 forward 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 turbocharging, 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-blade 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 seats and safety on the Meteor motor ship 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.

     

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