"Belarus" - the first all-welded towing steamer. Car-passenger ships of the "Belarus" type The first steamboat in Belarus
It is no coincidence that the first quarter of the 19th century in Russian history is often called the "Rumyantsev era". The activities of Nikolai Petrovich are large-scale, multifaceted, extending in different directions. Having received a European education, having lived in Europe for a long time, he was one of the most enlightened people of his time, striving to introduce advanced European experience on Russian soil. The implementation of many projects in the positions of Director of the Department of Water Communications, Minister of Commerce pursued the goal of overcoming the economic backwardness of Russia. We see similar aspirations in the example of housekeeping in N.P. Rumyantsev Gomel estate. In the first quarter of the XIX century. plant seeds, new breeds of sheep and cattle are brought to the estate from Europe, technical innovations are used in various ways. Among them is a project to build a steamboat for the Gomel estate. This case was new not only for Belarus, but for Russia as a whole.
It should be noted that the first steamship "Elizaveta" was built in Russia in 1815. The following description of this event appeared in the newspaper of that time: “The ship sailed for an hour and a half in different directions in a round pool, opposite the palace, whose diameter does not exceed forty sazhens. The comfortable movement of such a large vessel in such a small space of water was a pleasant sight and showed how convenient it was to manage. The news of this phenomenon, the location and the beautiful weather of that day attracted an unusual number of spectators there. It is not known whether Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev was among them, but that "these vessels in many cases can be useful for the Gomel economy", he did not doubt. “The State Chancellor gave me a copy of a letter regarding the construction of a steamboat on the river. Sozh. He asks to provide him with drawings of the steamer according to the agreement.- the manager of the Gomel estate addresses A.F. Deryabin To Charles Byrd in 1818
Charles Byrd is an English mechanic who arrived in Russia in 1786. After 6 years, he built the first mechanical foundry in St. Petersburg at the mouth of the Neva, a shipyard and a sawmill here. It was from his shipyard that the first steamship "Elizaveta" came out. Negotiations are underway with him on the construction of a steamer on the river. Sozh. “I will now enter into direct communication with Mr. Byrd. First, I will consult with Mr. Smith and then I will write to Byrd, and in what sense I will not use to convey to you in due time ”- writes A.F. Deryabin N.P. Rumyantsev. And in a letter to Byrd: “Smith undertakes, according to the given drawings, to arrange a ship, put a steam engine and put it into motion.”
Mr. Smith was one of those specialists whom Nikolai Petrovich invited to Gomel to carry out his projects. In particular, he was engaged in the construction of distilleries in the Petrovsky farm, Dobrush. The construction of the steamship also became one of those projects in which he was directly involved.
What could be the first steamship launched in Gomel? Considering that it was built at the Byrd plant, it can be assumed that it belonged to the Elizabeth type, which had the following characteristics: length 18.3 m, width 4.5 m, draft 0.61 m, displacement 30 tons. It was equipped with onboard paddle wheels with a diameter of 2.4 m and a width of 1.2 m, a Watt steam engine with a power of 4 horsepower, which allowed the ship to reach speeds of up to 6 knots. In 1820, 15 ships of this type operated in Russia with steam engines from 12 to 32 horsepower.
The new type of water transport cost the Gomel economy 20 thousand rubles and was launched in 1824. The name was given to "Nikolai". The project was costly. Suffice it to say that Nikolai Petrovich's brother Sergei, who inherited the Gomel estate in 1826, asked for 300 rubles for one male serf in the sale.
However, the first steamboats had a number of shortcomings that did not allow the Nikolai steamboat to operate on the Sozh River for a long time. Steamboats of the early 19th century were wooden and very heavy, had a large draft, and often became aground. Little cargo was transported, because. I had to take with me a large amount of firewood for the operation of the steam engine. We walked along the river slowly, and even more slowly with a load. In addition, with each breakdown of the machine, it was necessary to write out craftsmen to fix it. Manager of the Gomel estate Moshchinsky in 1826, in a letter to Nikolai Petrovich, he reports : "The obstacles to the desired benefit from it are the small rivers there."
In the winter of 1826, from a letter from Moshchinsky, we learn that the ship is in Krylovets (Krolevets?), and there is a buyer on it.
And although the ship did not serve the Gomel residents for long, and the steamers returned to the Sozh River later, when the designers replaced the wooden ship hull with a lighter metal one, nevertheless, the Gomel residents can rightfully be proud that a new type of water transport appeared for the first time in Belarus in Gomel. And the experimenter, innovator Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev was to blame for this.
February 11, 1809 American Robert Fulton patented his invention - the first steam-powered ship. Soon steamboats came to replace sailing ships and were the main water transport until the middle of the 20th century. Here are the 10 most famous steamships
Steamboat Claremont
Claremont became the first officially patented steam-powered ship in the history of shipbuilding. The American Robert Fulton, having learned that the French engineer Jacques Perrier had successfully tested the first steam-powered ship on the Seine, decided to bring this idea to life. In 1907, Fulton surprised the New York public by launching a ship with a large pipe and huge paddle wheels on the Hudson. Onlookers were quite surprised that this creation of Fulton's engineering thought was able to budge at all. But the Claremont not only went down the Hudson, but was able to move against the current without the help of wind and sails. Fulton received a patent for his invention and within a few years he improved the ship and organized regular river trips on the Claremont along the Hudson River from New York to Albany. The speed of the first steamer was 9 km/h.
Steamboat "Clairmont"
The first Russian steamship "Elizaveta"
The steamer "Elizaveta", built for Russia by the Scottish mechanic Charles Byrd, entered service in 1815. The ship's hull was wooden. A metal pipe with a diameter of about 30 cm and a height of 7.6 m with fair wind served instead of a mast for setting sails. The 16 horsepower steamer had 2 paddle wheels. The steamship made its first voyage on November 3, 1815 from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt. To test the speed of the steamer, the port commander ordered his best rowboat to compete with him. Since the speed of the "Elizabeth" reached 10.7 km / h, the rowers, strenuously leaning on the oars, sometimes managed to overtake the steamer. By the way, the Russian word "steamboat" was introduced by naval officer P.I. Rikord, a participant in this voyage. Subsequently, the ship was used to transport passengers and tow barges to Kronstadt. And by 1820, the Russian fleet already numbered about 15 steamships, by 1835 - about 52.
The first Russian steamship "Elizaveta"
Steamboat "Savannah"
The steamer Savannah was the first steamer to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He made a flight from the American city of Savannah to English Liverpool in 29 days. It should be noted that almost the entire journey the steamer sailed, and only when the wind died down, they turned on the steam engine so that the ship could move in calm. At the beginning of the era of steamship building, sails were left on ships making long voyages. The sailors did not yet fully trust the power of steam: there was a great risk that the steam engine would break down in the middle of the ocean or there would not be enough fuel to reach the destination port.
Steamboat "Savannah"
Steamboat "Sirius"
They risked abandoning the use of sails only 19 years after transatlantic flight"Savannas". paddle steamer Sirius left the English port of Cork on April 4, 1838 with 40 passengers and reached New York in 18 days and 10 hours. Sirius was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean without hoisting sails, only with the help of a steam engine. This ship opened a permanent commercial steamship line across the Atlantic. "Sirius" moved at a speed of 15 km / h and consumed a monstrously large amount of fuel - 1 ton per hour. The ship was overloaded with coal - 450 tons. But even this stock was not enough for the flight. "Sirius" with a sin in half got to New York. In order for the ship to continue moving, ship gear, masts, wooden decking for bridges, handrails, and even furniture had to be thrown into the firebox.
Steamboat "Sirius"
Steamboat "Archimedes"
One of the first propeller-driven steamships was built by the English inventor Francis Smith. The Englishman decided to use the discovery of the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes, which had been known for a thousand years, but was used only to supply water for irrigation - the screw. Smith had the idea to use it to propel the ship. The first steamship called the Archimedes was built in 1838. It was propelled by a propeller with a diameter of 2.1 m, which was powered by two steam engines with a capacity of 45 horsepower each. The ship had a carrying capacity of 237 tons. "Archimedes" developed a maximum speed of about 18 km / h. Archimedes did not make long-distance flights. After passing successful trials on the Thames, the ship continued to operate on domestic coastal lines.
The first screw steamer "Stockton" to cross the Atlantic
Steamboat "Stockton"
The Stockton became the first screw steamer to sail across the Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to America. The history of its inventor, the Swede John Erickson, is very dramatic. He decided to use the propeller for the movement of a steam ship at the same time as the Englishman Smith. Erickson decided to sell his invention to the British Navy, for which he built a screw steamer with his own money. The military department did not appreciate the innovations of the Swede, Erickson ended up in prison for debts. The inventor was saved by the Americans, who were very interested in a maneuverable steam ship, in which the propulsion mechanism was hidden below the waterline, and the pipe could be lowered. That was the 70-horsepower steamship Stockton that Erickson built for the Americans and named after his new friend, a naval officer. On his ship in 1838, Erickson left for America forever, where he gained fame as a great engineer and became rich.
Steamship "Amazon"
In 1951, the Amazon was described by newspapers as the largest wooden steamship ever built in Britain. This luxury passenger transport could carry more than 2,000 tons and was equipped with an 80 horsepower steam engine. Although steamships made of metal had been leaving the shipyards for 10 years, the British built their giant from wood, because the conservative British Admiralty was prejudiced against innovations. On January 2, 1852, the Amazon, with a crew of 110 of the best British sailors, sailed for the West Indies, taking on board 50 passengers (including the Lord of the Admiralty). At the beginning of the journey, the ship was attacked by a strong and prolonged storm, in order to continue moving on, it was necessary to start the steam engine at full power. The machine with overheated bearings worked without stopping for 36 hours. And on January 4, the officer on duty saw flames escaping from the hatch of the engine room. Within 10 minutes, the fire engulfed the deck. It was not possible to put out the fire in a stormy wind. The Amazon continued to move through the waves at a speed of 24 km / h, and it was not possible to launch lifeboats. Passengers rushed about the deck in a panic. It was only when the steam boiler had exhausted all the water that people were put into lifeboats. After some time, those who sailed in lifeboats heard explosions - it was the gunpowder stored in the holds of the Amazon that exploded, and the ship sank along with the captain and part of the crew. Of the 162 people who set sail, only 58 escaped. Of these, seven died on the shore, and 11 people went crazy from the experience. The sinking of the Amazon was a cruel lesson for the Lords of the Admiralty, who did not want to admit the danger of combining the ship's wooden hull with a steam engine.
Steamer "Amazon"
Steamboat "Great East"
The ship "Great East" - the predecessor of the "Titanic". This steel giant, launched in 1860, was 210 meters long and for forty years was considered the most big ship in the world. The Great East was equipped with both paddle wheels and propellers. The ship was the last masterpiece of one of the famous engineers of the XIX century, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The huge ship was built to carry passengers from England to distant India and Australia without entering ports for refueling. Brunel conceived his offspring as the safest ship in the world - the "Great East" had a double hull that protected it from flooding. When at one time the ship received a hole larger than the Titanic, it not only remained afloat, but was able to continue the voyage. The technology for building such large ships at that time had not yet been worked out, and the construction of the "Great East" was overshadowed by the many deaths of workers who worked at the dock. The floating colossus was launched for two whole months - winches broke, several workers were injured. The catastrophe also occurred when the engine was started - the steam boiler exploded, scalding several people with boiling water. Engineer Brunel died upon learning of this. Infamous before her launch, the 4,000-person "Great East" set off on its maiden voyage on June 17, 1860, with just 43 passengers and 418 crew members on board. And in the future, there were few who wanted to sail across the ocean on an "unlucky" ship. In 1888, it was decided to dismantle the ship for scrap.
Steamboat "Great East"
Steamboat "Great Britain"
The first screw steamer with a metal hull "Great Britain" left the stocks on July 19, 1943. Its designer, Izombard Brunel, was the first to combine the latest achievements on one big ship. Brunel set the task of turning the long and dangerous transatlantic Passenger Transportation to fast and luxurious sea voyages. The huge steam engines of the steamer "Great Britain" consumed 70 tons of coal per hour, produced 686 horsepower and occupied three decks. Immediately after its launch, the steamship became the largest propeller-driven iron ship in the world, ushering in the era of steam liners. But even on this metal giant, just in case, there were sails. On July 26, 1845, the steamship Great Britain set off on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic with 60 passengers on board and 600 tons of cargo. The steamer moved at a speed of about 17 km / h and after 14 days and 21 hours entered the port of New York. After three years of successful flights, "Great Britain" failed. On September 22, 1846, the steamer, crossing the Irish Sea, was dangerously close to the coast, and the rising tide brought the ship to land. The disaster did not happen - when the tide came, the passengers were lowered from the side to the ground and carried in carriages. A year later, "Great Britain" was rescued from captivity by breaking through the canal, and the ship was back on the water.
Huge transatlantic steam liner "Titanic" that claimed the lives of more than a thousand passengers
Steamer "Titanic"
The infamous Titanic was the largest passenger liner in the world at the time of its construction. This city-steamer weighed 46,000 tons and was 880 feet long. In addition to cabins, the superliner had gyms, swimming pools, oriental baths and cafes. The Titanic, which set sail from the English coast on April 12, could accommodate up to 3,000 passengers and about 800 crew members and moved with maximum speed 42 km/h. On the fateful night of April 14-15, a collision with an iceberg, the Titanic was traveling at exactly that speed - the captain was trying to break the world record for ocean steamers. There were 1,309 passengers and 898 crew members on board at the time of the shipwreck. Only 712 people were saved, 1495 died. lifeboats there was not enough for everyone, most of the passengers remained on the ship with no hope of salvation. April 15 at 2:20 a.m. giant passenger ship, making its first voyage, sank. The survivors were picked up by the ship "Carpathia". But even on it, not all the rescued were delivered to New York safe and sound - some of the passengers of the Titanic died on the way, some lost their minds.
I continue the story river boats built during the first five-year plans of the USSR. Information on them - for the most part - is taken from the magazine "Technique - Youth".
After the completion of the restoration of the river fleet during the years of the first five-year plan, the period of its reconstruction began. Now the shipbuilders were faced with the task of not only replenishing the shipping companies with Soviet-built ships, but boldly introducing advanced technology that would reduce the construction time of ships, reduce the consumption of scarce metal and, consequently, their costs. One of the progressive methods in those years was electric welding.
In fairness, we note that it was invented back in 1881 by the Russian engineer N. Benardos, and six years later it was improved by N. Slavyanov, who created the first welding shop in history at the Perm Steel and Cannon Plant. However, for a number of reasons, electric welding has not found wide application until recent years the first world war. It owes its "second birth" to reasons of a purely military nature - the need to save metal and accelerate the production of military equipment in every possible way.
In shipbuilding, one of the initiators of the application of the new technology was Professor V. Vologdin. It was he who, back in 1926, successfully conducted the first experiments, first on welding barges, and then on individual units and parts of ships - machine foundations, fuel and ballast tanks, all kinds of casings, davits, cargo booms. Then Vologdin's group developed equipment designed for the manufacture of internal bulkheads. In 1929, employees of the Kiev Engineering Institute completed its testing, and in Sudoproekt, a centralized organization engaged in the design of new ships, a department appeared, whose employees were engaged in the development of welded ship structures, the introduction of electric welding at shipyards and the training of welders.
Preparatory stage research work completed by the beginning of the 30s, and the board of the All-Union River Shipbuilding Association entrusted the construction of the country's first all-welded ship to the Kyiv shipyard (now the Leninskaya Kuznitsa plant).
The people of Kiev chose as an object of experimental construction a tug with a steam engine with a capacity of 150 hp, which has already been mastered by industry and has proven itself in operation. With. It was designed by the designers of the Nizhny Novgorod plant "Krasnoye Sormovo" for towing rafts on the northern rivers from logging areas to seaports.
Starting such an unusual experience, the Ukrainian shipbuilders deliberately refused to make any changes to the project - outwardly, the new tug was no different from its counterparts. The same flat-bottomed, with a hull divided into five compartments by four watertight bulkheads, side paddle wheels, straight sides, with an angular superstructure topped with a long chimney.
The working drawings of "Belarus" - this is the name the tug was given were prepared by August 1, 1931, and two weeks later the first sheets of the bottom were laid on the slipway. Then the installation of the set, cladding, superstructures began. Everything seems to be as before... But for the first time, the deafening roar of the riveters' hammers did not stand over the slipway, but a dazzling flame of an electric arc flashed ghostly. For the first time, ready-made bollards, hawse bits, portholes and other details were installed on a ship under construction in the intended places, and they were not assembled in parts, as before. The work went unusually quickly, and already on November 20, the new tug was solemnly handed over to the owners - the Dnieper rivermen. The labor watch of the steamship "Belarus" has begun. And at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant, a similar tugboat, the Welder, was built in a similar way. And shipbuilders began to sum up the results of the experiment. Well, they turned out to be pretty good. Suffice it to say that the hull of "Belarus" was 27.5% lighter than that of the riveted tugs - the savings in metal are obvious. In addition, for the first time, shipbuilders were able to do without a number of rather difficult, time-consuming operations. We are talking about reaming holes in the skin and hull sheets, riveting itself, chasing; finally, there was no need to make thousands of different-sized bolts and nuts - the labor intensity of the work decreased by 30%. The advantages of electric welding turned out to be clear.The new way of assembling ships was immediately extended to other enterprises in the industry, and the Kiev plant "Lenin's Forge" began an extensive program of design and construction of a large series of all-welded tugs with machines with a capacity of 150 and 300 hp. With. Following the Ukrainians, electric welding was quickly introduced at many shipbuilding and repair enterprises of the Volga basin.
Since the mid-70s, the passenger fleet of the Black Sea Shipping Company has been actively updated. Ships were built, including in Finland, which at that time was a trendsetter in the construction of passenger ferries
Ship "Belarus". blackseanews.net
So, in the Finnish city of Turku, at the Vartsila shipyard, five similar auto-passenger ferries-motor ships intended for the Black Sea Shipping Company were under construction. The lead ship was given the name "Belarus", the second - "Georgia", the third - "Azerbaijan", the fourth - "Kazakhstan", the fifth - "Karelia".
Almost half a century separated these vessels from the former passenger "Krymchaks", much has changed over the years. Increased demand for tourist travel along the Black Sea, the navigation area has expanded passenger ships especially in autumn and winter.
The inclusion of vessels of this series in the passenger fleet of the CMP meant a qualitative leap. This required the introduction of a number of organizational and technical innovations. In the ports of the Crimean-Caucasian line, it became necessary to equip special "corner" berths for the possibility of mooring ships of the "Belarus" type and opening ramps. It was also necessary to develop and implement a technology for the accumulation and loading of vehicles, containers, etc.
The new motor ships differed noticeably from their predecessors built in the 1930s in terms of the comfort of passenger accommodation and shape: the calm straightness of the hull and superstructures was replaced by the dynamism of the contours.
Beveled superstructures, a mast bent back and a pipe with wings gave the Belorussia a swift and graceful look. When designing a ship Special attention addressed to provide passengers with maximum comfort, to create an atmosphere of comfort and good conditions for relax.
"Belarus" had a deadweight of 3000 tons; length - 157 m; width - 21.8 m; draft - up to 6.2 m. Power of two main 18-cylinder diesel engines - I8000 hp. at a speed of 520 rpm, it allowed to reach speeds of up to 21 knots. To reduce pitching, the ship had stabilizer devices. There was a thruster, bow, stern and side ramps.
Initially, the ship had 173 passenger cabins for 480 people. The car deck could accommodate up to 250 cars. In 1986, the ship was refitted, passenger capacity increased, additional cabins were built.
Its name "Belarus", as a banner, picked up from the famous ship of the Far Eastern Shipping Company. Under the same name, it transported national economic and military cargo to the Arctic, in the most difficult wartime conditions it made its way as part of caravans, overcoming ice and enemy confrontation.
In March 1944, the Belorussiya steamer under the command of Captain K.G. Kondratiev followed with cargo from the USA to Vladivostok. Near Iturup Island ( Kurile Islands) was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. Two members of the crew miraculously survived: firemen I.P. Petrovich and Ya.P. Pochernin. 41 people died.
On January 15, 1975, the state flag of the USSR was hoisted on the lead ship of a series of auto-passenger ferries, the motor ship Belorussiya. At the beginning of February, the crew was completed in Riga, the ship was supplied for the upcoming foreign flights. At the same time, the first visit to Belarus by Vladimir Vysotsky took place, with whom the crew became friends for a long time.
The ship was accepted by one of the most experienced captains of the ChMP Felix Dashkov. Prior to that, he commanded the ship "Lithuania", showed himself well while working on the international line Odessa - Marseille. Dashkov transferred the level of service achieved on the "Lithuania" to the "Belarus" and did a lot to improve comfort, since the new ship was of a higher class.
"Belarus" began its work on cruises with tourists from the West German company "Turopa" on the route Genoa - Canary Islands. Sailing along this route in the cold season lasted for many years. Since 1977, the work on the Marseille line has been just as constant during the summer months. In addition, the ship went along the Crimean-Caucasian, Middle Eastern lines, carried out cruises around Europe.
In the 1980s, the West German Dolphin Seereisen and the French Transtour Company acted as charterers. The ship began to make arctic cruises with a call to Svalbard. Worked "Belarus" stably trouble-free. The annual operating income amounted to several million foreign currency rubles.
There were also unforeseen events. So, in October-November 1979, the ship carried out cruises to the United States with Soviet tourists. At the Boston-Baltimore crossing, the ship pierced a whale 12 meters long with its bulbous stem. The main engines were stopped. To get rid of the carcass, port tugs had to be called in, which tied the whale up and pulled it off the stem.
Belorussiya was repaired first in Yugoslavia, and since 1977 the Odessa SRZ "Ukraine" has mastered and successfully carried out dock repairs of ships of this series. In February-May 1986, the ship was modernized in Bremerhaven.
A lot of people have been on the flights of "Belarus" famous people, for example, the outstanding Soviet writer Konstantin Simonov. In 1975, in 1977, Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vlady made a voyage on the ship. The crew tried to do everything to make such dear guests satisfied. And Vladimir gave sailors and tourists his wonderful songs.
Before the collapse of the USSR, the financial and economic situation in the CMP was stable, but since 1992, the shipping company began to feel the consequences of non-payments and crisis phenomena, and itself became a debtor. It was at this difficult time that "Belarus" got into the biggest accident. On October 25, 1992, at a shipyard in Singapore, the Belorussiya was lifted to the dock. The ship arrived for a scheduled repair and docking under the command of Captain I.N. Mironenko, who headed the ship since 1980. A replacement crew also flew to Singapore.
In the process of docking, when the ship was already on the keel blocks, the ship suddenly trembled (as it turned out later, several “pillows” of the keel blocks pushed through the pontoon) and fell first to the left, then it began to roll more thoroughly to starboard. There was a loud roar. Two cranes collapsed from the dock tower onto the adjacent floating dock.
Dock workers fell into the water like peas: the ship capsized along with the dock. Captain Mironenko announced a general alarm and organized the evacuation of the crew. The coastal crane gave a "gazebo" and began to film the team, half of which were women.
The neighboring dock was flooded, the cranes on its towers, until they were torn off, slowed down the list of "Belarus". An ocean tug moored nearby took off in time, otherwise he would have got it too.
After the onset of high water, the list of the ship reached 52 degrees, the ship that had fallen on the dock was seriously damaged. Then the position of the vessel, together with the dock, stabilized. However, in ship premises there was a significant amount of water, the cabins of the lower decks, where the crew was accommodated, were flooded. Fuel oil spilled from the fuel tanks, things floated in iridescent stains. This was the first time in the history of the CMP fleet that the dock capsized along with the ship.
On November 14, the vessel began to straighten with the help of two powerful floating cranes. After that, 19 pumps pumped out water from the flooded premises. Then the ship was put into dry dock for restoration and repair work, which continued until May 1993.
Later it was decided to send the ship to Bremerhaven to complete the repairs. This decision can hardly be called expedient, since the ChMP was already in debt to the Lloyd-Werft company, where repairs were planned, and the production of Belorussiya raised this debt to DM 24 million. Repairs in Singapore would be much cheaper.
As a result, the repair cases ended in high-profile financial scandals, criminal cases were opened, the claims of Lloyd Werft were added to the claims of creditors of other companies, which further complicated the financial situation of ChMP. By the way, the arrest of the ship "Odessa" in April 1995 in Naples was carried out on the basis of a lawsuit of "Lloyd Werft".
Repair "Belarus" was completed in December 1993. The ship was renamed "Kazakhstan-2" and continued cruises. In July 1995, the ship was detained in the port of Tromso by representatives of the International Transport Workers' Union. The reason for the delay was the lack of an agreement between the crew and the shipowner and the fact that the crew receives a salary below the level established by the Union.
In 1996, the Liberian flag was raised on the ship. According to some reports, the ship "Belarus" already under the name "Dolphin" at the beginning of 2012 was still working as part of a small German company. They were commanded by Captain Vladimir Vorobyov, who, by the way, was once a trainee on the "Belarus".
Such is the history of the ship, which successfully operated as part of the passenger fleet of the Black Sea Shipping Company.
Vladimir Polyakov, Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the CMP Fleet, Senior Mechanic,
Oleg Bulovich, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the CMP Fleet
Ports of Ukraine, №7 (119) 2012
If you notice an error, select the required text and press Ctrl+Enter to report it to the editors.
Remember.
1. How is a factory different from a manufactory? 2. What were the fairs?
Learning task.
Determine the signs of an industrial revolution brewing in Belarus.
Forms of industrial production and the beginning of the industrial revolution.
In the first half of the nineteenth century. industry in Belarus was represented by various types of enterprises: craft workshops, manufactories, factories. Among the industrial enterprises in the most advantageous position were those that belonged to the noble landowners. This was explained by the fact that the landowners owned the land, its subsoil and forest wealth, free raw materials and used the free labor force of serfs. It was difficult to compete with such enterprises for enterprises organized by merchants and philistines with their own money. Therefore, the merchant-petty-bourgeois industry in the cities was represented almost exclusively by handicraft-type enterprises with manual production, in which there was no division of labor. These included small workshops with no more than 5 workers, including the owner himself.
Small-scale production included enterprises employing from 6 to 15 workers. Here the owner was only engaged in organizing the process of manufacturing and marketing products. More large quantity workers (over 16) made it possible to divide the production process into separate operations, which was typical for the manufacturing stage of industrial development.
A new phenomenon in the industrial development of Belarus in the first half of the XIX century. was the beginning of the transition from manufacturing to factory production, which testified to the beginning of the industrial revolution. The first factories in Belarus - industrial enterprises where there was a division of labor and machines were used, were built in the 1820s. in the villages of Khomsk, Kobrin and Kossovo, Slonim counties. The factories that made cloth belonged to a large landowner, Count Wojciech Puslovsky- the ancestor of an entrepreneurial dynasty. In 1823, more than 400 workers from among the serfs worked at the Chomsky factory. For the first time in Belarus steam engines were used at Puslovsky's enterprises. They replaced manual labor in factories and required specially trained workers. The forced free labor of serfs at landlord enterprises was of little effect.
The English traveler V. Cox in his diary left notes about the work of serfs in Grodno manufactories at the end of the 18th century: “. One of the students, more lively, said to her supervisor, who was trying to increase the intensity of her work: “What benefit will I get if I follow your advice? No matter how skilled I become in my craft, I will always remain the serf of my master - the labor will be mine, and the profit will be his. Most of them had an expression of such deep sadness on their faces that my heart broke with pain looking at them. It was easy to understand that they were working under compulsion and not out of inclination.”
At small enterprises owned by merchants and philistines, civilian labor was used. According to various estimates, hired workers in Belarus accounted for at least 1/3 of all workers. However, the existence of serfdom hindered the formation of a free labor market.
In 1860, there were 140 manufactories and 76 factories and factories in Belarus. Almost all of them belonged to the landowners. Some factories were quite large. So, in the town of Gomel, more than 200 people worked at the sugar enterprise of Prince I.F. Paskevich, and 600 workers at the metalworking enterprise of Count Benckendorff in the Starintsy estate of the Cherikovsky district.
The industry in Belarus was represented mainly by enterprises for the processing of agricultural raw materials: distilleries (for the production of alcohol from potatoes and grain), cloth, linen, flour mills and sugar (for the processing of sugar beets). The first sugar factory in Belarus began operating in 1830 on the estate of Molodovo in the Kobrin district and belonged to the entrepreneur Alexander Skirmunt. For the first time in world practice, Fabrikant invented an installation for accelerated continuous evaporation of sugar syrup, which lasted only 4-5 minutes instead of the previous 4-5 hours.
Skirmunt, having registered his discovery, became the first officially recognized inventor from Belarus in the Russian Empire.
Development of communications and trade. The role of fairs At the end of the 18th - the first half of the 19th century. work was carried out to improve communication routes. The construction of post roads began, and from the 1830s. - and highway (with a roadway, roadsides and ditches). The main highway Moscow-Brest-Warsaw ran from east to west, and the Petersburg-Kiev road ran from north to south. Canals were reconstructed or built that connected the rivers of the Black and Baltic Sea basins: Oginsky (Dnepr and Neman), Berezinsky (Dnepr and Western Dvina), Dnieper-Bugsky (Dnepr and Vistula), Avgustovsky (Neman and Vistula) (**1). Steamboats went along the Dnieper, Pripyat, Western Dvina. The first steamboat with a capacity of 12 horsepower was built by the Englishman A. Smith, a mechanic on the Gomel estate owned by Count N.P. Rumyantsev, and was tested on the Sozh in 1824. more than doubled.
It was mainly the landowners who worked for the market. They supplied agricultural and livestock products, timber. About half of the income of the landlords was the sale of alcohol.
The growth of the urban population determined the demand for agricultural products. The serf peasantry was mainly subsistence farming and almost did not buy manufactured goods.
Foreign trade expanded. From Western Europe transit cargoes went through Belarus to Russian cities, and from Russia to Western European markets. The export from Belarus was dominated by flax and flax products, grain, vodka, alcohol, wool, lard, timber. Salt, metals, steam engines and technical equipment, cotton and silk fabrics, porcelain and faience dishes, tobacco, sea fish, tea, and coffee were brought to Belarus.
Merchants acted as organizers of trade. They bought agricultural and industrial products, raw materials from manufacturers, delivered goods to cities and river piers, and exported them abroad. However, local merchant capital has so far been small.
Foreign merchants at the beginning of the XIX century. came mainly from Warsaw, Danzig (now Gdansk) and other western cities. In the 1840s they were forced out by merchants from the cities of Russia.
An important role in trade by the middle of the XIX century. fairs continued. They were held in towns and cities on certain days, and larger ones lasted a week or more. Fairs usually coincided with church holidays, they hosted festivities and theatrical performances.
From the memoirs of Count L. Potocki: “Once a year fairs were held in Zelva, mostly horse fairs. There one could see plenty of horses from the herds of Sapieha, Poteev, Radziwills, purebred Polish horses, the breed of which had already disappeared. The most beautiful stallions were brought there from the east. And far around the city, all Ukrainian herds filled. Merchants from Warsaw and Vilna came to Zelva. from Odessa, Bukhara. Persians from Astrakhan, numerous inhabitants from all over Lithuania gathered. Every morning, horses are taken out of the stables, they go round, try, trade, sell or buy. After dinner, everyone disperses to shopping, in the evening - theater, masquerade. or arranged gatherings in private houses.
The Zelvenskaya fair was the most significant of all 43 in the Grodno province. In the Vitebsk province, the most famous were the Osvei and Beshenkovichi fairs, in the Mogilev province - the Lubavich fair. Fair trade began to narrow over time. It was replaced by a constant store trade and weekly city bazaars.
Cities and towns of Belarus. During the period from 1825 to 1861, the population of 42 cities of Belarus increased from 151 thousand to 320 thousand people. However, the share of townspeople among the inhabitants of Belarus remained at the level of 10%. Among them, artisans and small merchants, who were part of the philistine class, prevailed. There were many officials, nobles, and clergy in the provincial centers. Merchants and wealthy philistines played a decisive role in city self-government (**2).
The population of cities has traditionally been multi-confessional and multi-ethnic. Most of the townspeople were Jews. This was due to the existence of the Jewish Pale of Settlement, as well as the tsarist policy of forced resettlement of Jews from villages to towns and cities. The city also grew due to the increase in military garrisons.
Cities expanded geographically. Gradually, they lost the features of feudal cities with their crowding and tightness. Shafts and walls were demolished. The center housed administrative, cultural and educational
institutions, large stores. Here the houses were made of stone, the streets were paved and illuminated at night. The outskirts were built up with wooden houses, where the poor, artisans and small traders settled.
Pavel Shpilevsky in his "Journey through Polesye and the Belarusian Territory" noted: "Minsk is one of the largest and most beautiful cities Western Russia. With the exception of the Trinity Suburb, the Tatarsky End, and some back streets along the outskirts of the city, in Minsk all the houses are made of stone and for the most part very large, and the streets are fairly smoothly paved with stone and very neatly kept. Spread out on mountains and slopes, Minsk presents a beautiful view from almost all highways or entrances; but a particularly open and picturesque view from the Borisovsky entrance, starting from Komarovka. Before you is a panorama of several mountains, hillocks and steep cliffs, covered with artificial and natural lawns, large gardens, greenhouses, luxurious flower beds and washed by the waters of the Svisloch, which winds like a snake.
However, only provincial centers were more or less decently maintained, in which several tens of thousands of people lived. smaller ones, county towns their appearance and way of life, with some exceptions, not far from the towns - settlements transitional type from village to city. The number of townships grew to 400 due to the opening of fairs and bazaars in them.
Along the trade routes, on the squares of cities and towns, taverns were built - inns and taverns, where travelers stopped, ate, and spent the night. Based on them, hotels and postal stations were formed.
Cultural and historical environment
**1. In 1824-1839. in the difficult terrain of the Augustow Forest, a 101.2 km long canal was being built to connect the Neman and the Vistula. About 400 ships passed through the constructed canal every year, which were dragged with the help of horse ropes. The channel had stone locks and good technical equipment. In 1852, K. Brzostowski designed an original steam boiler for a furnace in which massive metal gates for canal locks were cast.
Construction railway in the second half of the 19th century. caused a reduction in the transport of goods along the canal. In 2004, a decision was made in our republic to reconstruct a part of the canal located on the territory of Belarus. These works are declared youth construction.
**2. In 1851, the City Duma in Minsk decided to liquidate the town hall building, reminiscent of the Magdeburg rights received by Minsk in 1499. Emperor Nicholas I imposed the following resolution on this decision: “To break, and transfer the guards to the building of government offices.” In 1857, the two-storey town hall building with the tower, bell and city clock was destroyed. In 2004, the town hall, as architectural element historical center Minsk, was restored.
Questions and tasks
1. Why were Jews predominant among the urban residents of Belarus? 2. a) Fill in the comparative table in your notebook “Types of industrial enterprises that existed on the territory of Belarus in the first half of the 19th century. ".
b) Make a conclusion on which of the types of enterprises the work of workers was the most effective. 3. Why was the work of serfs in manufactories inefficient? Use the information of the English traveler W. Cox. 4. Why were the majority of industrial enterprises in Belarus located in rural areas and not in cities? 5. Prove with concrete historical facts that in Belarus in the first half of the nineteenth century. the industrial revolution began. 6. Determine using the map in the paragraph in azhn the use of means of communication for the export and import of goods. 7. Write a description of the fair using the Voices of the Past section.
- SECTION I. Belarus at the end of feudalism: the end of the 18th - the middle of the 19th centuries.
- § 1. The situation of the Belarusian lands at the end of the 18th - the middle of the 19th century. general characteristics
- § 2. The policy of the tsarist government in Belarus in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.
- § 4. Socio-political movement in the first third of the nineteenth century.