Varyag (until June 19, 1990 - "Riga"), heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.6

December 6, 1985 laid down at the Black Sea shipyard in Nikolaev
(serial number 106), launched on November 25, 1988.

In 1992, with 67% technical readiness, construction was suspended, the ship was mothballed.
In 1993, under an agreement between Ukraine and Russia, the Varyag went to Ukraine.

In April 1998, it was sold to Chong Lot Travel Agency Ltd for $20 million.
- at the cost of the finished order of 5-6 billion dollars.
Since 2008 - renamed "Shi Lang"

basic information

Type: Aircraft carrier
Flag State: Chinese Flag China
Home port: Dalian
Construction started: December 6, 1985
Launched: November 25, 1988
Commissioned: not completed
Current status: sold

Kyiv is a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of the Northern Fleet of the Navy of the USSR (USSR Navy).

It was built from 1970 to 1975 in Nikolaev at the Black Sea Shipyard.
In 1993, due to a lack of funds for operation and repair, a significant development of the resource of weapons, mechanisms and equipment, it was withdrawn from the fleet, after which it was disarmed and sold to the government of the PRC. In early 1994, it was towed to Qinhuangdao, where it was converted into a museum.
In September 2003, the Kyiv was towed to Tianjin.

basic information
Type: TAKR

Shipyard: Chernomorsky shipyard in Nikolaev (USSR, now Ukraine)
Construction started: July 21, 1970
Launched: December 26, 1972
Commissioned: December 28, 1975
Withdrawn from the fleet: June 30, 1993
Current status: sold Chinese company in the amusement park.

Minsk is a heavy aircraft carrier cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy, and later - the Russian Navy.

"Minsk" was launched on September 30, 1975.
Entered service in 1978.
In November 1978, it would be included in the Pacific Fleet.

In 1993, a decision was made to disarm the "Minsk", its exclusion from the Russian Navy with transfer to the OFI for dismantling and sale. In August 1994, after the ceremonial lowering of the Naval flag, it was disbanded.

At the end of 1995, Minsk was towed to South Korea to cut its hull into metal. After the aircraft carrier was resold to the Chinese company Shenzhen Minsk Aircraft Carrier Industry Co Ltd. In 2006, when the company went bankrupt, Minsk became part of the Minsk World military park in Shenzhen. On March 22, 2006, the aircraft carrier was put up for auction, but there were no buyers. On May 31, 2006, the aircraft carrier was put up for auction again and was sold for 128 million yuan.

basic information
Type: TAKR.
Flag state: Flag of the USSR USSR.
Shipyard: Chernomorsky shipyard.
Launched: September 30, 1975.
Withdrawn from the fleet: June 30, 1993.
Current status: sold to the entertainment center.

Novorossiysk - an aircraft carrier of the Black Sea and Pacific Fleets of the Navy of the USSR (USSR Navy) in 1978-1991.

For the first time in the USSR, an aircraft carrier was designed to accommodate troops on board, receive heavy transport helicopters and base Yak-38P fighters.

Built from 1975 to 1978 in a shipyard in Nikolaev (Chernomorsky shipyard, director Gankevich). Changes made to the project during construction delayed the commissioning date until 1982. Since 1978, it was launched and completed in a floating state.

On August 15, 1982, the Naval flag of the USSR was solemnly raised on the ship, and on November 24 it was included in the Red Banner Pacific Fleet.

basic information
Type: aircraft carrier
Flag state: Flag of the USSR USSR
Launched: December 26, 1978
Withdrawn from the fleet: 1991
Current status: sold South Korea

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Gorshkov"

(until October 4, 1990 it was called "Baku", then renamed "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov", but recently in official documents it is referred to in a simplified form as "Admiral Gorshkov") - Soviet and Russian heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, the only ship of project 1143.4 , sold to India on January 20, 2004. On March 5, 2004, the cruiser was excluded from the combat strength of the Russian Navy, the current name was canceled, and the Andreevsky flag was solemnly lowered. At present, the ship, after a complete restructuring, has been commissioned into the Indian Navy as the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier and is being completed afloat, at one of the berths of the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise.

basic information
Type: Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser project 1143.4
Flag State: Flag of Russia Russia
Launched: 1987
Withdrawn from the fleet: 2004
Current status: sold India January 20, 2004

"Ulyanovsk" (order S-107) - Soviet heavy nuclear aircraft carrier with a displacement of 75,000 tons, Project 1143.7.

Laid down on the slipway of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant on November 25, 1988, construction was stopped in 1991. By the end of 1991, most of the hull of the nuclear aircraft carrier was formed, but after the cessation of funding, the ship, which was ready by almost a third, was cut on the slipway. The metal intended for the second ship of this type also went into remelting.

Ulyanovsk, which was supposed to become the flagship of the Navy, was supposed to have an air group, including up to 70 vehicles, such as helicopters and Su-27K, Su-25, Yak-141 and Yak-44 aircraft. The ship was equipped with two catapults, a springboard and an arrester. To store the aircraft below deck, there was a hangar measuring 175 × 32 × 7.9 m. They were lifted onto the flight deck using 3 lifts with a carrying capacity of 50 tons each (2 on the starboard side and 1 on the port side). The Luna optical landing system was located in the aft part.

It was supposed to build 4 ships. On October 4, 1988, the lead "Ulyanovsk" (serial number 107) was included in the lists of ships of the Navy and on November 25 was laid down at the Black Sea Shipyard No. 444 in Nikolaev. Commissioning was planned for December 1995.

basic information
Type: Heavy aircraft carrier cruiser
Flag state: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of the USSR
Home port: Sevastopol
Current status: disposed of

"Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov"

He is the "Soviet Union" (project),
aka "Riga" (bookmark),
he is "Leonid Brezhnev" (launching),
aka "Tbilisi" (tests))
- heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.5, the only one in the Russian Navy in its class (as of 2009). Designed to destroy large surface targets, protect naval formations from attacks by a potential enemy.

Named after Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. Built in Nikolaev, at the Black Sea shipyard.

During cruises, Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment (home base - Severomorsk-3) and Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters of the 830th Separate Shipborne Anti-Submarine Helicopter Regiment (base airfield - Severomorsk-1).

December 5, 2007 "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" led a detachment of warships that set off on a campaign in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Thus, the Russian Navy resumed its presence in the oceans.

Large anti-submarine ships of the "Komsomolets of Ukraine" type (project 61, NATO code - Kashin).

As of 2009, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy has only one (SKR "Sharp-witted") of the 20 ships of the project that became part of the Soviet Navy in the period from 1962 to 1973. The remaining 19 ships are currently decommissioned and dismantled for metal.

No. Name Shipyard Laid down Launched In service Decommissioned Fleet
1. Komsomolets of Ukraine Nikolaev 09/15/1959 12/31/1960 12/31/1962 06/24/1991 H
2. Smart Nikolaev 07/20/1960 11/04/1961 12/26/1963 07/03/1992 H, S
3. Agile Nikolaev 02/10/1961 04/21/1962 12/25/1964 08/21/1990 H
4. Fire Leningrad 05/05/1962 05/31/1963 12/31/1964 04/25/1989 B,S
5. Exemplary Leningrad 07/29/1963 02/23/1964 09/29/1965 06/30/1993 B
6. Gifted Leningrad 01/22/1963 09/11/1964 12/30/1965 04/19/1990 S, T
7. Brave Nikolaev 08/10/1963 10/17/1964 12/31/1965 11/12/1974† H
8. Glorious Leningrad 07/26/1964 04/24/1965 09/30/1966 06/24/1991 B
9. Slender Nikolaev 03/20/1964 07/28/1965 12/15/1966 04/12/1990 C
10. Guarding Leningrad 07/26/1964 02/20/1966 12/21/1966 06/30/1993 T
11. Red Caucasus Nikolaev 11/25/1964 02/09/1966 09/25/1967 05/01/1998 H
12. Resolute Nikolaev 06/25/1965 06/30/1966 12/30/1967 11/01/1989 H
13. Smart Nikolaev 08/15/1965 10/22/1966 09/27/1968 02/22/1993 C
14. Strict Nikolaev 02/22/1966 04/29/1967 12/24/1968 06/30/1993 T
15. Sharp-witted Nikolaev 07/15/1966 08/26/1967 09/25/1969 - H
16. Brave Nikolaev 11/15/1966 02/06/1968 12/27/1969 03/05/1988 B, B
17. Red Crimea Nikolaev 02/23/1968 02/28/1969 10/15/1970 06/24/1993 H
18. Capable Nikolaev 03/10/1969 04/11/1970 09/25/1971 01/06/1993 T
19. Fast Nikolaev 04/20/1970 02/26/1971 09/23/1972 11/22/1997 H
20. Restrained Nikolaev 03/10/1971 02/25/1972 12/30/1973 05/29/1991 H
21. DD51 Rajput (Reliable) Nikolaev 09/11/1976 09/17/1977 11/30/1979 05/04/1980 India
22. DD52 Rana (Destructive) Nikolaev 11/29/1976 09/27/1978 09/30/1981 02/10/1982 India
23. DD53 Ranjit (Nimble) Nikolaev 06/29/1977 06/16/1979 07/20/1983 11/24/1983 India
24. DD54 Ranvir (Solid) Nikolaev 10/24/1981 03/12/1983 12/30/1985 10/28/1986 India
25. DD55 Ranjivay (Tolkovy) Nikolaev 03/19/1982 02/01/1986 02/01/1986 01/15/1988 India

Anti-submarine cruisers-helicopter carriers.

Moscow - sold to India, cut into scrap metal.

Leningrad - they were taken in tow to India, where they were butchered for metal.

Project 1164 cruisers

"Moscow" - (former name - "Glory") is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet

"Marshal Ustinov" - part of the Northern Fleet.

Varyag is the flagship of the Pacific Fleet.

"Ukraine"(former "Admiral of the Fleet Lobov")

In 1993, he became part of the Ukrainian Navy, the decision to complete it was made in 1998, but Ukraine cannot put it into operation, and therefore the cruiser is standing at the pier, options for selling the cruiser are being considered.

Total:
-Out of SEVEN heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers, ONE is ready to defend Russia.
Five SOLD.
One has been disposed of.

Of two anti-submarine cruisers-helicopter carriers
SOLD TWO.

From 20 BOD (project 61)
19 ships decommissioned and dismantled on metal.

Of the four missile cruisers of project 1164
3 active.
1 on pre-sale stage.

P.p.s.:
CONSTRUCTED and under construction ships and submarines of the Russian Navy:
in recent years:
Etc. 20380 "Guarding" Russia, 2008 Corvette --- 2 built + 2 under construction
Etc. 22460 Rubin Russia 2009 PSKR --- 1 built
Etc. 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov" Russia 2011 Frigate --- 2 under construction (not to be confused with the aircraft carrier "A. Gorshkov" of the same name!))
Etc. 21630 Buyan Russia 2007 MAK (small artillery ship) --- 1 built in 2006 +2 under construction
Etc. 20370 Russia, 2001 Communication boat --- 4 built
Etc. 20180 Zvezdochka Russia, 2007 PTS --- 1 in 2007 +1 under construction 5-6 units are expected in the series. minimum
Etc. 20120 Russia, 2008 Experimental diesel-electric submarine 1 built by SF - B-90 "Sarov"
Etc. 18280 Russia, 2004 Communication ship 1 built by Admiral Yu. Ivanov, +1 under construction. SSV, that is, scout
Etc. 11711 "Ivan Gren" Russia, 2012 BDK (large landing ship) 1 under construction +5 in the future Baltic Fleet
Etc. 16810 Russia, 2007 Deep submersible 2 built by "Rus" and "Consul"
Etc. 14230 Sokzhoy Russia, 2002 PC 2 built
Etc. 1244.1 Grom Russia, 2009 TFR 1 in 2009 now Borodino, training ship
Etc. 1431 "Mirage" Russia, 2001 PK 3 BF - 2, KF - 1.
Etc. 1166.1 "Gepard" Russia, 2001 MPK 2 built by "Tatarstan" and "Dagestan" Series - 10.
Etc. 1244.1 "Thunder" Russia, 2011 Frigate 1 by 2011
Etc. 266.8 "Agat" Russia, 2007 MT 1 built by the Baltic Fleet (= project 02268 "Adm. Zakharyin" delivered to the Black Sea Fleet)
Etc. 10410/2 "Fireflyak" of the USSR, 1987 PC, about thirty were built in total, of which about ten since the early 2000s. 1 is under construction.
Etc. 955/A Borey/Kasatka Russia, 2007 SSBN 1 built + 3 under construction, preparing to lay down 1
Etc. 885 "Ash" Russia, 2010 SSGN 1 is almost built. 1 is under construction. It is planned to bookmark 1 more during the year.
Etc. 677 Lada Russia, 2010 DPLT 1 built. 3 are under construction.
Etc. 10830 "Wicket" Russia, 2003 AGS 1 built

PLANNED FOR CONSTRUCTION:
Etc. 677 Lada Russia, 2010 DPLT 3 under construction 4 by 2015. Planned to build 20-25 so far.
Etc. 955 / A "Borey" / "Kasatka" Russia, 2007 SSBNs 1 + 3 laid down Planned construction from 5 to 8
Etc. 885 Yasen Russia, 2010 SSGN 1 under construction, 1 laid down At least 10 planned
Etc. 20180 Zvyozdochka Russia, 2007 PTS 1 in 2007 +1 under construction 6 in the future
20380 "Ave. Steregushchiy» Russia, 2008 Planned construction of 20
Etc. 21630 "Buyan" Russia, 2007 MAK 1 in 2006 +2 KF are under construction
Construction is planned from 5 to 7-15 until 2020.
Etc. 22350 Admiral Gorshkov Russia, 2011 Frigate 1 under construction + 1 laid down Planned construction 20

Links in addition:
1) Nuclear submarine "Project 210" "Losharik" built in 2003
http://www.newsru.ru/russia/12aug2003/losharik.html
2) In 2008, the Caspian Flotilla (CF) of Russia received two small landing boats "Serna" and 1 for the Black Sea Fleet (plan - 30 pieces). A total of 7 pieces were built, one is under construction.
http://prospekta.net.ru/np11770.html
3) A new generation patrol ship for the Border Guard was launched
http://www.itar-tasskuban.ru/news.php?news=2302
In total, the order for the PV is 20 ships of this type; in November 2009, an icebreaker patrol ship for the PV, with a displacement of 1000 tons, was commissioned.
plus for the PV, another order of 30 PSKA boats pr.
4) The program for the restoration of heavy missile cruisers of the "Kirov" type (project 1144 and its modifications).
Now the Russian Navy has one nuclear-powered missile cruiser, Peter the Great. The possibility of restoring and modernizing the nuclear cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, as well as Admiral Lazarev, is being discussed. According to Vladimir Popovkin, the Ministry of Defense considers it expedient to have up to three such ships in the Navy: one of them will be in the Pacific Fleet and two in the Northern.
http://www.oborona.ru/1001/1010/index.shtml?id=4213

Addition to the list.
For the Russian Navy, the following are still being built:
* Base minesweeper project 12700 "Alexandrite". Currently, two ships of this project are being built. Note - minesweepers, mine seekers, and not ordinary MT
* Project 21820 "Dugong" air cavity small landing craft.
Currently, one ship of this project is being built, an order for up to ten Dugongs has been announced.
*Project 18280 communications vessel. Currently, one vessel of this project is being built, an order for a total of two vessels of project 18280 has been announced.
*Project 21300С rescue vessel. At present, one vessel of this type is being built, an order for a total of four vessels of project 21300С has been announced.
* Rescue vessel "Igor Belousov"
JSC "Admiralty Shipyards" is under construction. Laid down December 24, 2005. Delivery to the fleet was announced for 2011.
*Sea transport of weapons of project 21130 "Diskant". One ship of this project is currently under construction. Laid down in 2008, delivery in 2011.
*Marine transport of weapons (search and transport vessel) of project 20180. Currently, one ship of this project is being built.
*Crane loader vessel project 20360 "Dubnyak" . Currently, one vessel of this project is being built, an order for two Dubnyakov has been announced.
*Experimental vessel of project 11982. Currently, one vessel is being built. "Seliger" Laid down on July 8, 2009. Delivery to the fleet was announced for 2011.
*Project 22030 sea rescue tug. Currently, one vessel of this project is being built, and an order for three such tugs has been announced. Delivery of the first - 2011.
*Marine rescue tug of project 745MB "Walrus". Currently, two ships of this project are being built (in the 745MB modification), an order for a total of four Walruses has been announced.
*Small hydrographic vessel of project 19910. The lead vessel ("Vaigach") entered the fleet in 2008. Currently, one vessel of this type is being built, and an order for a total of four vessels of project 19910 has been announced.
*Large hydrographic boat of project 19920 (19920B). The lead boat of this project BGK-2090 entered the fleet in 2008. One boat of this type is currently under construction.
* Project 90600 offshore tug. Since 2003, 18 project 90600 tugs have been built (including one for the Russian Navy). Currently, 2 vessels of this project are being built, and an order for a total of five tugs has been announced from the Russian Navy.
* In addition, ordered:

OJSC "Baltic shipbuilding plant "Yantar"" (Kaliningrad) Oceanographic vessel of project 22010 2013
OJSC "Vostochnaya Verf" (Vladivostok) Landing boat 2011
JSC "Okskaya Sudoverf" (Navashino, Nizhny Novgorod region) Crane-loader project 20360 2010
OJSC "Khabarovsk shipbuilding plant" Two sea rescue tugs of project 22030 2011
JSC "Zelenodolsk plant named after A. M. Gorky" (Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan) Two sea rescue tugs of project 745MB 2010 and 2011
Astrakhan Shipyard Project 705B harbor tug 2011
JSC "Leningrad shipbuilding plant" Pella "" Two roadstead tugs of project 90600 2010 and 2011
JSC "Sokolskaya shipyard" (Sokolskoye settlement, Nizhny Novgorod region) Road boat of project 1388НЗ 2010
OAO "Shipbuilding Plant named after the October Revolution" (Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region) Two self-propelled barges 2009 and 2010
35th ship repair plant (Murmansk) Project 1394 boat 2010.

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In the first half of the XIX century. The basis of progress in science, technology, and economics was the use of a new type of energy - steam energy. The further development of the fleet was due to achievements in the field of metallurgy and rolled metal. Especially - the invention of armor plates for use in iron shipbuilding

At the beginning of the XIX century. in Russia began the construction of steam ships. The first such vessel in Russia, the Elizaveta, was designed and built in 1815 by Karl Byrd, the owner of an iron and copper foundry in St. Petersburg. With only 4 liters. with. power, the machine gave the steamboat (as the steamboat used to be called) a speed of about 9 miles per hour.

Russia's first steam ship "Elizaveta"

In 1823, about a dozen steamboats were built on the Volga, including those with two machines with a total capacity of up to 40 hp. with. And in 1843, in St. Petersburg, a steamship company "On the Volga" was formed, which had several steamships with machines of 250-400 hp. with. capacity ("Volga", "Hercules", "Samson", "Kama", "Oka", etc.), dozens of heavy barges. This society lasted until 1918.

Diesel ships

In 1903, the Sormovsky plant in Nizhny Novgorod built the first diesel motor ship for the Volga Shipping Company - a self-propelled tanker barge "Vandal" with a displacement of 1150 tons, with three diesel engines of 120 liters each. with., and diesel-electric transmission to the propellers. "Vandal" became the world's first diesel ship and diesel-electric ship at the same time.

The first motor ship in the world is the Vandal oil barge.

By 1913 in different countries There were more than 80 diesel ships in the world, 70 of them were in Russia. As for steamships, by 1913, through the efforts of all six shipping companies of the country and the government, their number was increased to 1016 (with a total displacement of 487 thousand tons), and sailboats became 2577 (257 thousand brt). The Russian fleet ranked 8th in the world after the fleets of England, Germany, the USA, Norway, France, Japan, and Italy. At the same time, own steamships, accounting for 65% of the commercial fleet of Russia, could provide only 8% of sea freight.

Creation of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade (ROPiT)

In January 1856, the adjutant wing N.A. Arkas and well-known entrepreneur-shipowner N.A. Novoselsky. They proposed the creation of a commercial shipping joint-stock company on the Black Sea with a large number of modern steamships for cargo and passenger transportation, while specifying that in the event of war these steamships could be used for the country's military transport needs.

On August 3, 1856, Emperor Alexander II approved the Charter of the ROPiT (Russian Society of Shipping and Trade). Thus was born what later became the largest Russian shipping company.

By 1860, the Society had more than 40 steamships, and 30 of them had great prospects: all of them were in operation for no more than 3 years.

Steamer ROPiT "Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna" stands at the pier in Saratov.
Approximately 1910 (Photo from the archive of Alexei Platonov)

Since 1863, the Society, replenishing the composition of the fleet, began to build new screw post-passenger steamers and wheeled cargo-passenger ships of mixed navigation. In addition to Lazarev, Kornilov, Nakhimov, Chikhachev, Grand Duke Mikhail, Grand Duchess Olga and General Kotzebue, by 1870 another 11 steam schooners for cargo transportation across the Sea of ​​Azov were put into operation.

With the construction of the Suez Canal (1869), new prospects opened up, and ROPiT ships began to sail to India, China, and the Far East (Vladivostok).

Creation of the "Volunteer Fleet"

In the period 1873–1883. sharply increased public attention to the needs of the fleet. In this regard, a Society was founded in Moscow to promote Russian commercial shipbuilding (for patriotic donations). The idea of ​​creating the "Voluntary Fleet" society appeared, caused by the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1878.

All over the country, fundraising was held for an organization that would have fast and capacious ships, allowing them to be quickly converted and armed, making them auxiliary cruisers in case of war. About 4 million rubles were collected, and in 1878 the society was created.

First, Dobroflot purchased from the Germans cargo-passenger steamships, which immediately became registered in the navy as auxiliary cruisers: Moskva, Petersburg, Rossiya. Henceforth, a tradition was established: to call all new ships by the name of the centers of the provinces - "Nizhny Novgorod", "Ryazan", etc.

Since 1879, the charter of the Volunteer Fleet society provided for the possibility of using its ships for military purposes in case of war.

The work of Dobroflot began with the transportation of Russian troops from Varna and Burgas, which participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1878. Then regular flights to the Far East began. Soon the management came to the conclusion that it was necessary not to buy, but only to build ships for society - this is more profitable. True, to build not only at their own factories, but also abroad. The first steamship - "Yaroslavl" according to the drawings of the English cruiser "Iris" was ordered in 1880 in France.

Until 1896, a series of 6 ships of 4500-5600 tons with a displacement came from England to Russia. As a result, before the Russo-Japanese war, Dobroflot moved into second place after ROPiT. Its cargo turnover reached 196,000 tons per year.

Postcards from the early 1910s dedicated to passenger and freight
steamships "Dobroflot": "Simbirsk" and "Ryazan".

Well, what am I all about banana-lemon countries, but about steamboats ..
It's time to talk about the eternal, about the exciting, about the attractive, about dreams and hopes .. in general, about money.
"Piastres, piastres..."
No, not about them. Although you can talk about them, but later.
Today is about fat sea earnings. A long ruble ..
But not today, but from the times of the USSR. Now there is no romance and interest. Everything is written in the contract .. what is included in your duties, what is not included.
Whether business earlier.
But just a disclaimer. story behind merchant navy.Not fishing and fish processing. And not fish transporting, that is, fisheries transports. How are they ... I know only from stories, and therefore I can only retell too .. At that time they also divided into goslov and collective farm fishing .It was not so easy either.
Well, so ... I'll start right away with the most interesting. With the currency.
Those who tell how famously life was for the sailors of foreign swimming in the USSR, what salaries they received in foreign currency .. these same sailors .. a little ... uh .. lie.
Because there was no salary in foreign currency. From the word at all.
There was foreign currency instead of per diems.
What does this mean? This means that going abroad was equated with a business trip. Only foreign currency was paid in exchange for daily travel allowances.
And paid it as a percentage of salary.
Until 1987, this was 18% of the salary.
From salary!
The salary of a sailor of the 1st class is 105 rubles.
In total, for a month spent on a foreign voyage, our Rockefeller sailor was credited with 18 foreign currency rubles. Is it a lot, or a little? .. Well, so .. exchange these 18 foreign currency rubles at that mythical rate of 0.63-0.68, again, foreign currency, kopecks for US dollars. flaw.
Okay, digress. Accrued 18 foreign currency rubles.
But then intrigues and fried things begin. What can be done with this money?
A) - Receive this money in the currency of the country of call at the current exchange rate on that day.
B) -Deposit. That is, do not take this money, let it accumulate. If the flight is long, and a profitable port looms ahead, in terms of shopping, then let them lie. But without interest.
C) - Since this currency was accrued daily, then at the port of call it was possible to get .. well, for 5 days. Spend them on what thread .. a trip to the brothel m (1) museums, drink mate beer, in general .. join.
D) -A it could also happen that there were no calls to good (2) ports .. yes, there were none at all. This happened if the ship sailed on a specific charter. For example, bunkering fishermen in the ocean. There are also options - either to deposit, when debiting from the ship, receive a certificate of the amount and receive this money already on another ship. Or receive this money in the form of VTB checks (VneshTorgBank). Later they became known as VED checks (Bank of Foreign Economic Activity)

So, VTB checks. I call them that in the old fashioned way, because somehow foreign economic activity did not take root. As they were also called .. bonds.
In each port city, especially if this city was the base of any shipping company, there was an Albatross store of Torgmortrans (3) .. that's where the trade for these checks was carried out.

Appearance of checks. Since 1987, they have already been in the checkbook for 25 rubles. Before that, they were in the book for 10 rubles.
I had checks and 60s of release .. nothing, they were accepted for payment.

What was sold in these stores? Yes, everything .. clothing, electronics, products .. well, almost the same "Birches" only with a specific marine bias.
Approximate prices for 1986-87..
Cigarettes "Kent", "Rothmans", "Marlboro" 20 kopecks per pack. Since 1988 - 30 kopecks.
A can of beer "Asahi", 0.33 gr, Japan - 20 kopecks
A bottle of cognac "Ararat" 1 ruble 75 kopecks
Vodka..from 60 kopecks
By the way, alcohol was sold immediately after the opening. And in 1989, after the adoption of anti-alcohol resolutions of the Central Committee .. the freebie was covered, they also began to sell from 14 o'clock
Indian instant coffee -40 kopecks
Sweets "Assorted" 40-60 kopecks.
Well, chocolates, cookies, sometimes chewing gum .. how much, I don’t remember.
I remember when I was swindling my future wife, then still a student at the institute, I bought a huge box of "Matryoshka" sweets. It seems Moscow ones. and a half ruble. While I dragged it to the bus station, I hesitated to answer questions .. where did I snatch it .. and won’t I sell it ..
Clothing.
Jacket "Alaska" .. mmm .. Chori company, Iponia ... mmm .. real Japan .. they don’t make them like that now. There were awesome jackets. , and a hood. And for anything. Even for a cesspool suit, even for jeans with a sweater .. so, 12-15 rubles.
"Montana" .. also a well-known brand) And then .. A denim jacket - 12 rubles, pants - 7 rubles, a tracksuit - 15 rubles.
Leather men's raincoat, made in Mongolia .. just .. 120 rubles.
Well, and a lot of other tricks.
Shoes.Perfume.
A little bit of electronics.
A two-cassette tape recorder "Panasonic", because of the red color, called "fireman" cost 42 rubles.
Cars were also sold. For example, VAZ 2104 cost only 2500 rubles.
And then scarce plastic bags. With a seagull and the proud inscription TorgMortTrans ..5 kopecks.

It seems to be cheap, right? But there was one thing..
If you didn’t work at sea .. well, or in the management of the shipping company (and, as you know, real sailors worked there, not like us .. seafarers, damn it), you were ordered to enter this paradise.
But checks could be bought. Although it was written on the check that VTB would pay you one .. or how many rubles for this check, well, it’s also written on the barn ... From familiar sailors ... or from speculators, who can always was to meet at these stores at the rate of 10 rubles for 1 ruble with checks. That's all.
And then, all the prices that I gave as an example must be multiplied by 10.
And we got cigarettes for 2 re for a pack, beer for 2 re for a can .. and cognac will not go down the throat at all .. for 17 rubles.
The price of a car immediately becomes interesting, right?)

A couple of additions and clarifications.
All these stores, throughout the USSR, were called "Albatross" .. only in Odessa it was called somehow differently, that's all knocked out of memory (In common parlance they were called - Torgsin (Odessa .. well, Odessa, that's all .. everything is there)), currency, check, bond ..
Even then, when selling checks, you could run into "broke." This is when they wring a pack of banknotes on your finger and, as a result, you are cheated. That is, when the dollar got free circulation in the country and money changers appeared, some people already had experience. .where and how to look..when conducting foreign exchange transactions.
The sale and purchase of checks was a criminal offense, because it also fell under the article on illegal currency .. but none of my acquaintances came across in this case, even more so, somehow they sold these checks in the water department of the police. Everyone wanted to dress well.

Also, checks in port cities were not bad and they themselves went, as an independent currency. Doormen in restaurants, in taxis, in hospitals .. just some of their affairs could be settled with the help of these checks. but I repeat, in port cities ..

And somewhere from the middle of 1988, prices in stores somehow imperceptibly crept, and checks crept in after them. And in 1989 they reached their peak -25 USSR rubles for 1 ruble in checks. began to lengthen .. by the time the Albatros stores closed, it was impossible to squeeze in. They swept everything away.
Everyone could not spend their checks. Someone was at sea at that time .. well, there were reasons. And then the following was done .. the shipping company accepted checks back (but only legally earned, and you can’t cheat there anymore. Accounting is here .. nearby) and issued certificates about how many foreign currency rubles you have on your account. They have already begun to pay slowly in US dollars and the nearest port could cash this certificate for dollars, and not in the currency of the country of call. Although .. in my region, the Japanese yen was also well quoted, and now, quite a reserve currency.

But checks were paid not only as foreign currency instead of daily allowances. Some work on the ship was also paid for by checks. Moreover, some work was very well paid.
Cleaning and washing of cargo tanks, cleaning and washing of cargo holds, pilotless pilotage of the vessel (well, these are mainly navigators and sailors) .. well, there were works. As a rule, the entire crew, except for the captain, went out to these works. The amount was calculated separately for the captain.
And cleaning a cargo tank from under mutton fat or palm stearin is such an occupation that I would not wish even my perforated neighbor (what the hell is he drilling there?).
And about the accruals. There was such a nuance. They accrued ... 1: 1 .. but if it was necessary to calculate something from you, well, for example .. you counted the day incorrectly and you got an overpayment, and you already received checks and managed to spend ..not a question. They will calculate in Soviet rubles .. but not 1: 1, but 8 Soviet rubles for 1 ruble in checks. From me, I remember, 64 rubles were calculated ... although, as I mentioned above .. it’s supposed to be like and 1:1. But they referred to some letter from the ministry ..

It was from such trifles that a fat sea salary was formed. Although the old sailors, after introducing all sorts of innovations, such as the Shchekin method (affectionately called the "Zashchekin method" in the fleet), self-supporting .. back in the late seventies they said ..
Oh, the shovel broke, which rowed money in the seas ...

A completely separate topic ... already the actual currency and real travel allowances .. but, probably .. I won’t have time before departure.

(1) A trip to brothels .. this is such sarcasm. For with those pennies, they won’t even show you a price list for the services of aunts.
(2) A good port, this is a port in which it was possible to shop for these pennies as profitably as possible. Dadada .. Carpets from Antwerp, jeans from Hamburg and more ..
(3) Torgmortrans .. TMT .. this word was also used to call boat merchants in Southeast Asia .. I don’t know how in other shipping companies, we definitely do. Even sometimes .. the old sick sailor still says so ..

Chapter 1. Historiography and review of the source base of the study.

1.1. Review of documentary materials deposited in the funds

Russian State Archive of Economics.

1.2. Review of documentary materials deposited in the RGAE, fund 2292 "Volunteer Fleet".

F 1.3. Review of documentary materials deposited in the RGAE, fund 7795 "All-Union Association of the Soviet Merchant Fleet for Foreign Transportation".

1.4. Review of documentary materials deposited in the RGAE, fund 7449 "Central Board of the State Merchant Fleet" of the NKPS of the USSR.

1.5. Review of documentary materials deposited in the RGAE, fund 9570 "Committee of the Northern Sea Route" of the Ministry of Trade Russian government in Omsk.

1.6. Review of printed publications about the pre-revolutionary navy of Russia. t 1.7. Review of domestic historical research on the problem.

1.8. Statement of the research problem.

Chapter 2. Stages of development of the fleet.

2.1. Replenishment of the fleet in the first ten years after the end of the Great Patriotic War (periods: 1946 - 1950 and

1951 - 1955).

2.2. Replenishment of the fleet in the period 1956 - 1965

2.3. Replenishment of the fleet in the period 1966 - 1970

2.4. Replenishment of the fleet in the period 1971 - 1975 f 2.5. Replenishment of the fleet in the period 1976 - 1980

2.6. Replenishment of the fleet in the period 1981 - 1985

2.7. Prospects and programs for replenishment of the fleet.

Chapter 3. Historical and technical aspect of the development of ship power plants.

3.1 General overview.

3.2. Development of internal combustion engines.

3.3. Creation of gas turbine engines.

3.4. Use of free piston gas generators. f- 3.5. Problems of improving the quality of marine engines.

Chapter 4. Technical and economic aspects of the development of the merchant marine.

4.1. general characteristics status and development of the merchant fleet.

4.2. The main factors that influenced the development of the merchant fleet of the USSR.

4.3. General characteristics of the replenishment ships of the Soviet merchant fleet in the period 1946 - 1970.

4.4. Correspondence of the domestic marine fleet with the transport needs of the country during the period of extensive development of the fleet.

4.5. The main reasons for the implementation of achievements technical progress in maritime transport.

4.6. Analysis of the performance indicators of the work of the Soviet merchant fleet.

4.7. The impact of technological progress on the quality of ships and the structural composition of the fleet.

4.8. Characteristics of the main types of ships that replenished the Soviet merchant fleet in the period 1971 - 1985.

4.9. Morphological analysis of ships of various periods of replenishment of the Soviet merchant fleet.

4.10. Fleet development strategy assessment model.

Chapter 5. Organizational and technical support for the development of the fleet.

5.1. General characteristics of the fleet development support system.

5.2. State management of the development of the merchant marine.

5.3. The system of branch management of fleet development.

5.4. Sectoral material and technical base for the development of the merchant fleet.

5.5. The system for ensuring the implementation of the order for the replenishment of the fleet.,.

5.6. Scientific support for the development of the fleet.

5.7. Personnel support for the development of the fleet.

6.1. Analysis state of the art and prospects for the development of the global freight market.

6.2. General results of the analysis of the development of the domestic fleet.

MERCHANT FLEET IN THE HISTORY OF RUSSIA

Vladimir Kontrovsky

25 October 1925 of the year, exactly eighty years ago, from stocks BAltianshipbuildingfactoryin Leningradgot offfirstSoviettradingcourt " GregoryZinoviev" and " ComradeStalin". Thus began the history of the Soviet merchant fleet.

Russian merchant fleet

The history of the merchant marine fleet of our country is rooted in hoary antiquity. Back in the days of Kievan Rus, our ancestors made trade trips along the Black Sea to Byzantium, sailed in the Caspian. Later, the Novgorod Slavs sailed across the Baltic Sea to the Hanseatic cities, and in the 11th-12th centuries they came to the shores of the White Sea. In the XV-XVII centuries, Pomors sailed on boats and boats to Murman, Novaya Zemlya, Mangazeya and even to the subpolar Grumant archipelago. By the end of the 17th century, industrial and service people crossed Siberia in pursuit of furs and reached the shores of the Far Eastern seas. Even then, there was an awareness of the need for Russia to have its own military and merchant fleet. Attempts to create it were made under Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail and Alexei Romanov. But in reality, it was possible to realize this only under Peter I. On October 20, 1696, by the decision of the Boyar Duma, for the first time in the centuries-old history of Russia, the foundation was laid for the creation of a permanent state military and transport navy. Since that time, Russia began to turn into a great maritime power. While intensive construction of warships for the Sea of ​​Azov was going on in Voronezh, from 1696 to 1701, at the sovereign shipyard in Solombala, 6 three-deck merchant ships were built, which soon appeared in the ports of Europe. This is another reason to consider the decisions of the Boyar Duma the beginning of the creation of the state merchant fleet of Russia. Private, merchant "new manner" ships were also built in the north. Together with transport warships, this local fleet provided full transportation of coastal cargo in the North, the Caspian Sea, the Far East, and to a large extent - in the Baltic Sea. A qualitatively new period began in the history of the domestic merchant fleet from the middle of the 19th century. Due to significant subsidies in the North, the Baltic, in the southern seas of Russia and the Far East, a number of shipping companies were created in the 60-70s. The largest of them were the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade (ROPiT) and Dobroflot. Russian merchant steamships go beyond coastal seas, develop transoceanic lines, make regular voyages in the Arctic and the Far East. To manage the industry in 1903, the Main Directorate of Merchant Shipping was created, which later became part of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Training of personnel for navigators and mechanics is organized. The civil war caused enormous damage to the navy and ports. Suffice it to say that out of 1,120 steamships available on January 1, 1915, , in 1921 only 220 courts remained in the country. Many ports and shipyards were destroyed. In difficult conditions of general devastation, the restoration of maritime transport took place in the 20-30s. Despite the difficulties, the transport fleet actively participated in the development of the Arctic and the Far East, made heroic voyages to the fighting Spain. During the same period, important organizational measures were taken in the field of maritime transport management. On July 18, 1924, the joint-stock company "Soviet Merchant Fleet" ("Sovtorgflot") was organized, uniting transport ships that previously belonged to various people's commissariats, departments and joint-stock companies, including mixed ones, with the participation of foreign capital. This act laid the foundations for the centralized management of maritime transport as a single branch of the national economy, its infrastructure was formed, including not only ships, but also ports, ship repair yards, and educational institutions. Already the first year of work has confirmed the expediency of establishing Sovtorgflot, which has achieved high results. Particularly increased transportation in small cabotage - more than 1.5 times. With the formation of "Sovtorgflot" the beginning of the replenishment of the fleet with ships of domestic construction is also connected. For 1928-1932 maritime transport received 66 ships from domestic shipyards and 44 ships of foreign construction. The restoration of the country's port economy was successfully completed. Port cargo turnover reached 48.6 million tons in 1932, exceeding the level of 1913. Major work was carried out to reconstruct the seaports in Leningrad, Arkhangelsk, and Vladivostok. New berths, warehouses, passenger stations were built, mechanization facilities were increased. The construction of new ports began (Tiksi, Moskalvo, etc.). Shipyards were expanded and reconstructed. The training of personnel for the navy in the 1930s was carried out in branch educational institutions - in two universities (in Leningrad and Odessa) and in seven maritime technical schools. Maritime schools were organized to train enlisted specialists. The navy in the 1930s significantly expanded the navigation areas thanks to the heroic voyages of the A. Sibiryakov, F. Litke, Chelyuskin, G. Sedov ships. On a large scale, the development of the Northern Sea Route and its transformation into a permanent highway began.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War

The final registration of maritime transport as an independent economic branch of the national economy took place before the Great Patriotic War. The sea fleet has become an important part of the unified transport system of the country. From the first hours of the war, all 14 shipping companies, 51 seaports, 27 shipyards and other enterprises subordinated their activities to military needs. About 100 ships were immediately handed over to the Navy, some of them came under the operational control of the military fleets. In the Baltic, the war began on June 22, 1941 - the Germans in advance (on June 20-21) secretly made mine laying. Early in the morning on July 22, 1941, the Nazis attacked the unarmed steamer Gaisma, which was heading to Germany with a load of timber. Off the island of Gotland, the ship was attacked by four boats and torpedoed. Of the 80 crew members, seven sailors were killed. Almost simultaneously with the attack on the "Gaisma" near the island of Kotlin, a fascist plane fired on the steamer "Luga". The Baltic ports (Liepaja, Ventspils, Riga) were left one after another - in the most difficult conditions - and troops and equipment were taken out on board merchant ships. On the night of June 30, the sailors of the Lachplesis icebreaker dragged the Kirov cruiser through the shallow Moonsund Strait, which ran aground six times. With the same difficulty, large merchant ships of the Latvian Shipping Company passed through the strait - two weeks after leaving Riga, twenty ships arrived in Leningrad. The fate of 29 transport ships that left Tallinn on August 28, 1941 was tragic. The caravan went through continuous minefields under continuous attacks from the air. The losses of the merchant fleet participating in this operation turned out to be huge: out of 29 ships, only two reached Leningrad, two more ships remained off Gogland Island, and 25 were sunk. The Tallinn crossing in 1941 became one of the most difficult operations for the entire period of the Great Patriotic War. The death of the brave killed many of the best sailors of the transport fleet. One of the last left Tallinn steamship "Kazakhstan". Fascist dive bombers furiously attacked the ship, the bombs hit the boiler room, a fire started. For nine hours, the crew and the Red Army soldiers on board fought the fire and knocked down the flames. But then enemy planes again fell on "Kazakhstan". Bombs exploded next to the side. Only seven people remained from the crew. A fire was simulated on the ship, and the Nazis, confident in the death of the ship, stopped the attacks. The sailors managed to repair the damage, divorced the couples, and on the fourth day after leaving Tallinn, the "Kazakhstan" arrived in Kronstadt. Among the three ships damaged by aircraft and left at Gogland was the steamer Saule, commanded by sea captain Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina, the only female captain in the USSR merchant fleet. Despite the raids of fascist aircraft, the ship's crew repaired the damage, the ship refloated and safely arrived in Leningrad. On the Black Sea, merchant ships supplied and evacuated besieged ports. So, during the defense of Odessa, sailors of the transport fleet took 350 thousand soldiers and civilians and about 100 thousand tons of various cargoes to Sevastopol and other ports. In November 1941, the fascist armies launched an offensive against Sevastopol, and the connection between the besieged main base of the Black Sea Fleet and the country was carried out only by sea. 20 transport vessels took part in the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation. One of the first to enter the port of Feodosia and landed the landing units of the Red Army was the steamship "Fabricius" under the command of Captain M. Grigor. The ship "Kuban" four times (its captain Vislobokov died on the first voyage) came from Novorossiysk to Feodosia with landing troops. After the landing, transport ships continued to make flights to the Crimea, supplying the advancing Red Army troops with everything necessary. In the winter and spring of 1942, the merchant fleet, despite the blockade, delivered military supplies to Sevastopol. Flights of transport ships ceased only in June 1942, when even surface warships of the Black Sea Fleet could no longer break through to Sevastopol. Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, three Caspian shipping companies - dry-cargo ("Kaspflot"), oil-loader ("Kasptanker") and offshore oil-loader ("Reidtanker") - have reorganized their work for the needs of the country's defense. Already in July 1941, the evacuation of the population, dismantled equipment, grain cargo from the western regions of the country began to Kazakhstan and the republics of Central Asia. Oil and oil products were sent to the Volga. Military formations, military equipment and ammunition were transferred from the Central Asian republics to the western ports of the Caspian Sea. At the same time (in August 1941), several large transport ships took part in the transportation of Soviet troops, which were temporarily introduced to Iran in accordance with the existing agreement. The sailors did everything to fulfill the tasks for transportation: they reduced the time for loading, unloading and repairing ships, loaded the ships in excess of the established norm, adapted the cargo spaces of the ships for passengers and accommodated passengers on deck. On the decks of tankers in July-December 1941, Caspian sailors transported over 100 thousand people. During the fighting for the North Caucasus and the Volga, the front approached the Caspian Sea, and the sailors had to work under the blows of enemy bombers. The fascist aviation was especially rampant in the Astrakhan roadstead - fuel was unloaded right under the bombing. As a result of enemy air raids in 1942, the Caspian merchant fleet lost 32 transport ships, about 100 sailors died at their combat posts. By the end of 1941, the directions of external transportation were determined for the navy. The Baltic and the Black Sea were cut off - the North and the Far East remained. The main flow of Lend-Lease supplies went through Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, and as part of the polar convoys, along with the transports of the allied powers, ships of the Soviet merchant fleet also made voyages. In May 1942, the ship "Old Bolshevik", loaded with weapons and ammunition, went as part of the allied convoy "PQ-16" from England to Russia. The convoy, escorted by English escorts, was furiously attacked by the Luftwaffe forces. For three days, the heroic ship withstood 47 bomber attacks. During one of them, a bomb hit the forecastle, a fire started on the ship. And the attacks did not stop - the enemy sought to finish off the ship. Anti-aircraft gunners shot down one dive bomber and drove the rest, but the fire intensified. The commander of the English convoy suggested that our sailors leave the ship and go to one of the escort ships. The captain of the ship, Afanasiev, ordered to hand over to the commodore of the convoy: "We are not going to bury our ship." The convoy left, leaving the Soviet sailors alone in the ocean on a burning ship. But what was the amazement of the allies when, two days later, the Old Bolshevik, having coped with the fire and damage, caught up with the convoy and took its place in the order. The plans of the "Kriegsmarine" to prevent traffic along the Northern Sea Route were thwarted thanks to the courage of the sailors of the icebreaker "Sibiryakov" (Captain Kacharava). Attacked by the German raider "Admiral Scheer" in the Kara Sea, "Sibiryakov" accepted an unequal battle and, at the cost of his death, managed to report on the radio about the appearance of a pirate. After that, "Sheer" considered it best to stop the raid. Sailors of the merchant fleet of the Far East also worked in the main direction of wartime external shipping. Here they regularly made flights to the USA, South America, Canada, Australia, delivering military supplies from there. Vessels of the Far Eastern Shipping Company carried out transportation on the northern communications, plowed the waters of the Indian Ocean, went to the ports of the Persian Gulf. At the beginning of December 1941, in the Far East, Japan began a war against the USA, England and Holland. Although the Soviet Union was not at war with this country, the Japanese launched piracy against the merchant fleet of our country. In Hong Kong, on December 14, the steamer "Krechet" was sunk; in the Celebes Sea near the Philippines, on December 20, Japanese aircraft sank the tanker "Maikop". The crew of the ship "Perekop" (Captain Demidov), sunk on December 18 by Japanese aircraft in the South China Sea, landed on Bolshoy Natuna Island, and only in November 1943 returned to Vladivostok. In 1942-1944. the Japanese sank a number of ships of the Far Eastern Shipping Company, and in May 1942 the steamer "Uelen" (Captain Malakhov), en route to Australia, was attacked by an "unknown" submarine. A two-hour artillery duel ensued, during which the Uelen sailors sent the submarine to the bottom. And in 1945 the merchant fleet took part in the landings on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Fleet recovery

The war left heavy traces: the industry lost 380 ships with a deadweight of about 1 million tons, more than 90 ports were destroyed, and many ship repair enterprises. Only four merchant ships survived the war in the Baltic. The trophy fleet did not make up for these losses, and the "disposable" (it was assumed that their construction cost paid off in one transatlantic crossing) received under Lend-Lease "Liberty" type transports were not designed for long-term operation. For the second time in three decades, the country had to spend a lot of effort and money to restore maritime transport. From the end of the 50s, the industry began to rapidly develop and replenish it with new ships. Already in 1965, the country's maritime transport fleet amounted to 1,187 ships with a total deadweight of 8.4 million tons and came in 6th place in the world. It has become the main mode of transport in the country's foreign trade transportation. Transport ships began to work on cargo and passenger lines connecting our country with many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, made long voyages to Cuba, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand, as well as to the sixth continent - Antarctica. Thanks to the construction of new icebreakers led by the Lenin nuclear-powered icebreaker, the duration of navigation in the Arctic was significantly increased. Later it became year-round in the Kara Sea. The unique voyages of Soviet ships to the North Pole, Antarctica and other areas of the World Ocean for industrial and research purposes have raised the prestige of our fleet in the world. The 70-80s became the time of a qualitatively new rise in the merchant fleet: in addition to domestic ships, it included a large number of foreign-built ships. The merchant fleet of the USSR confidently occupied a worthy place in the world market of cargo transportation. But then everything changed, as life itself changed radically. Today, Russian maritime transport as an industry includes organizations, associations, institutions of various forms of ownership that carry out sea transportation, stevedoring, freight forwarding, repair and technical operation ships and ship equipment, research, design and survey work, personnel training and other activities related to merchant shipping. On March 15, 1996, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Department of Maritime Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation was transformed into the Federal Service of the Marine Fleet of Russia. The fleet administered by the Federal Marine Service of Russia is about 780 ships with a deadweight of 10.3 million tons. Maritime transport in Russia today is 10 shipping companies, 41 seaports, 13 shipyards, 4 research institutes, 2 design and survey bureaus, 3 maritime academies, 7 secondary specialized educational institutions. And in addition, about 700 joint and private enterprises and organizations that have received licenses from the Service for the right to operate. The "Program for the revival of the Russian merchant fleet" was adopted, aimed at restoring this strategic industry, which provides political and economic security and independence of the country in foreign trade. The program provides for the development of maritime transport in three areas: sea ​​vessels; development of seaports and railway approaches to them; development of maritime transport infrastructure. The program will be implemented through own funds enterprises; the specially created Fund for the Revival of the Merchant Fleet of Russia; attracted funds from domestic and foreign investors; federal budget. The implementation of the "Program" will allow Russia to have a fleet worthy of a great maritime power. PeterI once said the following: "A power that only has an army has one hand, and which has a fleet - both." The first Russian emperor was smart... True, he had in mind a military fleet, not a merchant fleet, but these two fleets very often perform a common task.