Sailboat "Kruzenstern" - the last vinjammer

The Krusenstern sailboat was built in 1926 in Germany at the Wesermünde city shipyards. At that time it was called "Padua", and was renamed in honor of the Russian first admiral only in 1946. Its displacement is more than six thousand tons. In those days, he even made several unique flights, getting from Hamburg to Port Lincoln in just two months, and to the coast of Chile - for three.

During the Second World War, those windjammers, which were still in normal condition, stood in the ports. And only "Kruzenshtern" - a sailboat, which, according to many "chassis", was an auxiliary tug.

And in 1945, by decision of the Potsdam Conference, the largest ships of this class in the world, the Commander Yonzen, renamed Sedov, and Padua were placed at the disposal of the USSR. In January next year, Soviet flags were raised above them. And since then the ship, which received the name of the great Russian sailor, who brought up more than one generation, joined the Baltic detachment.

The Kruzenshtern sailboat is still one of the largest sailing vessels in the world: it is bigger than the Sedov engine. He is assigned to the detachment of training ships of the Ministry of Fisheries. Its native port is Riga.

When the sailing ship Kruzenshtern was still sailing under the Soviet flag, he crossed the Atlantic several times, skirted Europe, visiting many foreign ports. On such flights he swam more than one hundred and eighty thousand miles.

In 1961, two eight-cylinder auxiliary diesel engines were installed on it, and since that time the "Kruzenshtern" sailboat is no longer considered a typical windjammer. With a strong wind, its speed under sails reaches up to sixteen knots, while in the calm with the auxiliary engines on, it's up to nine.

The sailboat Kruzenstern, whose photo is presented in the article, despite its age, is quite a modern ship with sailing and motor control, as well as equipped with the newest radio navigation equipment, radar and other devices. This is one of the few sailing barges that has been floating for almost a century. From 1973 to 1977, the sailing ship Kruzenshtern sailed fifteen sufficiently long voyages.

He has a steel body, divided into compartments with the help of seven watertight bulkheads. It has two continuous wooden decks and one platform.

Out of the rescue equipment, six boats have been installed on the barge, designed for the simultaneous transportation of two hundred and eighty-four people, as well as fifteen inflatable rafts, which accommodate 10 passengers. On the sailboat 770 tons of ballast, of which two hundred and seventy - in liquid form in double bottoms.

Today sailing-motor bark takes cadets from the seaports on board. More than eight hundred young men are practicing it annually, who have chosen the marine specialty. The last windjammer, the Kruzenshtern sailboat, which for many decades has outlived its classmates, still continues to service, forcing on board cadets, whom the Russian fleet considers its future.