Twice in my life Rostislav Evgenievich ALEXEEV (12/18/1916, Novozybkov, Oryol province. (now Bryansk region) - 02/09/1980, Gorky) revolutionized humanity's idea of ​​speed on water.

First he invented hydrofoil ship.

After the first such ship, a whole high-speed fleet appeared - hydrofoil ships “Meteor”, “Kometa”, “Volga”, “Sputnik”, “Voskhod”, “Burevestnik” developed by chief designer Alekseev.

The second revolutionary step ekranoplanes became - aircraft flying over water at aircraft speeds, while remaining safe and economical, like a motor ship.

Thanks to Alekseev, the word “ekranoplan” is considered Russian throughout the world. He created the Central Design Bureau for hydrofoils.

5 thousand people of his team according to the principle “ New Year- new steamship" new ship models were produced every year. Many of them have no analogues to this day. Alekseev managed to do as much in his life as humanity could not do in the entire history of shipping and navigation.

He raised the ships on wings and then taught them to fly. Thanks to Alekseev’s talent, he is still in ekranoplanes we were 20-30 years ahead of the world.

The world's first ekranoplane, KM, designed by Alekseev, the largest aircraft of that time, was launched in 1966. The length of the ekranoplane was more than 100 m, the wingspan was 40 m, it weighed almost 500 tons, and 10 turbojet engines with a thrust of more than 13 t each accelerated it to a speed of 500 km/h.

The Americans called it the “Caspian Monster” for its impressive size, interpreting the abbreviation KM (model ship).

The world's first amphibious ekranoplane ship "Orlyonok" designed by Alekseev was adopted by the Navy in 1979. The ship became the first in the newly formed division of ekranoplane ships.

In the Library of the US Congress, in the portrait gallery of outstanding figures of the world who made the greatest contribution to the development of mankind in the twentieth century, there is a portrait of R. E. Alekseev.

In Russia, a hydrofoil ship, a square in Nizhny Novgorod, and an NGO he created were named after him.

Lit.: Karpenko V. F. Designer Alekseev. - N. Novgorod, 2010.

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The world's first serial hydrofoil ship "Raketa", racing at a speed of 70 km/h at the then usual speed of ships of 25 km/h, was invented and created in N. Novgorod by the brilliant Russian shipbuilder Rostislav Evgenievich ALEXEEV - Chief designer hydrofoils. The first flight from Gorky to Kazan took place on August 25, 1957. Twice in his life Alekseev revolutionized humanity’s understanding of speed on water. The second revolution is the creation of ekranoplanes.

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The world's first ekranoplane, KM, designed by R. E. Alekseev (egranoplanes) - the largest aircraft of that time, was launched on June 22, 1966. The length of the ekranoplane is more than 100 m, the wingspan is 40 m, the weight is almost 500 tons; 10 turbojet engines with a thrust of more than 13 tons each time435 great Russian achievements drove it to a speed of 500 km/h. The Americans called it “the monster of the Caspian Sea” for its impressive size.

Based on materials from the bookAlexandra Petsko „ IN great R Russian Dachievements.” Tag -

Over the years of work, Alekseev created a powerful enterprise with a developed design and testing base and trained hundreds of people passionate about one thing, so the work continued, despite numerous “pokes in the wheels.” At the age of 63, the designer remained a man full of strength, creative energy and healthy scientific curiosity. It seemed that all the ingredients for success were present: talent, intelligence, health, colossal experience. But in 1980, an unexpected tragedy occurred...

Path to the future

Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev was born on December 18, 1916 in the provincial town of Novozybkov, Chernigov province. IN Russian Empire The son of an agronomist and a teacher from the outback could hardly expect a career as a scientist, much less a leading designer. But history, in a well-known way, decreed the fate of the country and the boy: after October revolution on fire Civil War a new power was born, where, as they now say, “new social elevators began to work.”

In June 1918, the Council of People's Commissars established the State Industrial Institute in Nizhny Novgorod. It was there that the Alekseev family moved in 1933. Young Rostislav entered the workers' faculty (working faculty), where he prepared to enter a university, working as a draftsman in various institutions. At the same time, the boy discovered an ability to draw and entered an art school. The year 1935 became a turning point in his biography - Rostislav was enrolled in the Gorky Industrial Institute at the shipbuilding department. By the fourth year, a talented and promising student is transferred to Leningrad to study at the Naval Academy. However, he was not destined to study for a long time in Northern Palmyra - because of a scandal with a revolver found in his apartment, Rostislav was expelled from the academy, after which he returned to Gorky.

On June 6, 1941, two weeks before the invasion of German troops into the USSR, Rostislav got married, and on October 1 of the same year he defended his thesis, which became a landmark not only in Alekseev’s life, but also in the history of shipbuilding in general. The work, entitled “Hydrofoil glider,” was a theoretical development of the design of semi-submersible ships.

From war to peace

Despite the fact that the war was in full swing, the young man, being a valuable technical specialist, was sent not to the front, but to the Krasnoye Sormovo plant, where he worked until 1943 as a tank production controller. This is how his “first life” began.

Without breaking away from his daily routine, Alekseev did not abandon his passion for ships and inventive activities. During the war years, he proposed a rationalization of the device for igniting Molotov cocktail bottles and developed an inertial jet engine for rocket boats. At the same time, he constantly bombarded higher authorities with proposals for the introduction of hydrofoils, eventually achieving success - in 1942 he was allocated premises and assistants to carry out preliminary work on this topic. The premises were a barn on the territory of “Krasny Sormovo” and the team consisted of three people. This is how the future Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils (TsKB for SPK) was born.

By the autumn of 1943, observing the strictest economy of literally everything, the team managed to create an experimental prototype of the A-4 boat, which was launched in the factory harbor. However, to bring the revolutionary development to combat use failed - in 1945 the Great Patriotic War ended. Nevertheless, Alekseev continued to work - in 1948, the 123-bis boat was tested on the Black Sea, for which the team received the State Prize. Thus, the practical applicability and manufacturability of semi-submersible ships was proven.

It is interesting that Alekseev spent the premium on the first factory car he ever built, Pobeda. Before that, two others had been in his garage: a Volkswagen and a Tatra, personally assembled by the designer from spare parts from the Krasny Sormovo landfill. The inventor himself called them collectively - “KDF” (cardboard, wood, plywood) with a hint that there were only the necessary minimum of branded parts in his machines. This craving for manual labor accompanied Alekseev throughout his life. Being a venerable designer, he always tried to go through the entire cycle of creating his devices “from start to finish,” as if putting himself in the place of turners, millers, foundries and other workers.

Triumph of the glider

In 1954, Alekseev’s research hydro laboratory became part of TsKB-19, and the Ministry of River Fleet became interested in his work. The team received technical specifications for the development of a medium-capacity river ship (up to 66 passengers). The project was called "Rocket". By 1957, the theoretical part of the work was completed, the project was transferred to the shipyard, and the next year Alekseev triumphantly piloted the world's first hydrofoil through the canal system from Gorky to Moscow (this was timed to coincide with the International Youth Festival in Moscow).

Alekseev conducted public tests of the “Rocket” with great pomp and understanding, as they would say today, of marketing - among the first thirty passengers was the country’s chief “rocket scientist” Sergei Korolev, and the ship was piloted by Hero Soviet Union Mikhail Devyatayev, who escaped from fascist captivity on a hijacked bomber during the war. During the tests, the Raketa reached a hurricane speed for a passenger ship of 70 km/h, and the distance from Gorky to Kazan (420 km) was covered in just six hours.

The undoubted success of “Rocket” encouraged the high authorities to further develop it. TsKB-19 begins developing a ship with increased capacity and seaworthiness - the famous Meteor became a new project. A duralumin hull 34 meters long, graceful lines more suitable for an airplane than a ship, a speed of 65 km/h and from 78 to 123 passengers with three crew members - all this guaranteed the Meteor a resounding success by the time the first model appeared in 1959 year.

The Meteor entered production in 1961 and was produced until 1991 - in total, more than 400 vehicles were launched. “Rockets” and “Meteors” became the basis of high-speed river and coastal sea transport of the USSR, exported to many countries around the world.

Bureaucratic fiasco

It must be said that this “third life” was far from a constant success. The fact is that the topic of the ekranoplan was outside the field where Alekseev was an indestructible authority - outside shipbuilding in literally. The “aviators,” who already had enough headaches, were skeptical about the idea, and it could be fully realized only with close cooperation between the two departments. Unfortunately, Alekseev did not succeed in this - very soon interdepartmental conflicts began, it came to denunciations and the use of administrative resources in discussions. But despite all the bureaucratic difficulties, the “Ship Maket” nevertheless landed on the waters of the Caspian Sea, where it was photographed by an American spy satellite. The data received by the satellite caused shock among the NATO military. Here's what Jane Intelligence Review wrote:

«... Testing of a giant ekranoplane, which reaches a speed of 200 knots, continues in the Caspian Sea. It is believed that this device was built at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant. It is probably 400 feet long and capable of carrying 800-900 fully armed soldiers. The wings of this experimental craft are believed to provide sufficient lift to lift the aircraft to a cruising altitude of approximately 30 feet. Apparently, the device can operate in arctic conditions».

Fear turned out to have very big eyes - in fact, the characteristics of the first ekranoplan were much more modest. And yet, the “Caspian Monster” was impressive - its length was 92 meters, take-off weight - 544 tons, maximum speed– 50 km/h. Until the creation of the colossal An-225 Mriya aircraft, capable of lifting the Buran space shuttle, the KM remained the largest aircraft in the world.

On its basis, the landing ekranoplane "Eaglet" and the impact ekranoplane "Lun" were created (after the death of the designer). The accident of the ekranoplane "Orlyonok" during testing in 1974, during which Alekseev personally "pulled" the car, which had lost its tail, to the base, led first to his removal from the post of head of the Central Design Bureau, and then from the post of head of the sector. However, over the years of work, Alekseev created a powerful enterprise with a developed design and testing base and trained hundreds of people passionate about one thing, so the work continued, despite numerous “pokes in the wheels.”

Rostislav Alekseev himself did not lose heart and was engaged in painting, as well as designing a second-generation ekranoplan. At the age of 63, the designer remained a man full of strength, creative energy and healthy scientific curiosity. It seemed that all the ingredients for success were present: talent, intelligence, health, colossal experience. But in 1980, an unexpected tragedy occurred. Rostislav Alekseev was an extremely strong man, and was not used to measuring his strength. January 1980 came, and the Central Design Bureau was supposed to present a working model of a passenger ekranoplan for the Moscow Olympics. It was supposed to be tested at a base in Chkalovsk (Gorky region). Several people were rolling the car out of the hangar, and Alekseev was among them. Helpers rushed to clear the snow that was blocking the path to the river, and when the road was clear, someone shouted: “Let go!” Being already an elderly man, Alekseev did not hear the scream, did not remove his hands, and the entire weight of the apparatus fell on him. The injury seemed minor, and, as they say, there were no signs of trouble, but soon the designer had to be hospitalized with sharp pains. It turned out that Alekseev simply overstrained himself - this led to peritonitis and his imminent death.

Rostislav Alekseev was not destined to know that the brainchild of his “third life” was adopted by the USSR Navy in 1984. The ekranoplans "Eaglet", and then the "Lun" were supposed to be built in a series of up to one hundred and twenty copies, but the "Eaglets" managed to put into operation only four pieces, and the "Lun", released in 1985, remained a single model. . The perestroika that soon broke out and the subsequent collapse of the USSR buried ekranoplanes for a long time along with the Buran and many other fantastic developments of Soviet designers. But, as you know, thought is material, and the thought of a genius, like Alekseev, has the hardness of a diamond. Already today in Russia a decision has been made to re-mothball ekranoplan projects, and the “eaglets” must take to the wing again. Time will tell what will come of this.

Russian Empire → USSR USSR

Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev(December 18, Novozybkov, Chernigov province - February 9, Gorky) - Soviet shipbuilder, creator of hydrofoils, ekranoplanes and ekranoplanes. Yacht designer, prize-winner of all-Union competitions, master of sports of the USSR.

Biography

Family

Was married, daughter Tatyana, son Evgeniy.

Conflicts

• IN documentary film“Burnt wings. Betray the Designer”, the idea is expressed that the talented designer had many ill-wishers, among whom was the USSR Minister of Shipbuilding Industry B.E. Butoma (according to the film, the reason for the persecution of the inventor is that Alekseev turned to Khrushchev over the head of his superiors).
• In 1976, after an accident during testing of an ekranolet, Alekseev, by order of Butoma, was removed from all positions, and only a department of 15 people was left subordinate to him.

Awards

Memory

Filmography

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Notes

see also

Literature

• Alekseeva T. R. Wings of Alekseev: Essays. N. Novgorod, 2000.
• Alekseev R. Flight to the future / Collection of memories. comp. V. P. Isachenko. N. Novgorod: VVAGS, 2005.
• Ivanov A.V. He was ahead of his time. N. Novgorod: Quartz, 2006.
• Ivanov A. V., Loginov V. F. Shipbuilders in the fifth ocean. N. Novgorod: Quartz, 2011.
• Kachur P. Designer of winged ships / “Equipment and weapons”, No. 12 - 2006, No. 1, 2, 4, 5 - 2007.
• Matveev A. A. Service of speed. N. Novgorod, 2006.
• Karpenko V. F. Designer Alekseev. N. Novgorod: Bikar, 2010. ISBN 978-5-91723-027-6

Links

• // “Popular Mechanics”
• // “Popular Mechanics”

Excerpt characterizing Alekseev, Rostislav Evgenievich

In 12, when news of the war with Napoleon reached Bukarest (where Kutuzov lived for two months, spending days and nights with his Wallachian), Prince Andrei asked Kutuzov to transfer to the Western Army. Kutuzov, who was already tired of Bolkonsky with his activities, which served as a reproach for his idleness, Kutuzov very willingly let him go and gave him an assignment to Barclay de Tolly.
Before going to the army, which was in the Drissa camp in May, Prince Andrei stopped at Bald Mountains, which were on his very road, located three miles from the Smolensk highway. The last three years and the life of Prince Andrei there were so many upheavals, he changed his mind, experienced so much, re-saw (he traveled both west and east), that he was strangely and unexpectedly struck when entering Bald Mountains - everything was exactly the same, down to the smallest detail - exactly the same course of life. As if he were entering an enchanted, sleeping castle, he drove into the alley and into the stone gates of the Lysogorsk house. The same sedateness, the same cleanliness, the same silence were in this house, the same furniture, the same walls, the same sounds, the same smell and the same timid faces, only somewhat older. Princess Marya was still the same timid, ugly, aging girl, in fear and eternal moral suffering, living without benefit or joy best years own life. Bourienne was the same flirtatious girl, joyfully enjoying every minute of her life and filled with the most joyful hopes for herself, pleased with herself. She only became more confident, as it seemed to Prince Andrei. The teacher Desalles brought from Switzerland was dressed in a frock coat of Russian cut, distorting the language, spoke Russian with the servants, but he was still the same limitedly intelligent, educated, virtuous and pedantic teacher. The old prince changed physically only in that the lack of one tooth became noticeable on the side of his mouth; morally he was still the same as before, only with even greater embitterment and distrust of the reality of what was happening in the world. Only Nikolushka grew up, changed, became flushed, acquired curly dark hair and, without knowing it, laughing and having fun, raised the upper lip of his pretty mouth in the same way as the deceased little princess raised it. He alone did not obey the law of immutability in this enchanted, sleeping castle. But although in appearance everything remained the same, the internal relations of all these persons had changed since Prince Andrei had not seen them. The members of the family were divided into two camps, alien and hostile to each other, which now converged only in his presence, changing their usual way of life for him. To one belonged the old prince, m lle Bourienne and the architect, to the other - Princess Marya, Desalles, Nikolushka and all the nannies and mothers.
During his stay in Bald Mountains, everyone at home dined together, but everyone felt awkward, and Prince Andrei felt that he was a guest for whom they were making an exception, that he was embarrassing everyone with his presence. During lunch on the first day, Prince Andrei, involuntarily feeling this, was silent, and the old prince, noticing the unnaturalness of his state, also fell gloomily silent and now after lunch went to his room. When Prince Andrei came to him in the evening and, trying to stir him up, began to tell him about the campaign of the young Count Kamensky, the old prince unexpectedly began a conversation with him about Princess Marya, condemning her for her superstition, for her dislike for m lle Bourienne, who, according to According to him, there was one truly devoted to him.
The old prince said that if he was sick, it was only because of Princess Marya; that she deliberately torments and irritates him; that she spoils little Prince Nikolai with self-indulgence and stupid speeches. The old prince knew very well that he was torturing his daughter, that her life was very hard, but he also knew that he could not help but torment her and that she deserved it. “Why doesn’t Prince Andrei, who sees this, tell me anything about his sister? - thought the old prince. - What does he think, that I’m a villain or an old fool, I moved away from my daughter for no reason and brought the French woman closer to me? He doesn’t understand, and therefore we need to explain to him, we need him to listen,” thought the old prince. And he began to explain the reasons why he could not stand his daughter’s stupid character.
“If you ask me,” said Prince Andrey, without looking at his father (he condemned his father for the first time in his life), “I didn’t want to talk; but if you ask me, then I will tell you frankly my opinion about all this. If there are misunderstandings and discord between you and Masha, then I can’t blame her at all - I know how much she loves and respects you. If you ask me,” Prince Andrei continued, getting irritated, because he was always ready for irritation in Lately, - then I can say one thing: if there are misunderstandings, then they are caused by an insignificant woman who should not have been her sister’s friend.
At first the old man looked at his son with fixed eyes and unnaturally revealed with a smile a new tooth deficiency, which Prince Andrei could not get used to.
-What kind of girlfriend, darling? A? I've already spoken! A?
“Father, I didn’t want to be a judge,” said Prince Andrei in a bilious and harsh tone, “but you called me, and I said and will always say that Princess Marya is not to blame, but it’s the fault... this Frenchwoman is to blame...”
“And he awarded!.. he awarded!” the old man said in a quiet voice and, as it seemed to Prince Andrei, with embarrassment, but then suddenly he jumped up and shouted: “Get out, get out!” May your spirit not be here!..

Prince Andrey wanted to leave immediately, but Princess Marya begged him to stay another day. On this day, Prince Andrei did not see his father, who did not go out and did not allow anyone to see him except M lle Bourienne and Tikhon, and asked several times whether his son had left. The next day, before leaving, Prince Andrei went to see his son's half. A healthy, curly-haired boy sat on his lap. Prince Andrei began to tell him the tale of Bluebeard, but, without finishing it, he became lost in thought. He was not thinking about this pretty boy son while he was holding him on his lap, but was thinking about himself. He searched in horror and found in himself neither remorse for having irritated his father, nor regret that he (in a quarrel for the first time in his life) was leaving him. The most important thing for him was that he was looking for and did not find that former tenderness for his son, which he hoped to arouse in himself by caressing the boy and sitting him on his lap.
“Well, tell me,” said the son. Prince Andrei, without answering him, took him down from the pillars and left the room.
As soon as Prince Andrei left his daily activities, especially as soon as he entered into the previous conditions of life in which he had been even when he was happy, the melancholy of life gripped him with the same force, and he hurried to quickly get away from these memories and find something to do quickly.
– Are you going decisively, Andre? - his sister told him.
“Thank God I can go,” said Prince Andrei, “I’m very sorry that you can’t.”
- Why are you saying this! - said Princess Marya. - Why are you saying this now, when you are going to this terrible war and he is so old! M lle Bourienne said that he asked about you... - As soon as she began to talk about this, her lips trembled and tears began to fall. Prince Andrei turned away from her and began to walk around the room.
- Oh my god! My God! - he said. – And just think about what and who – what insignificance can be the cause of people’s misfortune! - he said with anger, which frightened Princess Marya.
She realized that, speaking about the people whom he called nonentities, he meant not only m lle Bourienne, who made him misfortune, but also the person who ruined his happiness.
“Andre, I ask one thing, I beg you,” she said, touching his elbow and looking at him with shining eyes through tears. – I understand you (Princess Marya lowered her eyes). Don't think that it was people who caused the grief. People are his instrument. “She looked a little higher than Prince Andrei’s head with that confident, familiar look with which they look at a familiar place in a portrait. - The grief was sent to them, not people. People are his tools, they are not to blame. If it seems to you that someone is to blame for you, forget it and forgive. We have no right to punish. And you will understand the happiness of forgiving.
– If I were a woman, I would do this, Marie. This is the virtue of a woman. But a man should not and cannot forget and forgive,” he said, and, although he had not thought about Kuragin until that moment, all the unresolved anger suddenly rose in his heart. “If Princess Marya is already trying to persuade me to forgive me, then it means I should have been punished a long time ago,” he thought. And, no longer answering Princess Marya, he now began to think about that joyful, angry moment when he would meet Kuragin, who (he knew) was in the army.
Princess Marya begged her brother to wait another day, saying that she knew how unhappy her father would be if Andrei left without making peace with him; but Prince Andrei replied that he would probably soon come back from the army again, that he would certainly write to his father, and that now the longer he stayed, the more this discord would be fueled.
– Adieu, Andre! Rappelez vous que les malheurs viennent de Dieu, et que les hommes ne sont jamais coupables, [Farewell, Andrey! Remember that misfortunes come from God and that people are never to blame.] - were last words which he heard from his sister when he said goodbye to her.
“This is how it should be! - thought Prince Andrei, driving out of the alley of the Lysogorsk house. “She, a pitiful innocent creature, is left to be devoured by a crazy old man.” The old man feels that he is to blame, but cannot change himself. My boy is growing up and enjoying a life in which he will be the same as everyone else, deceived or deceiving. I'm going to the army, why? - I don’t know myself, and I want to meet that person whom I despise, in order to give him a chance to kill me and laugh at me! And before there were all the same living conditions, but before they were all connected with each other, but now everything has fallen apart. Some senseless phenomena, without any connection, one after another presented themselves to Prince Andrei.

On December 18, 1916, the outstanding (and perhaps great) Soviet designer Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev was born.

Alekseev R.E. - chief designer of hydrofoils, ekranoplanes and ekranoplanes

In 1932, the Alekseev family moved to Gorky. Here, on the Volga, Rostislav saw one of the first sailing yachts gliding across the waves - and caught fire. He built a yacht in the attic of his house, the sail of which was painted black. Alekseev called the little boat “Pirate”.

Then there were many yachts (one more perfect than the other) made by Alekseev, and he repeatedly won regattas. One day his ship capsized, and our fellow countryman suffered facial paralysis. But that didn't stop him.

The young man wanted his ships to glide through the water even faster. In 1935 he entered the shipbuilding department of the Zhdanov Industrial Institute. Now it is Nizhny Novgorod Technical University named after Alekseev.

Exactly at student years he begins to think seriously about the speed of ships. It was a seemingly insoluble problem. All types of transport were then “accelerated”, and there was a barrier for ships - 40 km/h. After all, water resistance is 880 times greater than air resistance.

The principle of hydrofoils, discovered by Charles de Lambert back in the 1890s, came to mind.

It's simple: thanks to the high water resistance, the ship's wings can be made very short. And the effect will be the same as when an airplane takes off: most of the ship will rise above the water. Contact with water element will practically disappear, and the speed of the ship will increase significantly.

The first attempts to create a hydrofoil vessel were made back in late XIX century. In 1897, a Russian citizen living in France, Charles de Lambert, built and tested a small hydrofoil boat on the Seine. However, the power steam engine, used as an engine on this ship, was not enough to develop the speed necessary for the ship's hull to rise above the water.

The experiments of the Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini were more successful. He had been experimenting with hydrofoil models since 1898. In 1906, the full-size experimental vessel he created reached a speed of 42.5 miles per hour (68 km/h) during tests on Lake Lago Maggiore. This boat had multi-tiered wings like whatnot.

In 1941, Rostislav Alekseev defended his thesis on the topic: “Hydrofoil glider.” The State Examination Commission heard about a ship that it did not yet know world history shipbuilding. Graduate work was recognized as corresponding to the level of the candidate's dissertation. Alekseev was awarded the scientific title of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

A significant increase in the speed of water transport became possible with the advent of passenger hydrofoil ships. IN short term hydrofoils became one of the most popular types of transport in the USSR. Speed, seaworthiness, and high efficiency allowed winged ships to master waterways of communication, because the roads at that time were in very poor condition. In the summer of 1957, the motor ship "Raketa" was put into operation - the first passenger hydrofoil ship, designed and built by the team of the Central Design Bureau of the Krasnoye Sormovo plant under the leadership of engineer Rostislav Alekseev. “Raketa” made its first flight on August 25. During this flight, the distance of 420 kilometers from Gorky to Kazan was covered in seven hours. There were thirty passengers on board. Serial production of “Rockets” (projects 340, 340E, 340ME) was launched at the Feodosia shipyard “More”. From 1959 to 1976, 389 “Rockets” were built, including 32 for export. High-speed diesel engines were supplied by the Leningrad Zvezda plant. In 1957, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was amazed by the “Rocket” and uttered memorable words: “We’ve had enough of oxen swimming along the rivers! To the modern world- modern speed! By the way, only 4 years later a similar vessel was made in the USA.

The world's first hydrofoil "Raketa"

"Raketa" was intended for river high-speed passenger transportation on suburban and local lines, with a length of up to 500 km. Technical parameters of “Rocket”: length - 27 m, width - 5 m, average speed- 60 km/h, power - 850 hp, number of passengers - 64 people. There was also a fire modification “Raketa-P” with two fire nozzles and water and air-foam protection systems.

The “Rockets” reached high speeds (maximum 120 km/h) thanks to a hybrid of a ship and an airplane: they were powered by engines from bombers. It was a unique unit, super lightweight, entirely made of aluminum. True, he had a considerable appetite: fuel consumption reached 103 kg/h at cruising speed.

In 1959, the first Meteor was launched, carrying 130 people. This ship had greater seaworthiness than the Raketa.

Meteor

In 1961, ten employees led by Alekseev received the Lenin Prize for creating a new vehicle. Thus, in eight years since 1956, the Russian high-speed fleet was created.

In the early 60s of the last century, the Soviet Union had the world's largest fleet of cruise ships: more than 1000 Volga boats, hundreds of Raketa motor ships, dozens of Kometa, Meteor and Belarus motor ships were used on the waters, although all of them were popularly called “rockets” - after the name of the first-born.

The idea of ​​an ekranoplan was born by R.E. Alekseev back in the early 50s. In 1961, the first self-propelled model of the SM-1 ekranoplan was tested. After this, work began on creating an ekranoplan for the Navy and airborne troops. The first was supposed to fly at altitudes of several meters, and the second - up to an altitude of 7500 meters.

Since the idea of ​​​​building ekranoplanes caused bewilderment at the top, Alekseev began to have spiteful critics. Some of them were not shy, and wrote that Alekseev imagined himself to be a slave owner, and that he had ten apartments. As a result, in 1965, Rostislav Alekseev was removed from his post as chief designer.

Alekseev was appointed chief designer of the ekranoplane department, and on June 22, 1966, the KM ekranoplane, the largest aircraft on earth for its time, was launched. When American reconnaissance satellites discovered a ship of an unknown design in the Caspian Sea, analysis of photographs showed that it, like an airplane, was moving at high speed, while its flight passed over the water itself. The Pentagon and NASA considered it a technical gamble. Few experts said that the Soviets had created a new and very effective type of weapon - ekranoplanes.

In 1975, during one of the test flights, when a large commission headed by the Minister of Shipbuilding was on board the ekranoplan, the pilot made a mistake during landing. The car suddenly hit the wave. The bulkheads and hull burst. The chief designer took control and brought the ekranoplan to the base, located 40 kilometers away.

When the ekranoplan reached the shore, it turned out that it did not have enough stern and tail. The accident showed the survivability of the ship, but the organizational conclusions were harsh: Rostislav Alekseev, by order of the Minister of Shipbuilding Industry of the USSR, dissatisfied with the inventor, due to the fact that Alekseev had previously turned to Khrushchev, ignoring his opinion, was removed from the post of chief designer and head of the Central Design Bureau, demoted to chief department, and then to the head of the promising sector.

The 70s turned out to be especially difficult for my father, recalled his daughter Tatyana Rostislavovna. - In 1974, an accident occurred during testing in the Caspian Sea. The commission received "Eaglet". And during the transitional regime, the aft part of the ekranoplan seemed to be sucked into the water, and when the device took off, the “tail” fell off. My father immediately sat in the pilot’s seat and turned on the engines at full power, thus creating an air cushion under the wings. If he hadn’t figured out the situation so quickly, the ekranoplan could have taken too much water and sank... The aviation industry said that they give a Hero for such things, but they took it out on their father to the fullest. He was transferred to ordinary designers.

Moreover, Rostislav Evgenievich was forbidden to attend the tests of his own cars! But he still secretly flew to Kaspiysk. Fortunately, his loyal pilot Alexey Mitusov, despite possible troubles, took him on board. My father was demoted and demoted... and he acted as if nothing was happening. Many were irritated by the dignity with which he carried himself. Some stopped greeting him, and yesterday’s “friends” said: “Well, now that Alekseev is no longer here, we will design something like this!” But time passed, and no one came up with brilliant ideas. And then the same people sang something else: “What do you want from us? Alekseev is a genius, but who are we? Mere mortals...".

During these years, the disgraced designer sought distraction in nature. Alone, I walked for a long time in the forest, picking mushrooms. Contacts with people were reduced to nothing. The worst thing for him was that his brain suddenly stopped generating new ideas, Alekseev’s daughter recalled. - Apparently, I found some kind of stupor. Then he retired to the base in Chkalovsk and began painting again. And the inspiration returned! Last years During his life, my father was passionate about the development of a second-generation ekranoplan.

But when testing a model of a new passenger ekranoplane, which was supposed to be completed for the Moscow Olympics-80, Rostislav Alekseev overstrained himself during launching. In January he tested in Chkalovsk latest model ekranoplan. His assistants cleared the ice blockage and said that the model could be released. But Alekseev did not hear, and took the full weight of the 800-kilogram apparatus.

At first, the 63-year-old designer did not feel any signs of trouble, went after the tests to the Central Design Bureau, and worked the whole day. And in the evening he complained to his family about pain in his side. Alekseev was immediately admitted to hospital No. 3 on the Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankment. On February 9, 1980, the famous designer passed away.

RosthistleAv Evgenievich Alekseev lived three design lives. In the first, he created a series of hydrofoils. In the second, he worked on hovercraft. He devoted his third life to ekranoletov. All the ideas he was working on had been in the air for a long time. He was the first to translate them into real designs.

Gorky branch of the Central Clinical Hospital for the agricultural production on the Trotsa River, where R.E. worked. Alekseev, by 1980 had two tracks with powerful electric catapults, a portable catapult for water testing, wind tunnel for testing ekranoplane models, a circular hydraulic pool, a cavitation tube, several experimental installations for studying the effect of blowing, a significant fleet of powerful towing boats capable of testing models at open water with speeds up to 100-120 km/h, a stand for studying full-scale power plants, a powerful portal crane with a concrete slip with a lifting capacity of up to 50 tons, a hangar workshop, various workshops, including those for the production of towed models, an airfield with a concrete runway, And a large number of specialized laboratories. By 1980, the base was a world-class scientific complex, the best among European scientific centers.

Rostislav Alekseev did not find out what fate awaited his creation. By order of October 12, 1984, the USSR Minister of Defense ordered the adoption of ekranoplanes for service. It was planned to build two dozen Orlyonok-type vehicles and create a new landing force in the Baltic Sea. This program was supposed to be completed before the mid-90s, but this did not happen. Only four finished ekranoplanes remained in the Caspian Sea as part of the 11th separate air group.

The associates of the creator of Soviet ekranoplanes managed to develop and manufacture in 1985 the Lun combat ekranoplane, equipped with six Moskit anti-ship homing missiles. However, it never went into production, but was put into service in 2002 after a long mothballing.

Mighty "Lun"

American ekranoplan designer Stephen Hooker said: “They were 30 years ahead of us!”

Rostislav Alekseev is buried in Nizhny Novgorod.

Soviet cruise ships were successfully exported to many countries around the world, including the USA, England, Germany, France, and Italy, which did not have similar technologies. They went out of widespread use immediately after the collapse of the USSR. Some “rockets” are still used on voyages and as pleasure ships to this day. For example, in Moscow, a gradual restoration of the Rocket began in 2007, and four vessels have already started navigation in 2009.

Hydrofoils are the pride of the Soviet Union. In their production and operation he was a world leader.

In total, for the needs of the Soviet navy, three ships were built at the More Production Association in the city of Feodosia from 1981 to 1987, two of which are now part of the navy Russian Federation and one was transferred to the Ukrainian Navy, but was not officially accepted into service.

Key dates.

December 18, 1916 - in the town of Novozybkov, Bryansk region (now Oryol region), a son, Rostislav, is born into the family of an agronomist and a teacher.

Alekseev invented and built the first ekranoplan in the world. According to his design, the KM, a huge ekranoplane weighing 540 tons, was designed. The talented designer earned himself several ill-wishers over the years of his career, including statesman B. E. Butoma, and was ultimately removed from all honorary positions.

Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev was born on December 18, 1916, in the city of Novozybkov, Chernigov province, now Bryansk region. His mother was a teacher, and his father was an agronomist. Alekseev graduated from the Gorky Industrial Institute named after. Zhdanov, where he specialized in shipbuilding.

It is believed that Alekseev was the first to create a high-speed vessel using submerged hydrofoils. The most popular in high-speed shipbuilding were Raketa, Volga, Meteor, Comet and Burevestnik. These models had a passenger capacity of up to 150 people and a cruising speed of up to 54 knots (100 km/h).

Alekseev made a real revolution in shipbuilding, although he did not have the opportunity to act openly. He invented a version of the vessel with a screen effect, with an air cushion formed by injection

flow, i.e. with better aerodynamic properties. Thus, Rostislav Evgenievich achieved an optimal combination in which the weight of the aircraft could be greater, while less energy was required and fuel economy increased.

During his career, Alekseev, working for military purposes, created an ekranoplane with ten Dobrynin VD-7 turboprop engines, which the American intelligence service dubbed the "Caspian sea monster". Two engines are on the tail for additional thrust during flight, eight are on the wings. This ekranoplane, officially named "KM" ("Mock-up Ship"), was the largest heavy seaplane ever built. Its length was about 100 m and its weight was 540 tons. "KM" was used as a test board

form for studying the ground effect (screen effect).

The KM ekranoplan first took to the air in October 1966. The flight lasted about 50 minutes. at a height of four meters. A series of tests showed that to take off from water it is necessary to reach a speed of up to 350 km/h. In 1980, Alekseev’s “leviathan” crashed. The pilot sitting at the helm of the ekranoplan had not practiced for a long time, and because of this, during takeoff, the KM’s nose was raised too high. The ekranoplan went up almost vertically, which frightened the pilot, who abruptly reduced thrust. The “Caspian monster” fell onto the left wing and hit the water. There were no casualties, but due to the enormous weight, the attempt to retrieve the ekranoplane from the depths failed.

While the KM program was developing, Alekseev began work on a medium-sized ground effect vehicle - for

ribs of amphibious assault forces. The A-90 "Eaglet" transport and landing ground effect vehicle, weighing 140 tons and 58 m long, made its first flight in 1972. The A-90 model was equipped with two turbojet and one turboprop engines, which allowed it to reach speeds of up to 400 km/h with a flight range of up to 1,500 km.

After the crash of the KM ekranoplane, the military leadership used the incident as a pretext to fire Alekseev. Rostislav Evgenievich spent the rest of his days away from scientific work, concentrating mainly on sports projects. He died on February 9, 1980. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, details about Alekseev's work became known to the public and aroused interest from around the world. Currently, Alekseev is considered the father of the “screen effect device.”