Vladimir Vysotsky on the Shota Rustaveli liner. Memories of a captain

The motor ship "Shota Rustaveli" was built in 1968 at the Mathias Thesen Werft shipyard, Germany. There is a beautiful interior on board the liner: paintings, tapestries and ornaments in the Georgian style, bright, spacious cabins with showers, most of which have safes. For comfortable conditions, the vessel is equipped with stabilizers. For the relaxation of passengers on the ship, there are two swimming pools and saunas, a gym, a massage room, a sports ground on the upper deck, a cinema hall, a disco, seven bars with a menu for every taste, and one of them is a night bar, a casino, an arcade, a children's club, shops , hairdresser and medical center. The ship was built by order of the Ministry navy USSR for the Black Sea region and was considered the fourth in a series of five ships of the same type. The lead liner was the Ivan Franko, built in 1964, then the Alexander Pushkin was launched in 1965, the Taras Shevchenko in 1966, followed by the Shota Rustaveli and the series completed by the Mikhail Lermontov in 1971 .

Since July 1968, the passenger liner Shota Rustaveli began making sea cruises between the ports of Odessa and Batumi, and two months later reached the shores of Great Britain. In the port of Southampton, the ship accepted tourists on board and set off on a three-month cruise around the world. The voyage passed through the ports of Las Palmas, Sydney, Auckland, Papeete and Panama. During such a long journey, the ship left almost 26,000 nautical miles astern and crossed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Tasman and Caribbean Seas.

The passenger ship was chartered by various foreign companies: Grandi Viaggi, Italnord, Orientourist, Transtour and others. The guests of the comfortable liner were tourists from the republics Soviet Union, including prominent personalities - on August 20, 1973, Vladimir Vysotsky, Marina Vladi and her two sons, Pierre and Voldemar, traveled on the ship.

In 2002, after completing lengthy repairs in the port of Sevastopol, the ship with the new name “Assedo” (in reverse order means Odessa - the ship's home port), as the property of the company "Kaalbye Shipping Ltd Ukraine", began to make cruise voyages in the Black, Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, as well as visit the ports of Western Europe.

Soon after long passages, the technical condition of the Assedo liner deteriorated and no longer met the ever-increasing international requirements, and on November 28, 2003, the ship was sent for cutting into scrap metal in the Indian port of Alang.

The fate of other ships in the series turned out differently.

The motor ship Ivan Franko, the lead ship in a series of cruise ships after the collapse of the Soviet Union, was the first to be scrapped in 1997.

After its construction in 1965, the liner "Alexander Pushkin" made voyages on the cruise line Leningrad and Montreal, and later, after refitting in Germany, the ship began to make round-the-world sea voyages with passengers from Germany, Great Britain and France. In 1992, after a short period of inactivity in the port of Singapore, the ship was sold to Shipping & General and sent to Greece for a major refit, renamed Marco Polo. In 2000, the ship became the property of the Orient Line company.

A significant reconstruction was carried out, after which the liner found a second life. Four passenger elevators, a swimming pool, a casino, a library, bars, the famous Seven Seas restaurant with 450 seats. The Ambassador performance salon seats 438 people, and the dance salon seats 220 people. Several musical groups with musical programs are constantly present on the ship. Near the pool, in addition to saunas and jacuzzi, there is also a bar where you can relax in an informal atmosphere.

The motor ship “Taras Shevchenko”, the third ship in the series, turned out to be a long-liver among its fellows. The liner made long voyages across all seas and oceans, chartered by Transtour, STS, Intourist, Sputnik and others. Due to numerous debts for fuel, water, oil and food supplies at the ports, on January 6, 2005, it was renamed “Tara” and sent to one of the ports of Bangladesh for breaking up for scrapping.

The liner “Mikhail Lermontov”, the last ship of the series, was one of the most comfortable ships of the Baltic Shipping Company. In February 1986, the ship sank during its next voyage from Australia to the shores of New Zealand after receiving a hole off Cape Jackson. All passengers were saved.

Motor ship "Shota Rustaveli"

The motor ship "Shota Rustaveli" was built in 1968 at the Mathias Thesen Werft shipyard, Germany. There is a beautiful interior on board the liner: paintings, tapestries and ornaments in the Georgian style, bright, spacious cabins with showers, most of which have safes. For comfortable conditions, the vessel is equipped with stabilizers. For the relaxation of passengers on the ship, there are two swimming pools and saunas, a gym, a massage room, a sports ground on the upper deck, a cinema hall, a disco, seven bars with a menu for every taste, and one of them is a night bar, a casino, an arcade, a children's club, shops , hairdresser and medical center. The motor ship was built by order of the USSR Ministry of the Navy for the Black Sea region and was considered the fourth in a series of five ships of the same type. The lead liner was the Ivan Franko, built in 1964, then the Alexander Pushkin was launched in 1965, the Taras Shevchenko in 1966, followed by the Shota Rustaveli and the series completed by the Mikhail Lermontov in 1971 .

The passenger ship was chartered by various foreign companies: Grandi Viaggi, Italnord, Orientourist, Transtour and others. The guests of the comfortable liner were tourists from the republics of the Soviet Union, including prominent personalities - on August 20, 1973, Vladimir Vysotsky, Marina Vladi and her two sons, Pierre and Voldemar, traveled on the ship.

In 2002, after completing lengthy repairs in the port of Sevastopol, the ship with the new name “Assedo” (in reverse order means Odessa - the ship’s home port), as the property of the company “Kaalbye Shipping Ltd Ukraine”, began making cruise voyages in the Black, Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas , as well as visit the ports of Western Europe.

Motor ship "Shota Rustaveli" was built in 1968 at the Mathias Thesen Werft shipyard, Germany. There is a beautiful interior on board the liner: paintings, tapestries and ornaments in the Georgian style, bright, spacious cabins with showers, most of which have safes. For comfortable conditions, the vessel is equipped with stabilizers. For the relaxation of passengers on the ship, there are two swimming pools and saunas, a gym, a massage room, a sports ground on the upper deck, a cinema hall, a disco, seven bars with a menu for every taste, and one of them is a night bar, a casino, an arcade, a children's club, shops , hairdresser and medical center. Motor ship was built by order of the USSR Ministry of the Navy for the Black Sea region and was considered the fourth in a series of five ships of the same type. Was the head liner "Ivan Franko" built in 1964, then launched "Alexander Pushkin" in 1965, "Taras Shevchenko" in 1966, followed by "Shota Rustaveli" and ended the series "Mikhail Lermontov" in 1971.

motor ship "Assedo"

interior in Georgian style

on the deck of the motor ship "Assedo"

cruise ship "Assedo"

Since July 1968, passenger liner "Shota Rustaveli" began making cruise trips between the ports of Odessa and Batumi, and two months later reached the shores of Great Britain. At the port of Southampton motor ship took tourists on board and went on a three-month cruise around the world. The voyage passed through the ports of Las Palmas, Sydney, Auckland, Papeete and Panama. During such a long journey, the ship left almost 26,000 nautical miles astern and crossed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Tasman and Caribbean seas.

gym on board the ship

Passenger ship was chartered by various foreign companies: Grandi Viaggi, Italnord, Orientourist, Transtour and others. The guests of the comfortable liner were tourists from the republics of the Soviet Union, including prominent personalities - on August 20, 1973, Vladimir Vysotsky, Marina Vladi and her two sons, Pierre and Voldemar, traveled on the ship.

motor ship "Assedo" in the port of Sevastopol in 2002

In 2002, after completion of lengthy repairs in the port of Sevastopol motor ship with a new name “Assedo” (in reverse order it means Odessa is the ship’s home port), as the property of the company "Kaalbye Shipping Ltd Ukraine", began to make cruise voyages in the Black, Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, as well as visit the ports of Western Europe.

motor ship "Assedo" in the port

Soon after long transitions, the technical condition liner "Assedo" deteriorated and no longer met the ever-increasing international requirements, and on November 28, 2003, the ship was sent for cutting into scrap metal to the Indian port Alang.

The fate of other ships in the series turned out differently.

motor ship "Ivan Franko"

Motor ship "Ivan Franko" lead ship of the series cruise ships After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was the first to be scrapped in 1997.

motor ship "Alexander Pushkin"

motor ship "Alexandr Pushkin"

motor ship "Alexandr Pushkin" in the port

Liner "Alexander Pushkin" after construction in 1965, she made voyages on the Leningrad and Montreal cruise line, and later, after refitting in Germany, the ship began making round-the-world cruise voyages with passengers from Germany, Great Britain and France. In 1992, after a short period of inactivity in the port of Singapore, the ship was sold to Shipping & General and sent to Greece for a major refit, renamed Marco Polo. In 2000, the ship became the property of the Orient Line company.

cruise ship "Marco Polo"

bar on the ship "Marco Polo"

library on board the ship "Marco Polo"

A significant reconstruction was carried out, after which liner found a second life. Four passenger elevators, a swimming pool, a casino, a library, bars, the famous Seven Seas restaurant with 450 seats. The Ambassador performance salon seats 438 people, and the dance salon seats 220 people. Several musical groups with musical programs are constantly present on the ship. Near the pool, in addition to saunas and jacuzzi, there is also a bar where you can relax in an informal atmosphere.

motor ship "Taras Shevchenko"

Motor ship "Taras Shevchenko" the third ship in the series turned out to be a long-liver among its fellows. The liner made long voyages across all seas and oceans, chartered by Transtour, STS, Intourist, Sputnik and others. Due to numerous debts for fuel, water, oil and food supplies at the ports, on January 6, 2005, it was renamed “Tara” and sent to one of the ports of Bangladesh for breaking up for scrapping.

Number of passengers - 650 people;
Crew - 100 people;

Today I will talk about the legendary series of Soviet-built passenger ships - “Ivan Franko”, “Alexander Pushkin”, “Shota Rusaveli”, “Taras Shevchenko” and “Mikhail Lermontov”. These were the first Soviet modern ocean passenger liners, designed for cruises and operation on regular transoceanic passenger lines.

The ships were built at the Mathias Thesen Werft shipyard, Germany. The motor ship was built by order of the USSR Ministry of the Navy for the Black Sea region and was considered the fourth in a series of five ships of the same type. The lead liner was the Ivan Franko, built in 1964, then the Alexander Pushkin was launched in 1965, the Taras Shevchenko in 1966, followed by the Shota Rustaveli and the series completed by the Mikhail Lermontov in 1971 .

The most famous ships of the series were “Alexander Pushkin” and “Mikhail Lermontov”: they were transferred to the Baltic Shipping Company and made regular voyages on the routes Leningrad - Le Havre - Montreal and Leningrad - Le Havre - New York.

Alexander Pushkin (Marko Polo)

The liners themselves turned out to be successful. “..their overall architectural appearance gives the ships a special elegance.” Inside, they did everything they could to defeat the nosy foreigners.

There is a beautiful interior on board the liner: paintings, tapestries and ornaments in the Georgian style, bright, spacious cabins with showers, most of which have safes. For comfortable conditions, the vessel is equipped with stabilizers. For the relaxation of passengers on the ship, there are two swimming pools and saunas, a gym, a massage room, a sports ground on the upper deck, a cinema hall, a disco, seven bars with a menu for every taste, and one of them is a night bar, a casino, an arcade, a children's club, shops , hairdresser and medical center.

In the 80s, nothing could save the socialist economy, not even the currency miracles of our kings of the oceans. Due to uselessness and lack of demand, Pushkin was driven to the Far East, and when in 1988 the head of Orient Lines, Mr. Herrod, approached the management of MMF with an offer to buy Pushkin, he was greeted with champagne and warm hugs.

Western specialists in the passenger fleet considered Mr. Herrod crazy, because without red flags and exotics, the liner could be made competitive only by first investing a lot of money in it.

Which is what the capitalist and shipowner did. The modernization of the airliner cost him about 20 million dollars, and it was worth it.

"Ivan Franko"

The motor ship Ivan Franko, the lead ship of a series of cruise ships after the collapse of the Soviet Union, was the first to be scrapped in 1997. All his life he worked on the Black Sea.

"Shota Rustaveli" (ASSEDO)

Since July 1968, the passenger liner Shota Rustaveli began making cruise flights between the ports of Odessa and Batumi, and two months later reached the shores of Great Britain. In the port of Southampton, the ship accepted tourists on board and set off on a three-month cruise around the world. The voyage passed through the ports of Las Palmas, Sydney, Auckland, Papeete and Panama. During such a long journey, the ship left almost 26,000 nautical miles astern and crossed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Tasman and Caribbean seas.

The passenger ship was chartered by various foreign companies: Grandi Viaggi, Italnord, Orientourist, Transtour and others. The guests of the comfortable liner were tourists from the republics of the Soviet Union, including prominent personalities - on August 20, 1973, Vladimir Vysotsky, Marina Vladi and her two sons, Pierre and Voldemar, traveled on the ship.

"Taras Shevchenko"

Due to numerous debts for fuel, water, oil and food supplies at the ports, on January 6, 2005, it was renamed “Tara” and sent to one of the ports of Bangladesh for breaking up for scrapping.

"Mikhail Lermontov"

Technical data of the liner “Shota Rustaveli” (“Assedo”):
Length - 177 m;
Width - 23 m;
Draft - 8.2 m;
Displacement - 21275 tons;
Number of decks - 9;
The ship's power plant is two Sulzer diesel engines, type 7RD76, with a power of 21,000 hp. With.;
Speed - 20 knots;
Number of passengers - 650 people;
Crew - 100 people;

To be continued...