Alexander Suvorov (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Aleksandr Suvorov is a Valerian Kuybyshev-type
(92-016, OL400) Soviet
/Russia
n river cruise ship
, cruising in the Volga–Don
basin. On 5 June 1983 Suvorov crashed into a girder of the Ulyanovsk
railway bridge. The catastrophe led to 177 deaths yet the ship stayed afloat, was restored and still navigates. Her home port is currently Nizhny Novgorod
.
The ship was built at Slovenské Lodenice in Komárno
, Czechoslovakia
in 1981 and was named after the Russian generalissimo
Alexander Suvorov
. Her length is 135.7 m, width 16.8 m, draft
2.9 m, and power 3x 736 kW (2208). She has three engines and four decks. Her cruising speed is 26 km/h (16.2 mph; 13.3 kn), and her passenger capacity is 400. During the 1980s Alexander Suvorov was a flagship of the Volga-Don Lines and was based at Rostov-on-Don
.
. There were 330 passengers, 30 crew and 35 service personnel aboard. It is believed that some unregistered passengers were also aboard the ship. At approximately 22:00 an auction was advertised as taking place in the cinema hall on the main deck. A TV translation was to take place at 22:45, which attracted many passengers to the main deck. The senior aide Vladimir Mitenkov and steersman Uvarov operated the ship from the deck-house, which was also on the main deck. Captain Vladimir Kleymenov was resting in his cabin. The ship was sailing at 25 km/h (15.5 mph; 12.8 kn), the maximum speed. The ship reached the sixth span of the bridge, which was lower than the main deck. At that moment a freight train
went over the bridge. Controllers at the bank had noticed that Suvorov had come to the wrong span. They sent a radio message to the ship, but there was no reply. They then launched a warning flare, but it was too late. The span cut the deck house and the cinema hall, whilst the lowest deck was undamaged. The impact damaged the bridge, derailed
some cars, and its content fell onto the ship. Suvorov continued for another 300 metres (1000 ft) after the bridge. The rescue boats reached Suvorov 40 minutes later.
Soon after the tragedy Ulyanovsk
was declared a closed city
. Volunteers became blood donors and made makeshift coffins. Most of the injured survivors had avulsed
wounds as a result of being hit by grain and coal from the train cars.
investigated the disaster.
The commission proposed four official versions:
It is also known that a switch tower at the bridge was similar to the navigation sign, marking the right span. There was a pre-existing conflict between railwaymen and sailors regarding the illumination of the bridge, but there was speculation that Aliyev protected the Soviet railways minister Beshchev and the crew of the Suvorov were accused. Nevertheless, an expert proved that Mitenkov and Uvarov, who were killed in the accident, were sober.
After the accident, Captain Kleymenov was picked up at the dam near the bridge footing. He was in swimming trunks and was distraught. As he failed to prevent the accident and had not provided a proper order, he was condemned to 10 years imprisonment, but was released six years later. He died of an infarction
in 1990.
Valerian Kuybyshev class motorship
Valerian Kuybyshev class motorship is a class of Russian river passenger ships. It is named after Valerian Kuybyshev.Four-deck cruise ships manufactured in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, 1976-1983....
(92-016, OL400) Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n river cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
, cruising in the Volga–Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
basin. On 5 June 1983 Suvorov crashed into a girder of the Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
railway bridge. The catastrophe led to 177 deaths yet the ship stayed afloat, was restored and still navigates. Her home port is currently Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
.
The ship was built at Slovenské Lodenice in Komárno
Komárno
Komárno is a town in Slovakia at the confluence of the Danube and the Váh rivers. Komárno was formed from part of a historical town in Hungary situated on both banks of the Danube. Following World War I, the border of the newly created Czechoslovakia cut the historical, unified town in half,...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1981 and was named after the Russian generalissimo
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , Count Suvorov of Rymnik, Prince in Italy, Count of the Holy Roman Empire , was the fourth and last generalissimo of the Russian Empire.One of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle along with the likes of Alexander...
. Her length is 135.7 m, width 16.8 m, draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
2.9 m, and power 3x 736 kW (2208). She has three engines and four decks. Her cruising speed is 26 km/h (16.2 mph; 13.3 kn), and her passenger capacity is 400. During the 1980s Alexander Suvorov was a flagship of the Volga-Don Lines and was based at Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
.
1983 Tragedy
On 5 June 1983 Suvorov sailed from Rostov to MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. There were 330 passengers, 30 crew and 35 service personnel aboard. It is believed that some unregistered passengers were also aboard the ship. At approximately 22:00 an auction was advertised as taking place in the cinema hall on the main deck. A TV translation was to take place at 22:45, which attracted many passengers to the main deck. The senior aide Vladimir Mitenkov and steersman Uvarov operated the ship from the deck-house, which was also on the main deck. Captain Vladimir Kleymenov was resting in his cabin. The ship was sailing at 25 km/h (15.5 mph; 12.8 kn), the maximum speed. The ship reached the sixth span of the bridge, which was lower than the main deck. At that moment a freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
went over the bridge. Controllers at the bank had noticed that Suvorov had come to the wrong span. They sent a radio message to the ship, but there was no reply. They then launched a warning flare, but it was too late. The span cut the deck house and the cinema hall, whilst the lowest deck was undamaged. The impact damaged the bridge, derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
some cars, and its content fell onto the ship. Suvorov continued for another 300 metres (1000 ft) after the bridge. The rescue boats reached Suvorov 40 minutes later.
Soon after the tragedy Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
was declared a closed city
Closed city
A closed city or closed town is a settlement with travel and residency restrictions in the Soviet Union and some of its successor countries. In modern Russia, such places are officially known as "closed administrative-territorial formations" ....
. Volunteers became blood donors and made makeshift coffins. Most of the injured survivors had avulsed
Avulsion injury
In medicine, an avulsion is an injury in which a body structure is forcibly detached. It most commonly refers to a surface trauma where all layers of the skin have been torn away, exposing the underlying structures...
wounds as a result of being hit by grain and coal from the train cars.
Investigation
Immediately after the catastrophe different versions of events circulated amongst the population, varying from the drunkenness of the crew to criminal activity. A special commission under Heydar AliyevHeydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
investigated the disaster.
The commission proposed four official versions:
- criminal negligenceCriminal negligenceIn the criminal law, criminal negligence is one of the three general classes of mens rea element required to constitute a conventional as opposed to strict liability offense. It is defined as an act that is:-Concept:...
of senior aide Mitenkov - criminal negligence of steersman Uvarov
- criminal negligence of the railwaymen, who did not set up the illumination of the bridge
- there was no illumination at the bridge
It is also known that a switch tower at the bridge was similar to the navigation sign, marking the right span. There was a pre-existing conflict between railwaymen and sailors regarding the illumination of the bridge, but there was speculation that Aliyev protected the Soviet railways minister Beshchev and the crew of the Suvorov were accused. Nevertheless, an expert proved that Mitenkov and Uvarov, who were killed in the accident, were sober.
After the accident, Captain Kleymenov was picked up at the dam near the bridge footing. He was in swimming trunks and was distraught. As he failed to prevent the accident and had not provided a proper order, he was condemned to 10 years imprisonment, but was released six years later. He died of an infarction
Infarction
In medicine, infarction refers to tissue death that is caused by a local lack of oxygen due to obstruction of the tissue's blood supply. The resulting lesion is referred to as an infarct.-Causes:...
in 1990.
See also
- Alexander Suvorov was also a Sverdlov class cruiserSverdlov class cruiserThe Sverdlov class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional cruisers built for the Soviet Navy; 13 ships were completed before Nikita Khrushchev called a halt to the programme as these ships were considered obsolescent with the advent of the guided missile...
in 1951–1990. - Bulgaria (ship)Bulgaria (ship)Bulgaria was a class 785/OL800 Russian river cruise ship which operated in the Volga-Don basin. On 10 July 2011, Bulgaria sank in the Kuybyshev Reservoir of the Volga River near Syukeyevo, Kamsko-Ustyinsky District, Tatarstan, Russia, with 201 passengers and crew aboard when sailing from the...