Alekseyev Rostislav Yevgenyevich (18 December 1916 — 1980) was a shipbuilder, designer of hydrofoil vessels and ekranoplans, Doctor of Technical Sciences, laureate of the Lenin Prize and two State Prizes (one awarded posthumously in 1984), Honored Inventor of the RSFSR, and Chief Designer of the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Ships named after R. E. Alexeyev. He was born in the city of Novozybkov, Bryansk Region [1].
Education and Early Career
In 1941 he graduated from the shipbuilding faculty of the Gorky Industrial Institute named after Zhdanov — now the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University n.a. R.E. Alekseev — and was assigned to the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant plant, where he began working that same year.
From 1942 onwards he conducted research and testing in the field of hydrofoil vessels. Under his leadership a motorboat was built that achieved a speed of 87 km/h during 1945 trials. In 1950, serial production began of hydrofoil torpedo boats developed under his guidance, and in 1951 he was awarded the Stalin (State) Prize for his contributions to shipbuilding.
From Sailing Yachts to Hydrofoils
Alekseyev's interest in speed on water arose long before his engineering career: from 1936 to 1953 he competed in sailing races, taking first place nine times and second place three times [1].
It was precisely his dissatisfaction with the speed of sailing vessels that led him, in 1938, to the idea of using hydrofoils. When the first hydrofoil craft, the Raketa (hydrofoil), took to the Volga in 1957, it became clear that a turning point had occurred in Soviet shipbuilding. Alekseyev was the first to formulate the fundamental principles of designing high-speed vessels of various types, principles that subsequently underpinned both naval hydrofoil warships and high-speed passenger fleets [1].
Alekseyev's colleagues never specifically put him forward as a leader — he became one by default, owing to his professional qualities.
High-Speed Passenger Fleet
In January 1955 Alekseyev was appointed head of the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Vessels. From the 1950s onwards he led efforts to build a domestic high-speed passenger fleet: in 1957 the Raketa made its first passenger voyage to Kazan, and in the 1960s the Meteor (hydrofoil), the Sputnik (ship), the Vikhr, the Kometa (ship), and the Voskhod (ship) followed.
The first captain of the Raketa was Viktor Grigoryevich Poluyektov: he accepted new vessels from the factory, commissioned them into service, and operated the Meteors, the Sputnik, and the Burevestnik [1].
For the creation of hydrofoil vessels, Alekseyev was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1962; that same year he was granted the academic degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences and conferred the title of Honored Inventor of the RSFSR.
Ekranoplans
Alekseyev was led to ekranoplans through his work on cavitation — the formation of voids on the foils of high-speed vessels. As early as 1947 he arrived at the idea of lifting a high-speed vessel's hull out of the water and placing it in a less dense medium — air — while retaining the foils. This idea was the starting point for all his subsequent projects [1].
In 1961 the first self-propelled ekranoplan model was built, and Alekseyev used it to persuade the industry and national leadership of the direction's potential [1]. Under his leadership the KM, the Orlyonok (ekranoplan), the Lun, the Volga-2 (ekranoplan), and other craft were built; several such vehicles were constructed for the naval fleet.
Experimental Facilities
A distinctive feature of Alekseyev's work was the creation of his own research and testing infrastructure. Within a comparatively short period, based on special government resolutions, a scientific-industrial complex was established [1]:
- a design experimental division and prototype production facility — the Volga plant;
- a branch on the Gorky Reservoir in the vicinity of Chkalovsk;
- a testing station on warm water in Balakhna;
- a branch for ekranoplan testing in Kaspiysk and a testing range on Chechen Island in the Caspian Sea;
- a hydrodynamic basin, wind tunnels and tracks, research laboratories, and engine and structural test rigs.
The Team
In certain years the number of people working in this complex reached nearly five thousand. Alekseyev knew many of the bureau's staff personally and promoted them based on individual qualities [1].
Among those who stood with him at the origins of Soviet high-speed shipbuilding were L. S. Popov, B. A. Zobnin, N. A. Zaytsev, I. M. Shalkin, and I. I. Yerlykin. Significant contributions to the creation of hydrofoil vessels and ekranoplans were made by designer V. P. Yefremov, chief designers V. V. Sokolov, V. N. Kirillovykh, and B. F. Orlov, and chief engineer V. A. Markov [1].
Testing of new equipment — work that frequently involved risk to life — was carried out mainly by former pilots: head of the testing service A. M. Petrov, later V. S. Abrazheyev, and test operators V. F. Loginov, A. I. Mitusov, V. F. Troshin, and I. G. Dobrovolsky [1].
Recognition and Legacy
In 1963 Alekseyev was elected a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. He was awarded the Orders of the October Revolution and the Red Banner of Labour, ministerial commendations, and jubilee medals. In 1984 he was posthumously awarded the State Prize for his contributions to shipbuilding.
In 2007 his name was given to the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University. Alekseyev's name is also borne by a square in Sormovo (disambiguation) and by the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Vessels; a monument to him stands in the center of Sormovo.
Sources
- biblmr.r52.ru — Krasny Sormovich — Personality in History: on the 105th anniversary of the Chief Designer