«Vikhr» — an experimental seagoing hydrofoil vessel of Project 330, built in 1962 as a one-of-a-kind craft at a shipbuilding plant in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod). It was developed by the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Ships named after R. E. Alexeyev Rostislav Alekseev as a seagoing version of Sputnik (ship))» — intended for coastal Black Sea routes. It never entered series production; it remained in service until 1980 and was scrapped in 1986.[1][2]
Design and Relationship to «Sputnik»
«Vikhr» was developed by Rostislav Alekseev's Gorky bureau on the same principle as the Meteor (hydrofoil))» pair: a river vessel and its seagoing counterpart were built on a shared structural foundation, with the sea variant receiving a reinforced hull, a modified foil arrangement, and seakeeping characteristics designed for open-water conditions.[1] The design predecessor of «Vikhr» was the vessel «Sputnik» (Project 329, lead vessel commissioned in 1961).[2]
Principal technical specifications: length — 47.54 m, beam — 11.4 m, hull beam — 8.97 m; draft on foils — 4.1 m, hull draft at rest — 1.5 m; displacement (light) — 88.43 t, displacement (fully loaded) — 119.83 t; speed — 34.5 knots; passenger capacity — 260 persons, crew — 9 persons. Propulsion plant — four M50-F-4 engines rated at 1,200 hp each (total output 4×1,200 hp).[1][2]
Service History
The vessel was built at the shipbuilding plant in Gorky and handed over to the operator in 1962. «Vikhr» was formally commissioned on 12 August 1962, with its maiden voyage taking place on 27 August 1962.[2] Its home port was Odessa; the vessel operated under the Black Sea Shipping Company on the routes Odessa — Kherson, Odessa — Nikolayev, Odessa — Ochakov, and Odessa — Izmail.[1][2]
In 1973, «Vikhr» was leased to another operator for service on the Caspian Sea (Astrakhan).[2] It remained in service until 1980; on 20 May 1981 the vessel was struck from the register, and in 1986 it was scrapped in Odessa at Base No. 1.[2]
Place in the History of the Hydrofoil Fleet
«Vikhr» remained the only vessel built to Project 330: craft of that size proved excessive for the hydrofoil fleet, and further development moved toward more compact designs.[1] The experience gained in its design and operation was accumulated by Gorky, which remained the principal Soviet center for the development of hydrofoil vessels.
Sources
- spkfleet.ru
- cruiseinform.ru — Sea passenger high-speed hydrofoil vessel of Project 330, «Vikhr» type: description, specifications, list of vessels, photographs