The «Volga» is a six-seat pleasure-and-utility hydrofoil boat designed in Gorky under the direction of Rostislav Alekseev (project 343). The lead boat was built in 1957, after which the craft was produced serially by several plants across the USSR and widely exported. At the 1958 Brussels World's Fair the «Volga» was awarded a gold medal. [1][2]
Concept
By the mid-1950s, Alekseev's design bureau in Gorky had worked out the hydrofoil scheme on large passenger vessels, and a small craft was the logical next step — for official trips, boating excursions, and sport. The «Volga» turned out compact: six seats, a light hull, a craft meant more for pleasure and service use than for transport. [1]
Its small size did not change the core principle: under way, the hull rose above the water on hydrofoils, drag fell sharply, and the boat moved faster than an ordinary motor launch of the same power. [1][2]
Fate
The lead boat was built in 1957, after which the «Volga» was produced serially by several plants across the country into the 1980s. The boat became one of the most recognizable Soviet craft of its class and a notable export item. [1]
The gold medal at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair cemented the Gorky school's reputation as a world leader in hydrofoil craft — that same year the Brussels Grand Prix was also awarded to the GAZ-21 «Volga» automobile, which bore the same name. [1][2]
Sources
- spkfleet.ru — The «Volga» boat (archive)
- chkalovsk-zbs.narod.ru — Vessels of R. Ye. Alekseev