As it became known to “DP”, the state company together with the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg (also associated with the monopolist) have developed a concept for the selection and deployment of historical ships in the water area of the Neva. Earlier, at the same time, on the initiative of Alexei Miller, the Poltava shipyard was created in the yacht club, where the ship of the same name from the era of Peter the Great was already recreated (the replica was launched in 2018, later it is planned to moor at the 300th Anniversary Park).
And glory and porcelain
According to the idea, the sailing ship “Azov”, which is thought to be the main one in the reconstructed flotilla, will anchor at the western wing of the Admiralty. Inside will be a restaurant and the “History of the Sailing Fleet” exposition. The battleship will have a length of more than 50 meters (and about the same height together with the masts). The feat of “Azov” is associated with the victory over Turkey in the Battle of Navarino in 1827.
On the other side of the Bolshaya Neva, near the Menshikov Palace, the Vostok sloop will moor. The original 40-meter ship was built at the Okhtinskaya shipyard, where Gazprom Neft now wants to build its headquarters. The sloop went down in history in 1820, when its crew under the command of Bellingshausen discovered Antarctica. The “Vostok” will host a club and an exposition of Russian geographical discoveries, and it is also planned to use it as a “ship – the ambassador of the Russian Federation”. It is noted in the concept that the ship will be “running” (that is, it will be able to move independently).
The battleship Three Hierarchs will land in the Kronverkskiy Strait near the Trinity Bridge. On board, visitors will find an “event space for conferences”, as well as an “active 3D hall for the reconstruction of the greatest naval battles with imitation of participation.”
A little further along Petrovskaya Embankment, near the House of Warriors, a replica of the battleship “Twelve Apostles” built in 1841, which was considered the largest Russian sailing ship, will be moored. They are going to place an “interactive cultural and educational space” and a “panoramic 3D demonstration hall” inside.
Opposite the art park projected at Tuchkov Buyan at the emb. Makarova will anchor the frigate “Pallada”, also running. Both its length and height together with the masts will be about 50 meters. “Pallada” was also built at the Okhtinskaya shipyard.
On Voskresenskaya embankment, opposite the Finlyandsky railway station, a copy of the Phoenix brig (a participant in the Patriotic War) will be installed, which will also be able to move on its own. It is planned to be used for historical reconstructions. Finally, outside the center, near the Volodarsky bridge, the “Strelok” sail-screw clipper, which has made a cruise to the Far East, will anchor. It will house an exhibition hall and a collection of marine porcelain, since there is a porcelain factory nearby.
From boat to ball
All ships will be equipped with pontoons to receive excursion boats with tourists. “The schedule of movement of boats can be organized in such a way that during the excursion a tourist can disembark on any ship that interests him, spend the required amount of time on it and continue the tour on the next boat next to the schedule,” the explanatory note to the project says. It was not possible to find out promptly whether the “Aurora” will be connected to the excursion route.
Ksenia Cherepanova, press secretary of KGIOP, told DP that in December the yacht club submitted the concept to the committee. She stressed that the sites were chosen by its authors without the participation of officials. “The materials were returned to the applicant for revision with a view to their subsequent submission to the Council for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage under the Government of St. Petersburg,” said Cherepanova. KGIOP recommended to work out the historical relationship of the places of accommodation and ships, as well as to remove as much as possible from the historical center “the largest frigate” (she did not explain which one was meant).
According to sources, to implement the project, it will be necessary to adjust the protection zones of the historical center by making amendments to the city law.
No place for hierarchs
“The idea is good, but it will be very difficult to implement it in a year or two, or even three,” – Vladimir Rodionov, president of the Petersburg Passenger Ship Owners Association, commented to DP.
In his opinion, the plan is not sufficiently thought out from the point of view of the safety of navigation and the observance of the interests of the participants of the passenger transportation market. So, in the Kronverkskiy Strait there is a shoal, and passing ships are pressed against the right bank – just to the place where the “Three Hierarchs” are going to be put. Taking into account the pontoons that they intend to place on the outside of the sailing ship to receive boats with tourists, we can say that this ship will definitely not stand there.
In addition, of the seven ships, four have no free slopes. This means that for access from the shore, those that have already been leased or are included in the system of city berths will be used. So, descent near “Pallada” on the emb. Makarova, 20/17, was leased by Neva Travel Company, and the berth closest to Vostok at 13 Universitetskaya Embankment belongs to the White Nights shipping company. “Naturally, if they want to oust these companies, it will cause some kind of negative. But the project with sailing ships will not take away the passenger traffic, but will only add,” says Rodionov.
