The oldest ship of the Russian Navy. The world's oldest intact Greek ship was found in the Black Sea Old ships

Archaeologists found an ancient ship at the bottom of the Black Sea. Presumably, the ancient Greek ship was found at a depth of just over a mile. There is little oxygen here, so the ship is well preserved. The rudders, mast and benches for rowers survived.

Small fragments of the find have been sent to the University of Southampton for analysis. The research team plans to leave the vessel in the same place on the seabed off the coast of Bulgaria where it was discovered.

Over the course of three years, an international group of scientists studying changes in sea level during the prehistoric period in the Black Sea made more than six dozen finds. Archaeologists will show a two-hour film about their work at the British Museum.

Today in the Times

Remains of the world's oldest shipwreck discovered in the Black Sea

Time Traveling Odysseus Found

Ben WEBSTER.

The world's oldest intact shipwreck, complete with mast, rudders and benches for rowers, was found at the bottom of the Black Sea, where it lay for more than 2,400 years.

The 23-metre merchant ship was discovered lying on its side using a remote-controlled submarine. British scientists from the Black Sea Maritime Archaeological Project, who discovered the shipwreck, say its location - about 50 miles off the Bulgarian coast - showed how far from shore ancient Greek traders ventured.

It also showed the accuracy of the Siren Artist (the name given to an ancient Greek artist living in Attica who decorated but did not sign the so-called red and black vases. His real name is unknown, as is the date of his birth and death. - Note aprosh), who painted wine vessels: in the one now in the British Museum, Odysseus is tied to the mast of a surprisingly similar ship.

The rowers' benches lying on the wreckage are also similar to those on which the sailors of Odysseus sat, plugging their ears with wax so as not to hear the sweet-voiced sirens - demonic half-women, half-birds who lured them to the rocky shore of the island.

“No one could say how accurate the image on the vase with the sirens was and whether the artist painted what he imagined or what he saw"said John Adams, professor of archeology at the University of Southampton and chief scientist on the team that found the wreck. — Now we see archaeological evidence confirming that the ship on the vase is very close in detail, right down to the shape of the rudder, to the original. The artist was probably familiar with ships.".

He explained that the lack of oxygen in the Black Sea deeper than 490 feet (150 meters) ensured the safety of wooden shipwrecks, whereas in other seas they would have long been consumed by marine organisms.

The ship on the Vase with Sirens resembles a ship that crashed in the Black Sea.

“We have very few parts of ships of this age, and certainly nothing like this remains from the ancient Greek world.”, he added.

The scientist said that the ships, designed to be both oared and sailed, were mainly used for trade, but sailors could also participate in “small raids” on the coastal settlements of the Black Sea.

The ship was probably based in one of the ancient Greek settlements on the coast of modern Bulgaria. Professor Adams said the location of the shipwreck, located 50 miles from land, showed that “ancient sailors did not huddle close to the shore, timidly moving from port to port, but setting sail on the open sea”.

The ship found is one of 67 shipwrecks discovered over the past three years as part of a project involving remotely operated submarines operating on vessels commonly used in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Other shipwrecks found include a Roman merchant ship from 200 BC, on which the team managed to restore a broken amphora. They also discovered 1,200-year-old shipwrecks from the Byzantine Empire, a medieval Italian ship and several from the Ottoman Empire from the 16th to 18th centuries.

“These sunken ships indicate that all the settlements around the Black Sea were connected by intense maritime traffic from the earliest times.”, - emphasized Professor Adams. He added that even older shipwrecks will be discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea, since less than 5 percent of the area most used by ancient ships has been examined so far.

It is not yet known whether the ancient Greek ship was carrying any cargo, because the interior is covered in silt, which scientists hope to remove if funding for the next expedition can be found.

The project, funded by Julia and Hans Rausing-Trust, is not designed to find shipwrecks, but to map the ancient landscape of the Black Sea, which was inundated for thousands of years by rising waters created by melting ice after the end of the last ice age.

Our wattle was lucky. It is almost three-quarters covered with water - the cradle of all life. All the inhabitants of the Earth, one way or another, once emerged from the primeval ocean or remained there. But land people had to find ways to navigate the unfriendly elements. This is how boats, ships and vessels appeared. The first attempts to create something capable of moving on water date back to cave times. Therefore, information about prehistoric ships has reached us in the form of rock paintings. But later designs survived in material form.

The oldest ship found is most often called the ship that is now kept in the Kyrenia fortress-museum. Several halls are allocated for this exhibition. They display the skeleton of the ship itself, the utensils and goods found on it.

Archaeologists claim that the ship dates back to the legendary times of the reign of Alexander the Great, i.e. 300 BC. A small merchant ship was carrying amphorae of wine, almonds and other valuable goods when they were attacked by pirates. The ship was robbed, taking everything more or less valuable and the ship's cash register, and sank.

The ship had lain underwater for more than two thousand years when a diver accidentally stumbled upon it in 1968. Archaeologists, with all possible precautions, removed its skeleton from under the water and moved it to the museum to the delight of spectators.

The age of the ancient ship from Kyrenia is considered confirmed, which allowed us to place it in first place in our ranking. But there are many older ships that are still undergoing examination. For example, quite recently, archaeologists from the Turkish city of Ankara discovered a ship, the age of which is still only approximately dated - about 4000 years.

For now, the historical relic still lies at the bottom of the sea, near the ancient port. It may take several years to rise, because its parts need to be protected from destruction, carefully disassembled and returned to land. The work doesn't end there. Each board must be cleaned of salt and soaked in special solutions to stop rotting. After proper treatment, the ancient ship, of course, will not float, but it will stand in the museum for many years.

This is the simple name of one of the oldest ships. This is the oldest clipper ship that has survived to this day relatively unharmed. It was launched in 1864 and served faithfully for many years, transporting emigrants from England to Australia. It is believed that about 70% of the current population of Australia are descendants of people who arrived on this ship. True, then it was called “City of Adelaide”. But what does this change?

For a long time it served as a floating hospital, then became a training ship. And recently it was decided to transfer it to Australia, for which this ship is a most valuable relic. It was towed to the coast of the Green Continent, where after reconstruction and restoration it will become a floating museum, a symbol of the most important era for the state.

This is simply a unique exhibit - the oldest sailing ship. It has survived unchanged to this day. And although the ship has been permanently laid up in recent years, formally it is still part of the American combat fleet.

You can make films about the adventures of this ship. It was launched in 1797 and took part in several wars, where it performed admirably. Its body is made of especially strong Virginia oak, thanks to which cannonballs simply bounced off it. For this he received the nickname "Iron-sided Old Man."

The year 1830 almost became fatal for him. A ship of that age was already considered junk and was destined for scrapping, but fate intervened. A poem dedicated to the ship was published, which stirred up the public. People demanded that the ship be preserved for history.

Now the Ironside Old Man stands at the pier in Boston and receives up to half a million tourists annually. Not surprising, because it closes the famous tourist Freedom Trail. This ship is a real historical relic, but it needs constant care from people. Without it, the ship will die in less than a year, simply from rot.

The American Constitution is the oldest sailing ship that is formally in service. But in Russia there is a ship that is actually part of the military fleet, is on the move and performs its functions. This is the submarine rescuer Kommun.

It was launched back in 1913. Then it was called Volkhov. The ship received its current name in 1922. His list of achievements includes many rescued submarines and participation in World War II. Later it was modernized and equipped with an underwater robot.

Recently, the Commune celebrated a unique anniversary - a century since the launch of the ship. Few ships cross such a line, and only a few at this age are able to perform their functions. This ship is one of them. Moreover, this is the oldest ship not only in the Russian Navy, but also in the world.

The British plan was deliberately simple. They divided the fleet into two squadrons. One was commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson, who intended to break the enemy's chain and destroy the ships in the vanguard and in the center, and the second squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, was to attack the enemy from the rear.

At 06:00 on 21 October 1805, the British fleet formed into two lines. The flagship of the first line, consisting of 15 ships, was the battleship Royal Sovereign, on which Rear Admiral Collingwood sailed. The second line, under the command of Admiral Nelson, consisted of 12 ships, and the flagship was the battleship HMS Victory. The wooden decks were sprinkled with sand, which protected against fire and absorbed blood. Having removed everything unnecessary that could interfere, the sailors prepared for battle.

At 08:00, Admiral Villeneuve gave the order to change course and return to Cadiz. Such a maneuver before the start of a naval battle upset the battle formation. The French-Spanish fleet, which was a crescent-shaped formation curved to the right towards the mainland, began to turn around chaotically. Dangerous gaps in the distance appeared in the formation of ships, and some ships, in order to avoid colliding with their neighbors, were forced to “fall out” of formation. Admiral Nelson, meanwhile, was approaching. He intended to break the line before the French sailing ships approached Cadiz. And he succeeded. A great naval battle began. Cannonballs flew, masts began to break and fall, people were dying, the wounded were screaming. It was complete hell.

In a number of battles in which the British were victorious, the French took a defensive position. They sought to limit the damage and increase the chances of retreat. This French position resulted in flawed military tactics. For example, gun crews were ordered to aim at masts and rigging to deny the enemy the opportunity to pursue French ships if they retreated. The British always aimed at the hull of a ship to kill or maim the enemy crew. In the tactics of naval combat, longitudinal shelling of enemy ships was considered the most effective, with the shelling being conducted at the stern. In this case, with an accurate hit, the cannonballs rushed from stern to bow, causing incredible damage to the ship along its entire length. During the Battle of Trafalgar, the French flagship Bucentaure was hit by such shelling, which lowered its flag and Villeneuve surrendered. During the battle, it was not always possible to perform the complex maneuver necessary for a longitudinal attack on the ship. Sometimes the ships stood alongside each other and opened fire from a short distance. If the ship's crew survived the terrible shelling, then hand-to-hand combat awaited them. Opponents often sought to capture each other's ships.

How many years do ships last? The exact answer to this question most likely will not be found in textbooks on maritime affairs. Then you can try to find the oldest operating ship in the fleet.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol, includes the oldest vessel of the Russian Navy - the rescue catamaran ship "Kommuna", which has been in service for 99 years.

1. The rescue catamaran ship “Kommuna” is the oldest ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. November 12, 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the ship's keel.

2. The project of the first specialized double-hull submarine rescue vessel in the country was developed back in 1911 by order of the Naval General Staff. The German rescue catamaran Vulcan was used as a prototype. The original name of the court was “Volkhov”, and the name “Commune” was received in 1922.

3. “Commune” has a displacement of 3100 tons, its length is 81 m, its width is 13.2 m, and its draft is 3.7 m.
The full speed is 8.5 knots, and the cruising range is 4000 miles.
There are no weapons. Specialist. equipment: ship lifting equipment – ​​left hull for 80 tons, right hull for 30 tons. Crew: 23 people.
It is worth noting that the ship’s hull is made of Putilov steel and is, of course, not in perfect, but in quite working condition. The ship is constantly undergoing routine repairs, because, of course, even by human standards, it is no longer even at pre-retirement age, but at deep retirement age.

4. Let’s go up the stairs to the “Commune” to get to know the veteran better.

5. A plaque with a brief history of the ship..

6. There is another sign in the wardroom. It was minted in the year the ship was launched - in 1915.
It is interesting that (and this is noticeable from the plaque) the coat of arms of the Putilov plant was changed much later.

7. “Commune” is a catamaran-type vessel, with a movable platform with a descent module moving between its sides.
It is driven by four cable drives located in pairs on the sides of the vessel in the front and rear parts.

8. View of the platform from the upper truss

9. Huge drums with cables allow the descent vehicle to be immersed to a depth of up to 1 kilometer

10. Drive cables for the platform of the descent underwater vehicle

11. The main object of the “Commune” is a working remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicle RTNPA. Allows you to work at depths of up to 1 km (limited by the length of the cable). Designed for searching and detecting underwater objects using sonars, lifting loads up to 150 kg, cutting cables, etc.

12. RTNPA is equipped with 4 video cameras, as well as a pair of manipulators. Replaceable manipulators are designed for various purposes - capturing an object, installing a radio beacon, grabbing a cable, biting or cutting.
The device is equipped with 10 engines, allowing for exceptional maneuverability of the device.

13. A manipulator with a cutting disc, allowing cutting of metal and cables at depths of up to 1 km

14. Yellow capsules contain all electronic systems. When diving, all the air is forcibly pumped out of there. This ensures complete sealing of the capsules due to compression by water pressure

15. Control bridge of the descent underwater vehicle. Equipment and equipment produced in Norway

16. The ship's navigation bridge.

17. The steering wheel and some elements have been preserved since the date the ship was launched - since 1915

20. The ship “Kommuna” is based in Streletskaya Bay of Sevastopol on leased berths of the Ukrainian Navy. Here the warships of Russia and Ukraine stand side by side

21. Spotlight on the upper bridge

23. Spare screws

24. Anchor chain length indicators

25. The chain goes into the sea...

26. Engine room. Two six-cylinder diesel engines from the Riga plant "Felzer" with a power of 600 hp each were initially installed as the main engines on the "Commune". (310 rpm). Subsequently, they were replaced by diesel engines with similar characteristics from the Kolomna Plant.

27. Emergency sound system in case of emergency

29. There is also F...

30. Galley sign

31. The team will have lunch soon

32. Piano in the officer's wardroom. It was installed during the construction of the ship. At present it is not possible to remove it due to the difference in dimensions and doorways

33. Heading indicator

34. In some places on the “Commune” there are still pre-revolutionary signs

35. Voltmeters

36. Storm ladder

37. On Russian Fleet Day, which will be celebrated on July 29, 2012, the ship will perform the task of escorting Neptune. In this regard, the team is painting lifeboats for the parade in honor of the holiday

38. The rescue ship was first used for its intended purpose in the summer of 1917, when the submarine AG-15 sank with its hatch open in the Åland skerries during a training dive. Despite the fact that the rescue work was hampered by a strong storm, on June 16 (29) at 00:50, the boat was raised by the Volkhov guineas. The crew of the “rescuer” repaired the boat within a month, and it was put back into operation. On September 24 (October 7), 1917, the Volkhov rescue ship successfully raised the Unicorn submarine, which sank during a navigation accident, from a depth of 13.5 meters.

39. From May 15 to September 13, 1928, “Commune” carried out work to raise the English submarine L-55, sunk on June 4, 1919 in the Koporskaya Bay of the Gulf of Finland. The boat was raised to the surface from a depth of 62 meters using a stepwise method on July 21, 1928. And again everyday work: raising the sunken marine border guard boat and tugboat KP-7, ensuring testing of new submarines and repairing the ships of the Baltic Fleet. "Commune" raised the submarines "Bolshevik", M-90, a torpedo boat and a crashed plane from the depths...

40. Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rescue ship "Commune" is based in Leningrad. Since March 1942, 32 Commune divers have been working on the Ladoga Road of Life. Part of the crew participated in landing operations on the Neva (and this was with a 40% shortage). During this time, the sailors of the “Commune” raised four KV tanks, two tractors and 31 cars from the bottom. "Kommunartsy" trained 159 light divers for the fleet, repaired six M-type submarines. Despite the difficult situation at the front, rescuers raised the sunken ones from the water: submarine Shch-411, tug "Austra", schooners "Trud", "Vodoley-2", the floating base of the OVR "TsO "Pravda", two "pike" and several "small hunters" were docked...

41. In 1944, “Commune” raised 14 sunken objects with a total displacement of 11,767 tons, and provided assistance to 34 emergency ships and vessels. The entire crew of the ship was awarded medals “For the Defense of Leningrad.”
Only in 1954 was the veteran ship able to undergo a major overhaul, during which the main diesel engines were replaced with Dutch-made engines. At the end of November 1956, the catamaran again took up combat duty: the M-200 submarine, rammed by a destroyer, was lifted from a depth of 45 meters. In October 1957, the submarine M-256 was raised from a depth of 73 meters, and in August 1959, a torpedo boat that sank at a depth of 22 meters was raised. In total, during its service, the Commune provided assistance to more than a hundred ships and submarines.

42. In 1967, the veteran ship successfully made an inter-base transition from the Baltic to the Black Sea, arriving safely in Sevastopol, circumnavigating Europe. In Sevastopol, at the Sevmorzavod, the Kommuna was converted into a carrier vessel for deep-sea vehicles. The re-equipment project was completed by the end of 1969 at the Sevastopol Central Design Bureau "Chernomorets". By the time work at the SMZ was completed (April 27, 1973), the cost of work to re-equip the vessel amounted to about 11 million rubles

At the moment, the rescue ship "Komunna" has undergone dock repairs, and, despite its age, is actively participating in various activities of the fleet's emergency rescue service with access to the sea.

An amazing find that amazed the world: archaeologists discovered a 23-meter ship that had lain on the bottom of the Black Sea for more than 2,400 years. What does this untouched Greek ship hide? Why is its appearance so well preserved after 24 centuries?

Unique relic

A 23-meter ship, believed to be ancient Greek, was discovered at the bottom of the Black Sea after it crashed more than two thousand years ago. The mast, rudder and rowing benches of the vessel are in excellent condition. Thanks to the lack of oxygen at depth, the appearance of the old ship was preserved.

Professor John Adams from the English University of Southampton is surprised, because the ship lay at a depth of more than 2 kilometers, but was perfectly preserved. According to him, this find will now radically change our understanding of shipbuilding and navigation in the ancient world.

It is believed that this ship was a merchant ship. The British Museum has an exhibit “The Siren Vase”, made from ancient Greek ceramics, which depicts a similar vessel. By the way, this work dates back to approximately the same period as the archaeological find. The vase depicts the story of how Odysseus's ship plowed the sea, which was filled with sirens. According to legend, the hero Homer attacked the mast to oppose their songs.

Unexpected finds

The ship was one of at least 60 shipwrecks found by an international team of maritime archaeologists and surveyors. For three years, scientists have been exploring the bottom of the Black Sea to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of prehistoric changes in water levels.

Research has proven that the Greek ship is the oldest and best preserved of all the finds. Previously, a Cossack raider fleet of the 17th century, Roman merchant ships complete with amphorae, had already been discovered. To determine the age, divers recovered a small piece of solidified carbon from the ship.