Leninsky Komsomol class of cargo ships

Soviet merchant ship Leninsky Komsomol, the first of the Leninsky Komsomol class, was equipped with cargo derricks and 2 heavy-lift derricks. Photo c1960.

Parizhskaya Kommuna, the last ship of Leninsky Komsomol class, was equipped with cargo cranes and 2 heavy-lift derricks.

Leninsky Komsomol and sometimes Leninskiy Komsomol or Leninskij Komsomol (Russian: Ленинский Комсомол) is a class of 25 ocean-going dry cargo sister ships; tweendeckers with turbine main engines, that were built between 1959 and 1968 in the USSR as Project 567 and 567K.^[1] The series was built at the Kherson Shipyard (20 ships) and at the Nikolayev Shipyard (or Nosenko Shipyard in Nikolayev) (5 ships) as per program for modernization of the Soviet Union merchant fleet. Nikolayev Shipyard was renamed later as Black Sea Shipyard.

• Leninsky Komsomol - it is usually and from beginning name of this class and first vessel of this class translated on English. It is register English name of first vessel in this class.
• Leninskiy Komsomol - it is other Soviet river vessel name translated on English. On Russian names of both vessels (sea and river vessels) equally. Sometimes this English name used in press or literatur. It is register English name of river vessel.
• Leninskij Komsomol - sometimes used this name as some persons translate Russian name on English like this.

The Leninsky Komsomol class ships were the first merchant vessels turbine-runners (with turbine engine) in the USSR.

This series of sister ships was named after the first ship in this class - turbo-runner Leninsky Komsomol. This first vessel was laid on 25 September 1957 and was handed over for Black Sea Shipping Company merchant fleet operation on 23 December 1959. The last ship in this class was named Parizhskaya Communa (Russian: Парижская Коммуна) which was taken into operation on 17 December 1968.

This class of vessels was excellent for transatlantic traffic. Very good speed, maneuverability and seaworthiness forced to draw the attention of foreign experts in the design of this type of vessels.^[2]

This is the third class in Black Sea Shipping Company as per number of ships that were operated during the Soviet era. And the last in this class vessel Parizhskaya Communa was the first ship of the Soviet merchant fleet with controllable pitch propeller and the around the World largest ship with gas-turbine main engine at the time of her launching.

History

Soviet tweendecker Metallurg Anosov with deck cargo of eight missile transporters with canvas-covered missiles, departs Cuba on November 7, 1962.

A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3A-20-LO Orion (BuNo 150497) of Patrol Squadron VP-44 flies over the Soviet ship Metallurg Anosov and destroyer USS Barry (DD-933) during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Photo taken 10 November 1962.

Metallurg Anosov, some crewmembers of this ship and their families in Odessa port after the vessel's voyage Nakhodka-Japan-Sydney. May or summer, 1964.

U.S. Navy patrol aircraft flies over the stern of Soviet turbine-runner Metallurg Anosov. On the approaches to Cuba. At the stern, A boat for overboard works installed on the stern.

Metallurg Anosov during the cargo operations at Cuba. Photo between June 1964 and September 1967.

Soviet merchant ship Ravenstvo at anchor in July, 1979.

Project 567 was developed at the Central Design Bureau Chernomorsudoproekt (CDB ChSP) in Nikolayev. Major designers: Bohonevich K.I., Sidorov B.K. and Sibir' F.V.
Ships of this class have been designed for use:

1. as the merchant ships during the peaceful time;
2. as "blockade runners" in case of any blockade of friendly states;
3. as fast troop transports after their mobilization, arms and inclusion in the Soviet Navy military transports group in case of war.

Ships in Leninsky Komsomol class was not an accidental episode in the development of Soviet shipbuilding. History of dual-purpose ships in Russia begins in the age of sailing ships and paddle steamer fleet. Russia's defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856 and the prohibition for Russia to contain Navy fleet in the Black Sea as per the terms of the Paris Congress of 1856. It is led to the expansion of the practice to built merchant ships with enhanced strength and speed that run under the pennants of Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company (ROPIT) Voluntary Fleet (Dobroflot), and other shipping companies of the Russian Empire during the peaceful time. This situation allows to mobilize quickly about 200 merchant ships for Russian Imperial Navy after the First World War in the Black Sea only.^[3]

During the Soviet Union historical period and shorter time Soviet shipbuilders mastered successfully the construction of several types of high-speed (for that time) ocean-going cargo ships dual-purpose-use and started their mass production. Leninsky Komsomol class of turbine-runners with deadweight of 16 thousand tons, with six holds and six tweendecks, with cabins for one or two crewmembers each was built in Nikolayev and Kherson.^[3]

The construction of new dry cargo ship's class Leninsky Komsomol on the motherland shipyards in Nikolayev and Kherson demonstrates mastery of the Soviet Black Sea shipbuilders and the increased level of the shipbuilding industry in the Soviet Union. This new ships operated mainly in the Black Sea Shipping Company, home port of Odessa.^[3] The Black Sea Shipping Company included 270 ocean-going ships about on beginning of 1980-ies and was considered the largest around the World shipping company as per number of vessels due to serial and mass construction of ships in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ships in Leninsky Komsomol class were used as a "blockade runners" to break the Cuba blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis including "Operation Anadyr".^[4] 57 ships of the Black Sea Shipping Company were involved in breaking the blockade. And from Leningrad, the Rissian North, Riga and the Far Eastern Shipping Companies participated 34 vessel.^[5] After the ships of Leninsky Komsomol class were used to carry out military cargo to Angola, Vietnam and other countries in the military conflicts zone during the Cold War.

Usually a class of sister ships called by the name of the first lunched and delivered vessel in this class. The first launched and delivered ship received name Leninsky Komsomol. No doubt that the first ship in this class received name Leninsky Komsomol due to the KGB USSR had interest in building similar ships and the KGB USSR was led consistently by former Komsomol leaders Shelepin А.Н. and Semichastny V.E. (See the article Shelepintsy - the former Komsomol workers working in KGB USSR and the CPSU Semichastny V.E., Mesyatsev N.N. and others.).

Тhree vessels in Leninsky Komsomol class were transferred to the Soviet Union Navy for use as a large dry cargo transports in 1985-1986. One of these ships Ravenstvo was trasfered to the Soviet Navy in 1985. And two more Akademik Szymanski and Leninsky Pioner were trasfered to the Soviet Navy in 1986.

Ship's particulars.^[1]

Project 567 was developed at the Central Design Bureau Chernomorsudoproekt (CDB ChSP) in Nikolayev.
Major designers:

• Bohonevich K.I. (until 1956)
• Sidorov B.K. (1956–1961)
• Sibir' F.V. (from 1961)

The ships of this class was built on the Kherson Shipyard (20 ships) and on the Nikolayev Shipyard (or Nosenko Shipyard in Nikolayev) (5 ships) as per program for modernization of the Soviet Union merchant fleet. Nikolayev Shipyard was renamed later as Black Sea Shipyard.
The first ship laid on in 1957 and was built and handed over in December 1959. The last ship was built and handed over in 1968.
Тotal 25 vessels of were built, of which 20 - in Kherson, 5 - in Nikolaev.

Outwardly the Leninsky Komsomol class ships with cargo derricks are similar to the ships US "Mariner class", - three structures (long forecastle, accommodation superstructure at the middle and aftcastle), the Engine Room at the middle, sloping nose, cruising (round) stern. The Leninsky Komsomol class ships had the same length about and less width.^[6]

All ships worked in the Black Sea Shipping Company under the Ministry of Merchant Marine Fleet in USSR. Three ships of this series were transferred to the USSR Navy in 1985-1986 to use as a large dry cargo transports.

Ship Type: multipurpose tweendecker, dry cargo freighter
As per engine type: steam-turbine far all sister ships except gas-turbine for Parizhskaya Communa.
Structural type: two decks (tweendecker), three structures (long forecastle, accommodation superstructure at the middle and aftcastle), the Engine Room at the middle, sloping nose and cruising (round) stern.
Purpose: carriage of general and grain cargoes.

Navigation area: unlimited.
Cruising range: 12 000 miles

Displacement: 2225 т (first ship in this series)^[7]
Gross tonnage: 11 926 mt
Deadweight: 16 185 mt
Gross registered tonnage (GRT) - 13 270 register tones
Net registered tonnage (NRT) - 6 866 register tones

Hull

Length overall: 169.9 to 179 m
Width: 21.8 to 22.6 m
Moulded depth amidships: from 12.9 to 16 m
Draft: from 9.73 m to 12 m about

Dimensions (length, width, depth, draft, e.t.c.) and tonnage (capacity, deadweight, GRT and NRT) of this sister ships had small difference (so length was between 169 to 179 m) but the shape of the hull and the proportions were the same.

New hull with improved shapes had been developed for ships in Leninsky Komsomol class. It should be noted that the hulls of this merchant ships had successful design and shapes and the same forms of hull was used for the construction of the next series of merchant ships in the USSR in future. That were merchant ships of series Slavyansk, Kapitany - the superstructure was moved more to stern, number of hold designed 5 due to holds were larger, e.t.c.

After first turbine-runner Leninsky Komsomol every next sister ship of Leninskiy Komsomol class was refined and improved. So, if the first sister ships were equipped with cargo booms the sister ships from 1961 and later were equipped with the brand new Soviet-made cargo cranes. But location structures, the number of holds were the same.

Engines

Engines for all sister ships in Leninsky Komsomol series were made at the Kirov Plant (Leningrad, USSR) and installed on the Kherson and Nikolayev shipyards accordingly.

Power: 13000/14300 hp

The ship Leninsky Komsomol had speed 18.2 knots - it was the first vessel in this serie.^[7]
Maximum speed of other sister ships: in cargo condition 19.2, in ballast condition 20.4 knots - it was more than the usual speed of merchant ships at that time. But first ship in this class had speed 18.5 knots about.

All ships in this class except last ship Parizhskaya Communa were equipped with a steam turbine turbo gear unit "ТС-1" consisting of double-case turbine and gear that were fed by two fuel oil boilers with capacity 25 tons of steam per hour at pressure of 42 atmospheres and temperature 470 °C. Turbine power was 13 000 hp giving 1000 rpm at full speed. Gearbox lowered that number of rpm to 100 in the transition to the propeller. One four-bladed propeller of bronze had diameter 6.3 m. Processes to manage by boilers and turbine were automated.

Last vessel in the "Parizhskaya Communa" was built in 1968 and were equipped with a gas turbine "ГТУ-20" power 13 000 hp that was made in the Kirov Plant in Leningrad. "GTU-20" had power 13,000 hp and permitted to reach speeds 19 knots. At that time it was the largest merchant freighter with gas turbine engine around the World.

There were frequent breakdowns of the turbine during the high revolutions and high speed. If one turbine blade was damaged during full speed the ship received a push with such force that people on the deck were dropped down and people carried height works fell down and injured. Heightened fuel consumption at high speed of turbine in the face of rising fuel prices made the operation of the ship is too much expensive. It is why commenced gradation of speed for ships:

• Maximum speed - the speed that was noted from shipyard in delivery day which a ship could develop in case of emergency (for example, in case a ship needs to get away from the chase; in case a ship needs to arrive at destination port in time);
• Operation speed - the speed at which the ship's engines did not receive damages often;
• Economic speed - speed that is profitable from the economic point of view and taking into account the prevention of damage to the engine room.

Cargo holds, cargo gear of "Leninsky Komsomol" class sister ships and the rate of cargo operations

6 cargo holds - total bale capacity for 19 925 cubic meters, bulk capacity 23 355 cubic meters.

This sister ships have been equipped with one of two options of cargo gear due Soviet cargo cranes for the ships were designed and were installed on every "Leninsky Komsomol" class vessel from 1961. Only 4 first sister ships were equipped by cargo derricks only. And from 1961 including this year all other sister-ships were equipped by the cranes made in U.S.S.R.

Option 1 - ship equipped with cargo booms (cargo derricks) and 2 heavy-lift derricks:

• 16 cargo derricks lifting 5.0 mt. Onle for holds №1 and №6 were serviced by 2 derricks each, and each other hold - 4 derricks each (Only holds number 3 and 4 had 2 derricks lifting 5 mt and 2 derrikcs lifring 10 mt each hold).
• 4 cargo derricks lifting 10.0 mt each.
• Automated derricks were equipped with winches like cranes and managed by one person, which could work with two combined derricks also.
• 2 heavy lift derricks 60.0 metric tons each. Like this derricks were operated by 2 persons due to 2 columns of control for each derrick were installed on the mast separetly like for 2 persons.

• 5 masts: 4 of them were /\-shaped construction to fix cargo derricks 5 mt each and one of them on the accommodation superstructure in the center of the vessel.
• 2 pairs of cargo gear column to fix cargo derricks of 10 mt derricks.

Option 2 - ship equipped with cargo cranes and 2 heavy-lift derricks:

• 12 cargo electric cranes type "КЭ-26" carrying capacity 5.0 t - 2 crane for each hold.
• 2 heavy derricks with capacity of 60.0 tons each.
• 3 masts: one of them on the accommodation superstructure in the center of the vessel and other 2 masts to fix 2 heavy-lift derricks.

The possibility of self-defense

In the event of mobilization this sister ships involves anti-aircraft guns installation on rotary places of dismantled cargo cranes.

The ability to use high speed gives possibility to escape quickly from chase or to leave the dangerous area in time.

Crew and conditions for crew members

Crew: first vessels had beds for 51 persons (10 spare beds) originally and last vessels had beds for 48 persons or fewer from beginning. The Soviet shipping companies began reducing the crews of merchant ships in the late 1960s which lasted until 1990s. It is why the end of his life this sister ships had crew not more than 25 persons in the end of their life - that is about half of the original quantity. Accordingly, cabins were made initially for one-, two- and four-persons on this ships and in 1970s the 4-beds cabins converted into a two-bed.

The first developments of ship's air conditioning systems in the Soviet Union took place in 1957–1958 when Soviet plants had created the first radiator and first time sea and big river ships had been built with comfortable Soviet Union made air-conditioned including first cargo ship Leninsky Komsomol in self-titled serie.^[8]

List of ships in Leninsky Komsomol class, project 567 and 567K

Kherson Shipyard

Nikolayev Shipyard (at the time the Russian name was Nikolayev, not Mykolaiv)

Remark: Some questions arise around the fate of one vessel in this class - it is Ленинский Пионер (Leninsky Pioner) - the name of any ship can not be translated due to rules at sea and if translate from Russia we will receive Leninist Pioneer) due to dates of vessel's cutting and removing from the Lloyd's list are not the same. Leninsky Pioner was trasfered from Black Sea Shipping Company to the Soviet Black Sea Navy Fllet in 1986. The new container-ship Ленинский Пионер was lay out (commencement of construction) 0n 23 January 1987. This container ship had another call sign. It is not clear which vessel, which ship's name was removed from the Lloyd list in 1999.^[1][21][22]

Turbo-runners of Leninskiy Komsomol series in films

Kozubenko Michael Yakovich (Russian: Козубенко Михаил Якович) - Soviet and Ukrainian cinematographer, who worked Odessa Film Studio from 1953 and made the documentary film "Turbo-runners of Leninsky Komsomol class" in 1959.

Advertising, postage stamps and other publications about Leninsky Komsomol class vessels

Advertising poster of the USSR Maritime Transpor dated 1963 or 1964.

Advertising poster of the USSR Maritime Transport dated 1963 or 1964 represented the new, Soviet construction ships (turbine-runners): Leninsky Komsomol which was built by shipyards of the Ukrainian SSR and tanker "Sofia" that was built by Leningrad shipyard.

It is difficult to calculate how many newspaper and magazine articles have been written about Leninsky Komsomol class vessels.

Every book about the Kherson Shipyard history has pages about the construction of the Leninsky Komsomol class vessels as this sister ships are a significant milestone in shipbuilding history of U.S.S.R. and Kherson Shipyard. This vessels are not so famous for Nikolayev Shipyard history due to there were built only 5 sister ships and due to this shipyard built Navy ships mostly.

Many interesting articles, stories, pictures about Leninsky Komsomol class ships can be found out in Internet including on English language.

In 2009 the Marshall Islands issued a series of stamps dedicated to the Cuba Missile Crisis. On one stamp of this series depicts turbine-runner (in the description of the brand refer to ship Metallurg Kurako) surrounded by warship and patrol aircraft of USA Navy.^[10] It is depicted like the attached photo above with ship Metallurg Anosov in the same entourage including the US Navy ship with two and it is possible that Metallurg Anosov pictured on this stamp.

See also

• Operation Anadyr
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• VP-44
• United States embargo against Cuba

References