The ''Ivan Franko''-class passenger ship (project 301, in Germany known as Seefa 750) was a class of
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
s and
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
s, operated by the Baltic State Shipping Company (BGMP) and Black Sea Shipping Company (ChMMP or BLASCO).
The five Soviet ships ''Ivan Franko'', ''Aleksandr Pushkin'', ''Taras Shevchenko'', ''Shota Rustaveli'' and ''Mikhail Lermontov'' were constructed in 1963–1972 by the East German company ''VEB Mathias-Thesen Werft'', in
Wismar
Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...
. The class was named after its
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
, which took its name from the
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
poet
Ivan Franko
Ivan Yakovych Franko (Ukrainian: Іван Якович Франко, pronounced ˈwɑn ˈjɑkowɪtʃ frɐnˈkɔ 27 August 1856 – 28 May 1916) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, interpreter, economist, ...
. The last remaining vessel, the ''Aleksandr Pushkin'' – last known as ''Marco Polo'', was retired in 2020 and beached in
Alang, India
Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Because it is home to the Alang Ship Breaking Yard, Alang beaches are considered the world's largest ship graveyard.
Demographics
As of the 2001 Indian census, Alan ...
for scrapping on January 13, 2021.
Description and construction
The ''Ivan Franko'' class surpassed the earlier as Germany's (in both parts of Germany) largest passenger ships after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. With a length of
the ''Ivan Franko'' vessels were longer than the prior largest passenger ship, and its classmates. The ''Ivan Franko'' vessels were also wider, and with a
gross register tonnage of 19,861, almost three times larger.
The construction of this class featured some notable differences from contemporary ships built in the west. Among other things they offered cabins for six people and had three taps in the bathrooms – for hot, cold and sea water – Both of these features had been long abandoned in western liners. The ships also featured certain forward-looking features, such as all outside accommodation for passengers as well as the crew, and an indoor/outdoor swimming pool with a sliding glass roof.
Ocean liners/cruise ships of Project 301/Seefa 750
Overview
See also
*
List of cruise ships
This is a list of cruise ships, both those in service and those that have ceased to operate. Ocean liners are included on this list only if they also functioned as cruise ships. (See: list of ocean liners.)
As some cruise ships have operated und ...
*
References
External links
"Ivan Franko" class
Ivan Franko IMO 5415901
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivan Franko
Ocean liner classes
Ships built in East Germany
Passenger ships of the Soviet Union
East Germany–Soviet Union relations
Ships built in Wismar
Ships of Black Sea Shipping Company