Russian River Cruise Ships. Project 588 | Shipspotting

This is the second episode of the 10-part serial featuring spotting of Russian River Cruise Ships during 2022 navigation. “Rodina“ class river motor ships (project 588) are the series of three-deck river passenger ships designed to operate on tourist and transport lines. They were built in Germany at the VEB Mathias-Thesen-Werft Wismar shipyard by the USSR order from 1953 to 1961, according to a project developed by the Soviet shipbuilders. In the beginning, 11 ships of the first series were manufactured (“V. Chkalov” type: 1954 - 1956), then some features were improved, and the second series of 38 ships of this project was launched born (“Kosmonav Gagarin” type: 1957 - 1961). Since the Volga-Baltic waterway was opened for shipping only in 1964, motor ships were transported to the Volga via Leningrad, then through the Neva and the Svir rivers, Ladoga and Onega lakes, the White Sea-Baltic Canal (Belomorkanal), the White Sea, via Arkhangelsk, and then along the Northern Dvina and the Sukhona ri