On the line Vologda—Arkhangelsk

In the same 1911 the steamer started its first navigation on the route Vologda—Arkhangelsk. After the 1st of July, as the level of water fell, it cruised first on the line Ustyug— Kotlas—Arkhangelsk, and then on the line Kotlas—Arkhangelsk. «N.V. Gogol» was in enviable requisition within northerners because of wide package of services provided for passengers: library with books in fine bindings, nice bar with good choice of dishes and drinks. We have an interesting document of that time — faded pages of menu of the dishes proposed to passengers travelling between Vologda and Arkhangelsk. It is a pity that small size of publication does not allow quoting the whole menu. We'll just mention that more than 150 names were enumerated in the menu, including salmon and «were constructed by all parameters thoroughly and according to the contract…The main steam engines worked persistently at full speed, absolutely fluently, without hammering and heating of rubbing parts and well obeyed to steering. Boilers capacity was sufficient, steam was all the time kept constantly and easily within the limits of 180–190 pounds per square inch» (Note: 12,6–13,2 kg/cm2 ). The average speed in still water was 20 versts per hour. The steamboats were driven from Nizhny Novgorod to the Northern Dvina by the Volga, the Sheksna, the Northern Dvina system via the lake Kubenskoye and the Sukhona. As canal locks did not allow passing through of ships of that size, they were disassembled into three parts: fore, middle and stern. Vessels' assembling was carried out in Mikhailovsky workshops of the Northern steamship society (in Veliky Ustyug). «N.V. Gogol»: peasants transported cows, horses and piglets.

This «animal corner» was placed at the sterm, under awning. A considerable amount of birch firewood used as fuel was required – 40m3 per 24 hours. That is why along all the route of the steamboat movement, approximately every 200km, there were piers with so called firewood storages where it was possible to fill up firewood resources, mainly of birch blocks of 1,5m length chopped in half. Firewood was stored up in advance and dried in stacks during 2–3 years. Blocks were loaded on board the ship on special handcarts called «medvedka», stored on a deck and after that, during the steamboat running, dropped into the fireroom through a hatch on the deck. «N.V. Gogol» covered the distance between Vologda and Arkhangelsk within 82 hours, and from Arkhangelsk to Vologda, against the current — within 115 hours. For the beginning of the XX century, taking into account comforts, afforded to passengers, this was rather well. The steamboat was running usually till the 1st of October, sometimes even longer if running conditions were appropriate, but tickets price turned to be more expensive. For wintering the ship came to the boat-yard Kusino (Veliky Ustyug).

Times of war and peace

In 1918 the steamboats «N.V. Gogol», «General Kondratenko» and others (in all 67 cargo-and-passenger vessels, 159 steam tugs and 663 non-steam vessels) were nationalized by the Soviet regime. On the 2nd of August, 1918 a new page of «N.V. Gogol»'s history was opened. From the memories of S.M. Polozkov, the former captain mate of the steamboat: «…We had just discharged in Veliky Ustyug when an order was received: to be bound immediately for Arkhangelsk at the disposal of the military commander of the town… On the way there I was reflecting: «Why such a haste? What happened? » Not far from Arkhangelsk we met a convoy of seven passenger vessels and steam tugs. «A.I. Zhelyabov», «M.V. Lomonosov», «Stepan Razin» and others were among them. Involuntary, a guess flashed across my mind: «Something is wrong in Arkhangelsk». …The captains of the ships coming from the opposite direction told us that interventionists were near Arkhangelsk and evacuation began… We arrived to Arkhangelsk on the 2nd of August at 2o'clock in the morning. We covered the distance from Veliky Ustyug within 27 hours… Under supervision of the city commander a machinegun was installed on the steamboat deck. Then, loaded with archives, property of military and civil establishments and equipment we put to raid and anchored. There a minesweeper approached to us and bags with ammunition were reloaded into the holds and on the deck of the ship… Almost all the nationalized passenger and tug fleet, more than 100 ships, were led upstream the Dvina by river workers. Having discharged in Ustyug «N.V. Gogol» went back to Kotlas and came at the disposal of deputy chairman of Arkhangelsk province executive committee P. F. Vinogradov who had arrived in Kotlas on the 5th of August…While being at his disposal «N.V. Gogol» fulfilled special errands of headquarters by transporting fresh forces, ammunition and foodstuff from rear to front line. In August and early in September land forces and small fleet led by Pavlin Vinogradov were combating in the mouth of the Vaga river. There were many wounded and the steamboat turned into a floating hospital. …On the 9th of September we attended Pavlin Vinogradov to his last way. Our ship was docking then in Chamovo. When a coffin with the hero's remains was loaded on the «N.V. Gogol» board, I received an order to be bound for Vologda. But because of spar-buoys and beacons absence on the Sukhona river the order was cancelled.

The coffin was taken off the ship in Kotlas and sent by railway to Petrograd». Later on the steamer was used as the VI Army hospital vessel. The wounded from front line were brought here, operations were performed here, and soldiers were cured in cabins transformed into wards. The appearance of the vessel also changed. Instead of habitual white color it was painted grey, and the upper deck wall was marked with differential sing — red cross. Late in the autumn 1919, because of early frosts first ice appeared on the Northern Dvina. Coming back from the front to the place of wintering not far from the settlement Mezha in Verkhne-Toyemskiy region «N.V. Gogol» ripped up the bottom on stones because of absence of sings denoting fairway and… set on bank. The break was rather big: from bow hold to engine room. They failed to get the ship out from the bank. So it spent the winter, put into freeze with broken bottom. In winter in order to protect it from possible damage during spring floating of ice, protective dam from logs and ice was erected around the vessel. In may 1920, after ice floating, the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» was conducted to Veliky Ustyug and docked for repairs, and in 1921 it was put again into operation on the line Arkhangelsk — Vologda for loads and passengers transportation.

We could keep silent about the accident that happened in 1929 on the steamboat, because at the end everything finished successfully. Nevertheless we think it is worth doing, because fires on vessels were always considered to be the most awful disaster on water upon consequences. It was fire that happened then on the paddleboat. The steamboat «N.V. Gogol» making its usual run with passengers and cargo on board left Kotlas for Arkhangelsk. Soon, approximately two hours later, near Krasnoborsk, members of crew noticed the black smoke coming out of hold. Straight before their eyes smoke puffs grew more and more intensive. By specific odor they determined that it was burning rubber, or rather, rubber footwear loaded the day before into the hold. The captain of the steamer Aglamazov ordered to switch on the hold steam firefighting system. But steam was not very effective mean for burning rubber: burning went on. Then, understanding all the seriousness of the situation, the captain ordered to direct towards the bank, to prepare lifeboats for lowering and to start the fire extinguishing with the fire pump. There was no panic. «N.V. Gogol» immediately run aground, passengers were evacuated on lifeboats. The fire was soon extinguished and, as it turned out, without serious consequences for the vessel. If not effective and well-coordinated actions of the crew everything could have finished differently.

The reason of the ignition was, evidently, a cigar-butt thrown into the hold while cargo loading in Kotlas. Until 1936 the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» was running on the line Arkhangelsk—Vologda, then because of water level lowering on the river — on the line Arkhangelsk—Veliky Ustyug. All seemed to be the same as at the beginning of the century (the same steamboat, the same well-experienced crew and the same river), but the level of service had become much lower. It did not concern only the steamboat «N.V. Gogol», though, but all the vessels running along the Northern Dvina. Here is a brief quote from the Northern fluvial shipping company report about the 1939 year navigation: «The bars work on vessel and on banks was in general bad. Weak points mostly concerned the absence of goods collection of corresponding assortment in bars; receipts from alcoholic drinks make 40 percent of turnover». Having fulfilled the navigation plan of 1939 for 102, 2%, in autumn 1939 the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» was docked for thorough repair, in course of which its hull was substituted. The hull's length was made somewhat greater, the boilers and the steam engine were transferred to the new hull, and the old one during two years had been temporary used as hotel in Kotlas. For good quality of repairs the mechanician of the steamboat «N. V. Gogol» Alexander P. Bazanov was awarded with the Order of Red Star in 1941 (before the war). The steamboat operation after repairs started on the 2nd of August 1941. During all the wartime the crew of the steamboat was toiling with dignity and was one of the best on the Northern Dvina. In 1942 the steamboat crew declared itself a front-line ship pressing for overfulfilling of all the plans and obligations. During 3 months in 1943 «N.V. Gogol» kept the challenging pennant of Inland water transport people's commissariat and was noted at the Roll of Honour 5 times. The next war navigations were also marked off by big labour achievements of the steamboat «N. V. Gogol» crew that had become the flagship of the passenger fleet. After the Victory «N.V. Gogol» was running on the line Kotlas-Arkhangelsk transporting passengers and different cargoes: flour, sugar, potatoes, fish and many others.

In 1950 «N.V. Gogol», among 5 steamboats of the North, fulfilled the first after-war five-year plan ahead of schedule. From 1937 till 1951 the captain of the steamboat was the famous navigator Adrian P. Vologin, who had been navigating ships for 36 years. In 1958—1959 the second thorough repair was carried out at the shipyard in Veliky Ustyug with the mark «good». Shortly before its fiftieth anniversary, in August 1960, the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» (captain V.Y. Shergin, mechanician P. S. Obukhov) had passed a checkup that showed the steamboat-veteran was in good condition and the crew exploited it skillfully and competently trying to support it at the level of made requirements. So, for example, in early fifties the steam engines of the vessel were converted to crude oil burning. As the time went high speed vessels appeared on the Northern Dvina, which gradually supplanted old paddleboats from the passenger routes. In 1972 the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» was purchased by the machine building enterprise «Zvyozdochka» (Severodvinsk) in order to organize the rest of workers, that kindly influenced the fate of this tireless river toiler. It might share the destiny of many other steamboats to be sent for scrap cutting. It is not just a figurative expression. As the former deputy director of «Zvyozdochka» B. I. Istomin recollects, the Northern fluvial shipping company asked 100 tons of scrap metal to recompense the handed over ship. River workers could receive that amount of scraps it they had (decommissioned) the hull of the ship for remelting. They also estimated the property handed over together with the ship (furniture, piano, old dishes) for 16 thousand roubles. However, the enterprise did not consider these expenditures as excessive. There was one serious «but» was in the history of purchasing of the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» by «Zvyozdochka».

According to the minister of the fluvial fleet A. P. Vvedenskiy directions dated 17.05.72 the handing over of the steamboat to «Zvyozdochka» was allowed only «to use it as a standing base». B. I. Istomin: «In other words we were allowed to use this really worn out vessel as a standing base in the quality of a floating hotel moored to a pier, but not at its direct destination for passengers transportation. We had some other plans. After having reflected we agreed that after thorough repair and modernization, bringing of all the systems to conformity with all modern requirements of the Fluvial Register, the allowance for its exploitation would be received. It was the only one right decision». In 1972–1973 the enterprise carried out repairs and reconstruction of the steamboat for floating recreation base: cabins were adapted and made more comfortable (seating capacity after reconstruction – 140 persons). Systems of steam, drinking and technical water supply, sewage system, electrical supply and radio communication systems were updated. To ensure the ship passage under the Yagrinskiy bridge for the place of wintering, the smokestack was made detachable. Some other works were carried out. In May 1973 the operation of the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» as a recreation floating base of the enterprise «Zvyozdochka» employees started. During last decades more than 60 thousand people made two-day tourist trips on the board of the steamboat along the Northern Dvina. For many Yagry shipbuilders family rest on the steamboat became traditional. River space, picturesque scenery, monuments of the history and architecture, which are so generously given to the Russian North — all this attracts tourists and produces vivid impressions on them. Sport competitions, different contests and concerts around bonfire are organized during «green anchorages». Keen fishermen are not bored too. In the end of summer many passengers come back on the board with baskets full of mushrooms and berries. Well-organized trips hearten people and leave long pleasant memories.

The Trade-Union committee of the enterprise pays considerable part of a tour ticket. From 1972 till 1987 the captain of the steamboat was Anatoliy S. Tesalovskiy — one of the most experienced captains on the river. All his biography is bound up with steamers, with the Northern Dvina. It happened so that Anatoliy started to run along the Northern Dvina also on the steamer «N.V. Gogol». It was in 1948 when he was a student of the Veliky Ustyug River Navigation school and did his three-months practice on «Gogol». Then he worked on the steamboats «Goncharovskiy», «M.V. Lomonosov», «Sysola», «Arkhangelsk», «Vychegzhanin», «Solvychegodsk», «Karl Marx»; from 1965 till 1970 he was the captain of the legendary for Severodvinsk inhabitants steamboat «Ivan Kalyayev» (on this steamboat in June, 1936 the first builders of Severodvinsk arrived to the Nikolskoye mouth of the Northern Dvina). In 1970 A. S. Tesalovskiy became a captain-tutor of the Northern fluvial shipping company passenger fleet. Such is the labour path of Anatoliy Tesalovskiy Y.A. Dyegtev, V.A. Kashin, N.A. Kovalyev, V.V. Fefi - latyev, V.N. Novosyelov substituted him on the cap - tain's bridge and steered the steamer along the Northern Dvina. From the year of 2007 captain of the steam - boat is Nikolai B. Churkin, the graduate of VelikoUstyugskaya Fluvial School, who has got a great experience in navigation along the Northern Dvina River. Speaking about steamboat captains we cannot help saying, that there is a manager on «Gogol» on whom depends the level of tourist service and passengers rest organization. This is the director of the floating recreation base. From 1973 – from the start of «N.V. Gogol» use as tourist vessel – A. P. Belov, M. E. Golyshev were directors of the floating base; at present time O.V. Devyatov is the director.

On the completion of 1994 navigation «N.V. Gogol» was placed for thorough repair and moderniza - tion in the course of which the shipbuilders of «Zvyozdochka» overhauled all the mechanisms of the steamboat, substituted cabins and other rooms interiors having made them more comfortable and cozy. It is to mention here that at the time, in 1994, the decision about its keeping was not so easy and simple as it is taken today. Since economical crisis defeated all the branches of Russian economy, the enterprise «Zvyozdochka» also found itself in difficult financial situation. And the maintenance of such steamer as «N.V. Gogol» requires considerable resources. However, understanding the importance of the steamboat «N.V. Gogol» for the enterprise employees recreation and its originality as native techniques' monument that cannot be lost, the director of the enterprise «Zvyozdochka» N.Y. Kalistratov with the help of the Trade Union organization chairman M. A. Gmyrin made this decision. The deputy director of the enterprise V.V. Shtefan and the deputy chief of the production department E. P. Baal realized repairs and up-dating organization. Today there are 29 cabins including 4 class deluxe cabins, 4 one-birth cabins, 19 two-birth cabins, 1 three-birth cabins and 1 four-birth cabin on the steamer that can accept with comfort 53 tourists. There are good conditions for full value leisure on the steamboat. Here there are following accomodations: a rest saloon, a dance saloon, a mess-room, bars and a sauna. At all this the first steam engine, the same that was manufactured and supplied by Sormovo shipbuilders in distant 1911, is thoroughly kept untouchable. Today we can just admire its design and the highest quality of manufacturing. Just think about it: machinery that has impeccably functioned for 100 years!

There is also «Zvyozdochka» ship repairers contribution in it, they ensure repair and maintenance of the steamboat at a very high level. By the way, talking about the steamboat repair of 1994–1996, the captain V.N. Novosyelov points to the unique work performed by a ship mechanician, veteran of «Zvyozdochka», real «lefthander» Anatoliy A. Rybkin. There were some damages on the wall surface of the low pressure cylinder of the main steam engine. Small, but notable steam escape came through these openings: up to 15% of speed was lost because of it. It was impossible to substitute the piston (its diameter was 1030 mm), because steam engines of this type had not been manufactured for many decades. Neither proposed by specialists welding (piston steel was melting that even engraved the situation), nor special hardening putty (at high temperature the putty was running out) did not give results. A. A. Rybkin bored out the cylinder and installed with filigree thoroughness an embedding (dovetail type attachment point) made of red copper. That was all. The main steam engine was again as early in life. In 1997, younger by some decades, with new forces, «N.V. Gogol» went out to new run along the Northern Dvina.