Vityaz Scientific-Research Vessel
The Vityaz Vessel has seen some of the world's most unusual places, e.g. it measured the depth of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world oceans, and changed several names and occupations in its long lifetime. The ship, initially christened the Mars, was built in Germany before the World War II, and was originally intended for freight and passenger carriage. It was converted to military freighting when the war began. The ship was transferred to Great Britain in 1945 (renamed Empire Forth), then to the Soviet Union in 1946, where it was soon reequipped for scientific research. The research vessel Vityaz is a legendary ship in the history of oceanography; she made an outstanding contribution to the exploration of the World Ocean. The vessel made 65 scientific research expeditions, covered approximately 800 000 miles and made 7 942 scientific stations. She completed measurements of the Mariana Trench (11 022 m) and discovered siboglinidae, a new species. The school of national oceanology was founded aboard the Vitiaz, with scientists from 50 Soviet research institutes and 20 countries participating in the expeditions. The decision to preserve the ship and create a museum exposition aboard was made in 1990. The Museum of the World Ocean originated from the Vityaz, which remains our main object and the centre of the museum embankment. Ship characteristics General figures: Crew - 66 persons |
4h
