Description of the surrounding area

Unique Cossack seagull.

Ethnographic theater "Zaporozhye Cossacks".

1559- the famous Crimean campaign. A flotilla of 150-200 seagulls and oaks descended from Khortitsa along the Dnieper, captured two Turkish ships and landed troops on the western coast of Crimea near Perekop. After several successful skirmishes with the troops of Davlet I Giray, the Cossacks took Kafa, the main slave market, freed their captive compatriots and successfully returned to Khortitsa. (from Wikipedia)

A unique Cossack seagull, raised from the bottom of the Dnieper, became the main exhibit of the future museum of the history of shipping.

On the legendary Cossack island Khortytsia was opened in a solemn ceremony Exhibition Pavilion for the preservation and restoration of the Cossack seagull. On the banner in front of the entrance you can read the words of the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma: “The Zaporozhye seagull is the pride and shrine of Ukraine.” The spacious pavilion will later become the main room the first museum in our country history of navigation on the Dnieper.

After the Russian-Turkish War of the 18th century, dozens of Cossack ships sank to the bottom of the Dnieper.

Information that in the thirties and forties of the 18th century in the Khortytsia area there was a large shipyard, can be found in the works of historians D. Yavornitsky and Ya. Novitsky, dedicated to the Zaporozhye Cossacks. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1735-1739, the shipyard housed about 400 ships of various types - Cossack boats, oaks, galleys, conchebass, dinghies, piers and even large sailing brigantines. The basis of the flotilla was made up of 24-oared Cossack boats, armed with four small cannons (two each at the bow and stern), up to 18 meters long.

The Cossack flotilla performed well during the battles; with its help, for example, in 1737 they captured the Turkish fortress of Ochak. But with the end of the war and the departure of the garrison from Khortitsa, the flotilla was abandoned at the piers. Over time, ice drifts and floods destroyed dozens of ships. Active searches for their remains and traces of the shipyard began only in 1971, when young Zaporozhye historians and scuba divers Georgy Shapovalov and Evgeny Spin created an expedition of underwater archaeological work. Numerous finds recovered by scuba divers from the Dnieper depths now adorn the exhibitions of Zaporozhye museums.

Last spring employees National Nature Reserve "Khortitsa" Valery Nefedov and Maxim Ostapenko, who were studying the bed of the old Dnieper, twenty meters from the shore at a ten-meter depth, discovered a well-preserved hull of an ancient vessel, a Cossack boat of the 18th century, covered with sand. There are still no similar finds in Europe.

In the boat and next to it, archaeologists and divers found many unique things from the Cossack era - cannonballs, bullets, pikes, flint pistols with the marks "Kiev 1734", a Tula musket with a bayonet, buttons, buckles, cradles, leather shoes, rigging parts, objects everyday life But how to raise an ancient ship intact from the bottom of the river? Such operations have never been carried out in the CIS; there are no appropriate methods and technical means.

Then the designers and installers of the Zaporozhye aluminum plant (zalk) offered their services to historians. In a short time, they developed and assembled a special slipway with a traverse for lifting and holding the Cossack seagull. To meet the deadline, we worked on several design options at once over the weekend. It was important to calculate everything accurately, so that the ship, which had lain at the bottom for two and a half centuries, being pulled out of the ground, would not crumble like a house of cards. Particular difficulties were found in finding a site for collecting the slipway on the shore and delivering it by boat to the lifting site. In recent days, divers and underwater archaeologists sometimes worked for 11 hours, making several trenches under the hull of the ship lying on the bottom, through which elastic belts were passed...

The ceremonial raising of the seagull took place on October 13, 1999 - on the eve of the city day and the first celebrated day of the Zaporozhye Cossacks. And on November 7, the seagull was pulled to the embankment on a special pontoon, where it was put on public display for several hours.

The seagull was almost destroyed by "collectors".

All regional newspapers wrote about the further fate of the find in those days: the ship was supposed to be treated with a preservative to prevent the destruction of wood in the open air, restored and displayed in a special hangar near the Khortytsia Cossack Museum. But while the seagull was standing on the shore, at the water station of the Dneprospetsstal plant, the ubiquitous barbarians began to pull antique nails out of the boat, offering them for sale in antique shops. Local journalists sounded the alarm. The boat was transported to a guarded territory of the equestrian ethnographic theater "Zaporozhye Cossacks", located on Khortytsia, was covered from the weather with cellophane film. The management of the aluminum plant again came to the rescue, promising to buy and install a prefabricated hangar with an area of ​​one thousand square meters for the Cossack seagull, which has become a kind of symbol for Zaporozhye (there is an idea to place its image on the city’s coat of arms). And last week the hangar, which turned into an exhibition pavilion, was opened.

Everything that was raised from the Dnieper along with the seagull is presented on shelves. The ship itself is treated with a preservative (10 tons of it were purchased in Russia in advance), so there is no need to worry about the future of the ancient miracle - descendants will see it. Over time, the pavilion will house other finds from the bottom of the Dnieper - in fact, it will be the first museum in Ukraine reflecting the history of navigation on the great river. It will become part of the Museum of the History of the Zaporozhye Cossacks and the entire Khortytsya National Reserve.

Together with the only equestrian theater in the country, the island can become an ethnographic tourist mecca. Chairman of the State Committee for Youth Policy, Sports and Tourism of Ukraine Ivan Fedorenko spoke about this at the opening of the pavilion: in Ukraine, which is a member of the world tourism organization, on behalf of President Leonid Kuchma, a tourism development program until 2010 is being developed, and the island of Khortitsa will become an obligatory component of it.

It is worth noting that the “Zaporozhye Seagull” project became possible thanks to the support of many sponsors, primarily the “Dopomoga” charitable foundation (headed by the people’s deputy, chairman of the Zaporizhzhya regional administration Alexei Kucherenko), the “Khortitsa” cultural center (chaired by Valery Kozyrev) and , of course, the Zaporozhye aluminum plant (general director Ivan Bastryga). It is difficult to say what the fate of the seagulls would have been if not for their help. “I am grateful to all the employees of the aluminum smelter who supported the initiative of their director to implement this national project,” said the chairman of the cultural center “Khortitsa” Valery Kozyrev, the inspirer and organizer of the ethnographic equestrian theater “Zaporozhye Cossacks” to Fakty. the construction of the pavilion cost them 350 thousand hryvnia. This is not just charity - this is how national culture, self-awareness, and a national idea are formed. Zaporozhye can claim the right to be the source in building statehood. The point is to revive the seagull not only as a symbol of the Cossacks, but also as a symbol of the statehood of the Ukrainian people. Marx also called the Zaporozhye Sich a prototype of a democratic republic."

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The Cossack gull is unique.

Ethnographic theater "Zaporizk Cossacks".

1559 - the famous Crimean campaign. A flotilla with 150-200 seagulls and oak trees descended from Khortitsa along the Dnieper, buried two Turkish ships and landed troops at the exit to the Crimea, not far from Perekop. After several successful battles from the pens of Davlet I Girey, the Cossacks took Kafa, the main slave market, released the full spivvitch people and successfully turned to Khortytsia. (From Wikipedia)

A unique Cossack seagull, recovered from the bottom of the Dnieper, became the main exhibit of the upcoming Museum of the History of Shipping.

On the legendary Cossack island of Khortytsia, in a natural environment, there will be an open exhibition pavilion for the conservation and restoration of the Cossack gull. On the banner in front of the entrance you can read the words of the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchmi: “The black seagull is the pride and sanctity of Ukraine.” The spacious pavilion became the main premises of the first museum of the history of shipping on the Dnieper in our region.

After the Russian-Turkish war of the 18th century, dozens of Cossack ships sank to the bottom of the Dnieper.

Information about the fact that in the thirties and forties of the 18th century a large shipyard was founded in the Khortytsia area can be found in the works of historians D. Yavornitsky and I. Novitsky, dedicated to the Zaporizian Cossacks. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1735 - 1739, there were approximately 400 ships of various types at the shipyard - Cossack chawls, oaks, galleries, conchebass, pontoons, Pram and all the great sailing brigantines and. The basis of the flotilla was made up of 24-oar Cossack boats, formed by small boats (two each at the bow and stern), up to 18 meters long.

The Cossack flotilla showed itself well during the hour of battle, with its help, for example, in 1737 the troops buried the Turkish fort of Ochakiv. After the end of the war and the departure of the garrison from Khortitsa, the flotilla was abandoned at the berths. Over time, the ice drift destroyed dozens of ships. Active searches for the remains and traces of the shipyard began in 1971, when young Zaporizian historians and scuba divers Georgiy Shapovalov and Evgeniy Spiniv created an expedition of underwater archaeological expeditions it. Numerous finds, recovered by scuba divers from the Dnieper depths, decorate the exhibitions of Zaporizhzhya museums.

Last spring, the divers of the Khortytsia National Nature Reserve, Valery Nefyodov and Maxim Ostapenko, who were dredging up the bed of the old Dnieper, twenty meters above the shore at a ten-meter depth, discovered sand bubbling, so that the hull of the ancient vessel was well preserved - Cossack Chovna of the 18th century. Europe has no such discoveries before.

In this place, archaeologists and divers found a number of unique items from the Cossack era - cannonballs, cores, pikes, cream pistols with the stamps "Kiev 1734", a Tula musket with a bagnet, guards, buckles, cradles , skins are in flux, rigging details, How to raise an old ship from the bottom of the river? No such operations have ever been carried out on the territory of the SND, there are no similar methods or technical capabilities.

Also, the designers and installers of the Zaporozhye Aluminum Plant (ZALK) acknowledged their services to historians. In a short hour, the stinks were broken up and a special slipway with a traverse was assembled for the rise and morning of the Cossack seagull. To fit into the lines, we worked on several design options. It was important to unpack everything, so that the ship had lain for two and a half centuries, and when it was washed out of the ground, it did not disintegrate like a cardboard bottle. Among the difficulties were the search for maidans for collecting the slipway on the birch and its delivery by boat to the destination. The rest of the day, divers and underwater archaeologists worked for 11 hours an hour, cutting a number of trenches under the hull of a ship lying on the bottom, through which they passed elastic belts...

The seasonal rise of seagulls occurred on the 13th of January 1999 - the first day of the year and the first day of the constipation of the Cossacks. And after the leaves fell on a special pontoon, the seagull was pulled up to the embankment, where it was exposed for a few years to be observed.

The ice gull was not destroyed by the “collectors”.

All regional newspapers wrote about the discovery in those days: the ship was about to be treated with a preservative, which preserves the ruins of the village in the open air, restored and placed in a special hangar in the Khortytsky Cossack Museum twa. As long as the seagull was standing on the birch tree, at the water station of the Dniprospetsstal plant, the ubiquitous barbarians began to steal from ancient flowers, selling them for sale in antique shops. Local journalists went into overdrive. Choven was transported to the territory where the film ethnographic theater “Zaporizian Cossacks”, located in Khortitsa, is buried, and was taken away with cellophane spittle. The aluminum plant once again came to the rescue, having decided to install and assemble for the Cossack seagull, which became its own symbol for Zaporizhzhya (the idea is to place its image on the coat of arms of the place), a collection hangar with an area of ​​one thousand square meters. The 1st axis of last year’s hangar, which turned into an exhibition pavilion, was opened.

Everything you can pick up from the Dnieper at the same time as a seagull is presented on shelves. The vessel itself is coated with a preservative (10 tons of it were added to Russia in the past), so during the life of the old marvel you don’t have to worry about it - you can pump up the decks. This year, the pavilion will house other finds from the bottom of the Dnieper - in fact, it will be the first museum in Ukraine that depicts the history of navigation on the great river. It will become part of the museum of the history of the Zaporizian Cossacks and the entire Khortytsia national reserve.

Together with the united regional theater, the islands can become an ethnographic tourist mecca. Speaking about this at the open pavilion, the head of the State Committee on Youth Policy, Sports and Tourism of Ukraine Ivan Fedorenko: in Ukraine, a member of the World Tourism Organization, on the instructions of President Leonid Kuchma, he is dissecting According to the plan for the development of tourism until 2010, the island of Khortytsia will become a linguistic component.

Varto means that the “Zaporizka Seagull” project has become possible thanks to the support of wealthy sponsors, especially the beneficial fund “help” (including the people’s deputy, the head of the Zaporizka regional administration Oleksia m Kucherenkom), cultural center "Khortytsya" (head Valeriy Kozirev) and , especially the Zaporizhzhya Aluminum Plant (General Director Ivan Bastriga). It is important to say how the seagull’s fate would have been if it had not been for her help. “I am grateful to all the workers of the aluminum plant who supported the initiative of their director on this national project,” saying “with facts” the head of the cultural center “Khortytsia” “Valery Kozirov, on artist and organizer of the ethnographic film theater "Zaporizk Cossacks". - The Rise of the Seagull and the Life of the Pavilion cost them 350 thousand hryvnias. This is not just benevolence - this is how national culture, self-knowledge, and the national idea are formed. Zaporizhzhya can claim the right to be a leader in the former power. Sense in order to revive The seagull is not only a symbol of the Cossacks, but also a symbol of the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people. Marx also called the Zaporizian Sich the prototype of a democratic republic."

Seagulls are cocky, capricious birds, ready to do anything for a tasty dinner. There are many types of them, but they all have the same character. Where these animals live, how they prefer to build nests and raise their babies, we will talk in the article.

Description of seagulls

All seagulls belong to the family of Gull birds. Along with terns and skimmers. There are about fifty species of gulls found throughout the world, represented by numerous species. Despite the widespread use of the general term "gulls", they are not confined to marine, coastal or pelagic environments. Most of these birds feel great living in indoor habitats.

This is interesting! They are also found in wetlands, agricultural fields, or even in urban and suburban areas far from the shores of bodies of water. Seagulls are generally not found in steep mountains, the most barren deserts or dense jungles.

The appearance of different types of seagulls is quite diverse. The color of animals has prompted people at all times to compare their appearance with vivid legends. Seagulls are no exception. A variety of these birds with pink plumage has truly become famous. There has long been a legend that pink seagulls are beautiful girls with whom the evil witch got even with them because of their unearthly beauty. Allegedly, she drowned them in pink water out of envy, after which pink birds appeared in the sky - their innocent souls, which to this day come to the aid of sailors in trouble.

Appearance

The appearance of a seagull is closely related to its species, because each species has its own differences. But they also have something in common. For example, they all have a long, streamlined, aerodynamic body. Also an almost square tail and long wingspan. Males and females are no different in appearance. White seagulls are older representatives of birds, while young animals have a brownish tint in color.

This is interesting! The weight of the animal ranges from 150 grams to 2 kilograms, depending on the species. Size – from 30 to 80 centimeters.

They have medium-length red or black legs and a powerful hooked beak. This shape is necessary in order to be able to hold slippery sea prey. The size of birds varies depending on the species. There are webbed paws. Marine representatives can boast of their presence, but ocean inhabitants do not. The color of the seagulls is contrasting. The white underparts are combined with dark markings on the bird's head and wingtips. Almost the entire body is white, with the exception of the presence of camouflage darkish stripes on the back in some species. Seagull feathers are waterproof. This helps the animal to successfully stay afloat.

Character and lifestyle

Seagulls are exclusively colonial birds. One colony can number up to several thousand adults and their offspring. Whether they are sedentary or migratory is impossible to answer unequivocally. Most fly away to warmer climes during the cold weather, but some stay near cities if they can feed themselves on the streets. Unlike many birds that live at altitude, seagulls fly just as well as they move on land. These are monogamous animals that enter into an alliance with their mate for many years.

Seagulls are diurnal. They spend most of the day searching for food. These are extremely voracious creatures that show considerable ingenuity in obtaining food. For example, in order to feast on a fresh shellfish sealed in a dense shell, a seagull will not be too lazy to rise to a height with the shell in its beak and then throw it on a stone. The shell breaks and, voila, it’s time to eat.

Seagulls also look for food on the streets of the city, are not afraid of people and even beg from them for fish and bread. These birds easily adapt to any environment. From early morning they circle over reservoirs, only returning to a previously chosen safe place to spend the night at night. Such a place should be inaccessible to predators and sheltered from the piercing wind.

How long do seagulls live?

On average, seagulls live from 15 to 20 years in the wild.

Types of seagulls

About 60 species of birds belong to the Gull family. The appearance of immature birds differs greatly from their older counterparts, therefore, we will consider the specific characteristics of adult birds. The black-headed gull is one of the most common species. Its head is adorned with a brown facial marking with a contrasting white nape and body. This is an inhabitant of fresh water lakes and rivers, the bird's length is about 40 centimeters and its weight is 250-350 grams.

The little gull is a size record holder. This is the smallest member of the family. Their weight rarely exceeds 100 grams and their size is 30 centimeters. They have a completely black head and prefer to settle in swamps, rivers and lakes. The Mediterranean gull is distinguished from others by its bright yellow legs, iris and beak. These are white-headed birds with grayish wings and red circles around their eyes. A Mediterranean gull settles on the coast.

The relict gull is on the verge of extinction. In the warm season, the completely white body of this bird has black markings on its head and wing tips. In winter, the color becomes simply white. She has bright red legs and beak. The length of the bird is 45 centimeters. The black-headed gull is a fairly large individual. The length of its body reaches 70 centimeters. The weight of the hero fluctuates around 2 kilograms. They have gray wings, a white body, a black head and an orange beak with a black mark at the tip. There is a white spot near the eye above and below.

The sea pigeon is a fifty-centimeter bird with a white head, gray wings and back. It has an elegant red beak and paws. The tail and wings have patches of black feathers. The herring gull amazes with its beauty and aggressiveness at the same time. The one and a half kilogram light bird has gray wings and a black tail. The paws are pink, the beak is yellow, curved at the end.

A rather large species of gull is the black-billed gull. It weighs up to 800 grams and grows up to 55 centimeters in length. She has a white body, except for gray wings. The bird has yellow legs and a beak curved at the tip, and red circles around the eyes. The laughing gull, also known as the steppe gull, reaches a size of 65 centimeters. This is a fairly large representative. Despite her 1,300 kg, she looks elegant and proud. The beak and legs are yellow, the body is white, topped with gray wings and black tail feathers.

This is interesting! The polar gull is a large animal that lives in the Arctic regions. More specifically, in northern Greenland and Canada.

The sea gull is the largest of all. She is white except for her dark gray wings. The bird has pale pink feet and a yellow beak. It is curved at the tip and has a bright red spot. The black-tailed gull is close in size to the glaucous gull - a 75-centimeter bird. She has white chest, belly, back and head. The tail of the black-tailed gull is decorated with a clear pitch-black line. Its beak is especially beautiful, having red and black markings at the tip.

The ragged gull grows up to 35 centimeters. It has an interesting feature: during the mating season, the animal’s head turns dark gray. After this time it becomes white again. The body is white, the wings are gray, and the tail has bright black feathers. The white gull lives in the Arctic. The white spot of her body is diluted by black paws and a yellow-green beak.

The history and idea of ​​​​creating “The Seagull”
The idea of ​​​​building the Chaika, which carried tourists around Khortitsa, dates back to somewhere in the mid-60s of the 20th century. When the Khortytsia National Nature Reserve was created, then the idea arose to create a Cossack boat that could transport people to Khortytsia and around it. This idea was then returned to after independence. But only now we have such a beauty, such a boat, which was created thanks to the private initiative of one of the residents of our city.”

The ship was created according to the drawings of a new-style Cossack ship of the 18th century, or more precisely from the period 1735-39, during the Russian-Turkish War. Accordingly, the details of the seagull are original, such as the oak keel part, oak frames, pine planking, part of the tack equipment - everything is completely reproduced as it was. But there are some new things, without which it is simply impossible now to register such a vessel and conduct excursion activities. First of all, these are life jackets, and fire extinguishers, and axes, and a license for the mast (editor’s note - I haven’t heard that a license is required for the mast), and the like. This is what is required upon registration. Accordingly, due to the fact that the ship is on the water, for the sake of safety, in some moments it was necessary to deviate from the original drawings, but in general this ship is a reconstruction of that Zaporozhye “Chaika”. The guns fire, but not with combat ones. The oars and sails are functioning."

“When the idea to create “The Seagull” arose, we attracted specialists - historians, cultural experts, tourism experts and others.The master who built this ship is the same one who built the ships for the film “Taras Bulba”.It’s nice to say that this ship was built here in Kushugum.Everyone affectionately called the master “Uncle Tolya.”Unfortunately, he passed away at the beginning of June.”

“At one time, such a ship could carry 50 crew members.Now the ship does not take such a number of people on board.With oars, the ship reaches a speed of approximately 7-8 km/h.Those who wish can try to operate the oars themselves.Now 7 excursion routes and 3 crossings have been developed, but due to a legal conflict, only one is used.”

11 berths and other registration problems

“Due to the fact that the vessel was reproduced according to original drawings, it fell into the category of small vessels.There is no special class of “historically reproduced ships”.We fell into the class of auxiliary, technical vessels.We have a license for transportation, a state of emergency has been registered, we pay taxes, that is, a full set of documents »

“There is a problem with the design of routes.We are given permission to deploy in only three places.I understand that we, as pioneers, have many questions about how this should all work.On the one hand, it’s good that we can’t just build some kind of ferry and have people walk on it.There should be checks, but I would like the various structures to also take into account the specifics of work in this area.Everyone says that the city needs to improve its image and tourist attractiveness, so please, look, a private entrepreneur is investing a lot of money, it seems that he should be helped, not hindered?”

“The Seagull is a flat-bottomed vessel, during the Cossacks it was designed to land on shallows and estuaries.But according to the documents, “Chaika” should moor at the pier.In general, when we developed possible routes, we were told that we had to build 11 berths.The owner didn’t know what to do, he thought that the idea would come to naught.”

The Zaporozhye gull has already been invited to Kyiv and Dnieper

“We received a request from the city of Dnepr, they are renting a ship for the holiday of Ivan Kupala.This was all done officially: a tender was announced, and we participated in it.That is, you see, they are ready to pay for such a ship to come to their city, take part in a theatrical performance on the water and be able to take people for a ride.”

“I’m not saying that the city of Zaporozhye is obliged to finance our business, to spend the city’s funds, but I would like to receive some kind of support.Because they are already calling us even from Kyiv, they say - let us rent your ship together with the crew for the summer period, we will pay a fixed fee, and then you yourself will figure out what you will do in the fall, winter, during the non-navigation period.Our team would like to stay in Zaporozhye, develop our hometown and not go anywhere, but various bureaucratic issues make us think about agreeing to offers from other cities.I hope it’s not so bad and we can sort it all out.”

How much did it cost to create "The Seagull"?

“The owner of Chaika is not a millionaire, but an ordinary ordinary citizen.He doesn't want fame.He says that there is a captain, there is a team, let them give comments.His name is Vadim Kalyuzhnyak, he is not rich, he drives an old car, since he invests all his money in the development of Chaika.”

“As far as I know, construction and materials for Chaika cost about 300,000 hryvnia.In total, including the rigging and the engine, it was about half a million.But I’m not the owner, so I wasn’t involved in financial issues, and I don’t have the opportunity to invest my own money.”

“The first voyage was in November 2016, after which the ship was tested for a very long time, there were certain technical issues that needed to be corrected.The owner had to travel extra to earn money for its modifications, since many details surfaced at the very end.”

Crew - professional sailors

“The number of life jackets on board is twice the number of passengers accepted on board the ship.Each life jacket is designed to carry a certain weight, but you never know what kind of people will come.Chaika can take about 30 people on a trip, this is a comfortable number, we transport in small groups to avoid all controversial issues.Elderly people on crutches and children with mobility impairments in wheelchairs have boarded the ship; it is completely safe.”

“The team is professional sailors who worked in the navy.By the way, appropriate suits are already being made for them.The captain has a specialty and all the relevant documents."

What's next?

“We were joined by active people who had the idea to build a Cossack winter hut, a pledge.It may be located in the Sagaidachny tract.The Cossack pledge is several houses, it looks like a winter hut, but at the same time it is also a guard post.They submitted such a proposal to the General Plan, and recently a letter was received supporting such an initiative.It will be built at private expense."

“The Chaika has always been based in Vyrva, it is registered there, registered, but it is quite large, so it is temporarily based in the Sagaidachny tract.If the possibilities for the construction of this Cossack pledge are determined at the legislative level, then it will remain there.”

“Now the plans are the same - to complete all the documentary work.Because we began processing and registering tourist routes back in November 2016.But there are still a lot of questions."

How much does it cost to ride

« Fare on "Chaika" for adult- 100 hryvnia, for children under seven years old - free. The route takes 2 - 2.5 hours. Such a run up because people usually occurs desire to sit on the oars. Of course, there is demand from travel agencies that bring groups of people to Zaporozhye. If earlier it was a sightseeing tour by bus, now there is an opportunity to ride on the Cossack Chaika.”

“If the Black Sea has always been angry, now it is both blacker and more terrible due to the numerous seagulls that devastate it and the land all summer,” we first see a mention of seagulls in the “Description of the Black Sea and Tataria,” compiled in 1634 . prefect of Cafa E. Dortelli d'Ascoli. "These seagulls are oblong, similar to our frigates, accommodate 50 people, row and sail. To withstand severe storms, they are tied with straw...At sea, not a single ship will be safe if it unfortunately encounters them, especially in calm weather.”

On seagulls, the Cossacks made bold voyages across the Black and Azov Seas and entered into battles with the Tatars and Turks. Unfortunately, evidence of the legendary seagulls has reached us only in the descriptions of eyewitnesses and in the finds of individual fragments, from which we can only guess about the design of the vessel.

The Zaporozhye gull is also described by the Frenchman G. Boplan in the famous “Description of Ukraine...” He is the only one who provides its drawings, according to which the models were made. There are them (scale 1:10) in the Dnepropetrovsk Historical Museum. Academician D.I. Yavornitsky, in the Museum of History of Zaporozhye. As a result, it was decided to build a real seagull. Since travel on the open sea was expected, preliminary calculations were made of the vessel's seaworthiness. Suddenly it turned out that Boplan's seagull would capsize - it was too high. Here's what he writes: "...they build ships 60 feet long, 10-12 wide, and 12 feet deep. Vessels without a keel: the bottom is hollowed out from a willow or linden log, approximately 45 feet long; the ship is sheathed along the sides 12 feet up with boards long from 10 to 12, and 1 foot wide. Planks are nailed one by one, as in the construction of river boats, until the vessel is 12 feet high, 60 feet long. The length gradually increases. In the picture you can see thick ropes of reeds, entwined with bast or straps, which, like tied barrels, cover the ship from stern to bow... Cossack ships have 10-15 oars on each side and sail faster than Turkish galleys..."

First of all, the height of the vessel is 12 feet (3.6 m), of which only 75 cm is above the water. In this case, what should be the displacement of such a vessel? Was Beauplan mistaken?

The characteristic of the body shape is the ratio of the main dimensions. For example, the ratio of width to draft determines the speed of the vessel, length to height determines the rigidity of the hull. Does Boplan's seagull really have speed and rigidity 4 times worse than the Viking rook? I couldn't believe it.

To establish the truth, they used a method of comparing data from technical calculations with historical evidence. We have received quite significant evidence that refutes existing ideas about the appearance of the Cossack boat. Archival information was collected and systematized, which directly or indirectly testified to the seagull’s seaworthiness. These data were also calculated according to Boplan’s drawings, where the speed indicator does not stand up to criticism, although according to all descriptions the seagull was one of the fastest oared vessels of its time. This is how Kazan University professor N.P. evaluates them. Zagoskin: “The speed of the Cossack ships can be seen from the fact that under favorable conditions they reached the shores of Asia Minor within two or three days after leaving the mouth of the Dnieper.” Or, for example, another hint: a reed float belt was attached to the sides, thanks to which the ship did not sink and was held in place when heeling.

Calculations have shown that the float will provide these qualities only for a shallow-draft boat, and not for a Boplan boat.

Calculations were also made of static stability at different loads - 4, 8, 16, 32 and 60 tons. All five options were calculated by one program. In the diagrams we saw that an empty vessel and one loaded with 4 and 8 tons cannot stay upright in calm water at all, and even with large loads the stability is also not satisfactory. Perhaps Beauplan incorrectly indicated the height of the seagull? The Brockhaus and Efron dictionary contains all the dimensions of the canoe (according to Boplan), but for some reason the total height is not indicated. Perhaps the error was noticed at the end of the 19th century. And in the multi-volume “History of the Ukrainian SSR” all the dimensions according to Boplan are indicated, but for some reason the seagull “grew” here to 4 m. For candidate of historical sciences O.M. Apanovich, the vessel expanded to 6 m instead of 3 according to Boplan, and the thickness of the reed floats became 2.5 m instead of 0.6. In citing these data, the author presents Beauplan's drawings, but without a scale bar.

What was the Zaporozhye seagull really like? Let's try to at least roughly restore the general appearance of the ship. Of course, its prototype was the Slavic boats, which from ancient times sailed along the Dnieper, part of the Great Waterway from the Varangians to the Greeks. According to the testimony of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the basis of the vessel was a log hollowed out of wood. Zagoskin describes the same method of construction. In the early 20th century, he observed how dugouts with impressive lifting capacities were being made. Obviously, the Cossacks sheathed linden monoxyl with boards, just like the Don Cossacks, with whom the Cossacks went on campaigns more than once. A ship from such a deck weighed 30 tons. Sixty people with weapons and supplies, according to Boplan’s calculations, weigh about 6 tons, which means that the seagull’s displacement was no more than 10 tons. From here the draft is determined - no more than 0.4 m. Even if the load is doubled, it will not exceed 0.6 m.

Now let's calculate the freeboard height. Having examined the various types of oared vessels, you can see that the height of the side at the central frame is 0.5-0.8 m. This rule is determined by the optimal length of the oar and the angle of its entry into the water. The seagull's freeboard was not low thanks to the reed sheaf, which according to the drawing was approximately 2 feet in diameter, i.e. up to 0.6 m. It does not touch calm water and interferes with the operation of the oars. As you can see, the total height of the seagull (approximately 1.3 m) is almost three times less than in the historical sketch.

... Returning from a campaign across the Sea of ​​Azov, the Cossacks dragged light and low seagulls to the Dnieper, and not four-meter-high ships loaded with multi-ton ballast.

The newly designed hull is now in full compliance with predecessor ships and Dnieper canoes manufactured later, and in terms of stability speed and load capacity, it meets its historical purpose and historical analogues.

Beauplan drawing

...no ship, no matter how large and well armed, is safe if, unfortunately, it encounters “seagulls”...
Emilio Dascoli, “Description of the Black Sea and Tartary”, 1634

The Zaporozhye Cossacks were outstanding warriors: skillful, cunning, patient. And brave - to the point of complete recklessness. This is often talked about, and it cannot be said that it is only out of patriotism. The above assessment is a composite quotation from the records of foreign chroniclers of that time. It’s nice when your skill is recognized by grateful descendants, but it’s a double honor when it’s recognized by the enemy you’re fighting with. The Cossacks received this honor.

To be a good warrior in the case of the Cossacks meant to be a good sailor. On land, Ukrainians fought only with Poles. They had to deal with the Tatars and Turks at sea. And if it was possible to somehow come to an agreement with Poland, then with the Ottoman Empire and the Khanate it was not. These were enemies forever. The Cossacks knew for sure that their naval battle would never end. Well, when it comes to survival, all means are good.

The best strategy in such a war is a preemptive strike. The Cossacks did not hesitate to deliver such blows. “...to this day, up to 30, 40 and 50 boats descend annually into the sea and in battles cause such severe harm that the shores of the Black Sea have become completely uninhabited, with the exception of some places protected by fortresses,” the Dominican abbot could not believe his eyes Emilio Dascoli. “At sea, no ship, no matter how large and well armed, is safe if, unfortunately, it encounters seagulls, especially in calm weather.”

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a Cossack warship was called a seagull. Dascoli was not exaggerating - this word was understood and pronounced equally in all languages ​​spoken on the shores of the Black Sea. When he was shouted out on the deck of a Turkish ship, the crew began to pray to Allah.

Seagulls could not be called the last word in shipbuilding. They were made simply, even primitively, which greatly surprised the French engineer Guillaume Beauplan, who left detailed information about seagulls in the “Description of Ukraine” in 1660. This simplicity was the key to speed and maneuverability, which is why Cossack boats were named after birds. Construction began with the keel being hollowed out from a linden, oak or willow trunk - the basis of the future boat. On the sides, a tier of boards was nailed to the keel, the next one was nailed to it, and so on, building up the side of the ship until it reached more than three meters in height. The length of the finished hull could be from 15 to 20 m, the width was 3.5 - 4 m. The tightly knocked together side was carefully oiled.

The stern and bow of the seagull did not differ: “These ships have a rudder both from the bow and from the stern,” Cornelius Cruys, admiral of Peter I, was amazed. This helped to instantly, without turning, change course to the opposite one, just by starting to row in the opposite direction. There was no deck, the Cossacks walked straight along the bottom, and they made benches for the rowers, seating two people per oar. There were from 10 to 15 pairs of oars on the seagull. A nest was made on the ship to install the mast, but they did not install it right away, but carried it with them disassembled. The folding mast became one of those inventions that the Turks cursed so much. Without a mast, the seagull could not be seen from afar - the side rose out of the water by 75 cm, or a little more, and the Cossacks, seeing the enemy, could bend down or lie on the bottom.

But another invention became a real nightmare for the Turks: outside, along the side of the seagull, there was a thick “belt” of bundles of reeds - more than half a meter in diameter. In such quantities, light reeds kept the boat afloat, even if it was filled with water. The Turkish ships could not sink the seagull either from the first cannonball or from the tenth, and they did not have time to release more - the Cossacks were already on board. Point-blank fire from rifles also did not bring success - the bullets got stuck in the reeds behind which the sailors were hiding. The reed “lifebuoy” made it possible to drown a seagull near the surface in a secluded place, go on a hike, and then come and pull it out of the water a few days later. The Turks, constantly tied to their ships and too visible because of them, only dreamed of such freedom.

Another subject of envy of the Turks was the speed of seagulls. Cossack boats easily reached a speed of eight knots on oars alone. The Cossacks made the journey from the mouth of the Dnieper to the Turkish port of Anatolia - that is, across the entire Black Sea - in 35 - 40 hours. Compared to them, the Turkish galleys looked slow and clumsy. One can understand Dascoli, who wrote: “The Cossacks are so brave that not only with equal forces, but even with twenty “gulls” they are not afraid of the padishah’s thirty galleys, as is seen in practice every year.” The Cossacks, of course, were brave. But that is not why they were not afraid of the galleys.

The Cossacks did not have shipyards in the industrial sense of the word - the kind that were in the Ottoman Empire. Their absence had to be made up for with engineering ingenuity. 60 craftsmen worked on one seagull, but they completed it in two weeks. The Cossacks could lose their entire fleet and build a new one in a month. They did not have imperial resources at their disposal - the seagull is probably the most economical ship in the history of shipbuilding. In addition to wood, it required two barrels of resin, about 210 kg of iron, a little more than 40 m of rope and 140 m of any cord and rope to tie the reeds to the side. The Turks spent one and a half tons of iron and 1.7 tons of rope on one galley - on gear that still did not save them.

Each Cossack ship was armed with several falconets - 45 mm cannons. But the main thing on the seagull - what made it nimble, dangerous, sudden - were the sailors. Accommodating 50-70 people on one ship, they flew at everything that moved in the Black Sea, and left behind only burning skeletons. The operation of 1652 is rightfully considered an absolute military triumph, when 1000 Cossacks on seagulls attacked Istanbul, destroyed the port, devastated the surrounding area and escaped with 150 prisoners. Ten Turkish warships were launched in pursuit. With a fair wind, the ships - a rare occurrence - overtook a flotilla of seagulls overflowing with prey. But the Cossacks sank most of the ships and dispersed the rest. One Turkish chronicler even wrote that... However, this is another story.