Rear Admiral, aviation pioneer, talented artist, discoverer of the fundamental law of aerodynamics, strong leader. All these qualities were combined in one person - Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky. A brief biography of it will be presented to your attention in the article.
Childhood and youth
March 21, 1825 in the family of the Admiral of the Russian Navy, Fedor Timofeevich Mozhaysky, the son Alexander was born, a future aviation pioneer. The hometown of the inventor, Rochensalm, the former possession of Finland, went to Russia after the war and was in desolation. The hereditary sailor Fedor Timofeevich insisted on the need to train his son in the famous St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps. After graduating from an educational institution with brilliant results, Alexander Fedorovich joined the naval service, went around the Baltic and White Seas, and only a year later was promoted to midshipman. He was well versed in the exact sciences, was fond of naval and military equipment, and drew beautifully. During his trip to Japan, he made many sketches, which, according to experts, are of ethnographic and historical value.
"Diana"
All this time he dreamed of a dream of long voyages. In 1853, learning about the upcoming Japanese campaign of the frigate "Diana", he began to apply for admission to the team. His reputation as an experienced sailor, as well as brilliant recommendations played a role. In December 1854, the ship became a victim of a marine earthquake off the coast of Japan. The frigate carried it to the reef, the resulting cracks let an uncontrolled sea flow inside. The whole team worked as a single organism, without sleep and rest, but the water did not decrease. After a long struggle to save the ship, it was decided to leave it. Having reached the shore on boats, the team was forced to wait for help in a foreign country. It is not known how long the wait would have been had it not been for Mozhaisky’s enthusiasm, backed up by his sharp mind and the magazine he saved, describing the dimensions of the ship. Under his leadership, the crew was able to build a schooner and go back home. After 20 days, the anchor was dropped off the coast of Kamchatka, where Lieutenant Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky transferred to the Argun steamer to follow to the Nikolaev post.
Steamer “Thundering” and Khiva expedition
1857 was marked by the appointment to the ship “Thundering”, cruising on the routes Kronstadt - Estonia, Kronstadt - Germany. The service here gave Alexander the opportunity to gain practical experience in studying a steam engine. In 1858, Mozhaisky again became a member of a long-distance expedition, but already a land one. Participants will have to study the basins of the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, get acquainted with the culture and traditions of local residents. For his contribution to the study and description of the Amur basin, Alexander Fedorovich was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree.
"Rider"
Despite resistance to everything new, the pillars of Russian shipping recognized the advantage of steam engines. It was decided to build the first steam helical clipper “The Horseman” at the shipyards of the Finnish Bjerneborg. Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky fell in charge of the construction. The choice fell not by accident, the role was played by his experience at Thundering, excellent organizational skills, engineering knowledge. In the summer of 1860, Mozhaisky set to work. It was not easy for him, because, in addition to management, he had to train workers, because no one except him was familiar with the design of steam engines. Thanks to his talent, in just a year, the ship was ready and successfully passed all the tests.
Personal life
At the end of the Crimean War, like many officers of the navy, he was sent on indefinite leave. This period was marked by the marriage of eighteen-year-old Lyubov Dmitrievna Kuzmina. The couple met back in the spring of 1859, when Alexander Fedorovich came to visit his friends in Vologda. Lyubov Dmitrievna had a good education, was known as a deeply religious person, and she played great music. Having married, the family settled in Kotelnikov, their house is now a museum. Lyubov Dmitrievna gave birth to heirs, sons of Alexander and Nikolai. But family happiness did not last long - at the age of 23 years from a transient disease Lyubov Dmitrievna died. Alexander Fedorovich never married again, devoting his life to children and his dream - the construction of the first aircraft.
First experiments
The year 1876 marked the beginning of serious work on the development of the first experimental model of an aircraft heavier than air. The thought of him was tormented by the inquisitive mind of Alexander Mozhaysky (the designer’s biography is full of interesting facts and events) from the time of his service at Diana. In those years, newspapers often published articles on aeronautics, claiming that the hour was near when people could fly like birds. Once, during a shift at the Diana, Mozhaysky witnessed how a strong gust of wind hit a seagull on a main mast. Alexander Fedorovich took the bird that made the last cry to his cabin. With her help, he tried to find properties that help birds fly.
Mozhaysky consulted with the best Russian scientists, made many calculations, conducted thousands of experiments to create the world's first aircraft. More than a decade before Lilienthal, he discovered one of the main aerodynamic laws on the existence of a ratio of speed with the weight of an object and a plane. Testing of the model was successful: he designed a kite-glider (towing was carried out by horses) was able to lift it into the air twice. And already in 1877, Mozhaisky successfully demonstrated a model driven by a clock spring. Its speed reached 15 km / h, the load was even attached to the prototype.
Financial questions
If Alexander Mozhaysky, whose brief biography was the subject of our review, spent personal savings on creating small experimental models, then his funds were not enough to develop a full-fledged ballooning ship. For this reason, Mozhaisky made a petition to the Ministry of War on the provision of financing for the construction of a full-size model. The commission, headed by D.I. Mendeleev, made a decision on the allocation of allocations to him in the amount of 3, 000 rubles. In 1878, the designer provided drawings of the aircraft, with detailed calculations and explanations, to the Main Engineering Directorate. Hoping to receive funding, he proposed using the aircraft for military purposes. The office refused to provide funds, questioning the benefits of the project. This did not stop the inventor, he continued experiments, attracting private investors.
Plane plan
Having developed the aircraft project, in the spring of 1878 he presented it directly to the Minister of War, asking him to support the development of the aircraft. His plan suggested that the aircraft would consist of the following elements:
- boats where people will be accommodated;
- fixed wings in the amount of two pieces;
- tail, the main purpose of which is to change the direction of movement due to the ability to rise and fall;
- three screws: one large front and two small behind;
- carts on wheels located under the boat, its purpose is to give the aircraft the speed necessary for takeoff;
- two match for firm fixation of the wings and lifting the tail.
The engine was supposed to be two steam engines: one drives the bow screw, the other two pushing rear. The attached cost plan, drawings, calculations and descriptions did not convince the ministry commission: referring to the insufficient capacity of the installation, the application was rejected. In 1880, funding was agreed upon and a business trip abroad was organized, from where Mozhaisky delivered 2 steam units equipped with a water tube boiler and a refrigerator. In the fall of 1881, he became the owner of the first patent in the country.
Aircraft construction and testing
Since 1882, Alexander Mozhaisky (Studianrussian) began to design the apparatus. He was allocated a plot in the Red Village, right on the military field. 1883 was the end of many years of work - the assembly of the first Russian aircraft, which came to flight tests, was completed. Ground tests showed the viability of the experimental model, it was decided to conduct the first flight. However, when the run on wooden rails took place, the unexpected happened: the plane lost a wing due to a roll. The development was declared a military secret, but assistance was never provided. Until the last years of his life, A.F. Mozhaisky worked on his invention. After the death of the designer on April 1, 1890, a prototype of the first aircraft of Alexander Mozhaisky (briefly about him - in the article) was delivered to his estate, where it burned down several years later.
Turbohod
On December 1, 1914, the passenger ship Patria was laid down, making its first voyage in 1919. For 16 years of operation by foreign companies, the ship passed hundreds of thousands of miles between the Netherlands and Indonesia, and in 1935 it was sold to the USSR. The Soviet Union used it as an educational one, changing its name to “Svir”. With the outbreak of World War II, the ship entered the military service, and in 1942 it sank during the bombing near Leningrad. After a year of peaceful life, it was raised and sent for repair. After a long recovery, the ship acquired a modern look and was modernized into a cargo-passenger liner. The turbo ship was given a new name - "Alexander Mozhaisky." His life continued on the passenger line of the Far East of the country until the spring of 1970. Interestingly, the Alexander Mozhaysky turbo ship was transferred to the village of Wrangel as a hostel. After 8 years, the ship was sold to Hong Kong for scrap.
