View source for MV Yulius Fuchik

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image=[[File:Yulius Fuchik 1992-09-09.jpg|300px|Yulius Fuchik leaving Ust-Dynaysk, Ukraine, for an unidentified Asian port on 9 September 1992.]]
| Ship caption=''Yulius Fuchik'' leaving [[Ust-Dunaysk]], [[Ukraine]], for an unidentified Asian port on 9 September 1992.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country= [[Soviet Union]]
| Ship flag= {{flagicon|USSR}}
| Ship name= ''Yulius Fuchik'' (''Юлиус Фучик'')<ref group="note" name="name" />
| Ship namesake=[[Julius Fučík (journalist)|Julius Fučík]]
| Ship owner=
| Ship operator=Interlighter
| Ship registry=[[Izmail]], {{USSR}}
| Ship route=
| Ship ordered=
| Ship awarded=
| Ship builder=[[Valmet]] [[Vuosaari shipyard]] ([[Helsinki]], [[Finland]])
| Ship original cost=* [[Finnish markka|FIM]] 350 million
| Ship yard number=290
| Ship laid down=
| Ship launched=3 March 1978
| Ship completed=20 October 1978
| Ship in service=1978–1991
| Ship identification=
| Ship fate=Transferred to Ukraine, 1991
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header=title
| Ship country= [[Ukraine]]
| Ship flag= {{flagicon|Ukraine|1992}}
| Ship name=* ''Yulius Fuchik'' (''Юлиус Фучик'')<ref group="note" name="name" />
| Ship operator= Interlighter
| Ship registry=[[Izmail]], {{flag|Ukraine|1992}}
| Ship in service=1991&ndash;1998
| Ship fate=Transferred to Cyprus, 1998
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header=title
| Ship country= [[Cyprus]]
| Ship flag= {{flagicon|Cyprus}}
| Ship name=* ''Production Driller''
| Ship namesake=
| Ship owner=
| Ship operator=
| Ship registry=[[Limassol]], {{flag|Cyprus}}
| Ship in service=1998-2002
| Ship fate=Transferred to Panama, 2002
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header=title
| Ship country= [[Panama]]
| Ship flag= {{flagicon|Panama}}
| Ship name=* ''Asian Alliance''
| Ship namesake=
| Ship owner=
| Ship operator=
| Ship registry= [[Panama City]], {{flag|Panama}}
| Ship in service=2002–2003
| Ship fate=Transferred to Mongolia, 2003
| Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header=title
| Ship country= [[Mongolia]]
| Ship flag= {{flagicon|Mongolia}}
| Ship name=* ''Alliance''
| Ship namesake=
| Ship owner=
| Ship operator=
| Ship registry=[[Ulaanbaatar]], {{flag|Mongolia}}
| Ship in service=2003
| Ship identification={{IMO number|7505322}}
| Ship fate=Broken up in [[Alang]] in 2003
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header=
| Header caption=
| Ship class=
| Ship type=[[Barge carrier]]
| Ship tonnage=* {{GRT|35,817}}
* {{NRT|15,497}}
* {{DWT|37,850}}
| Ship displacement=60,262 tons
| Ship length={{convert|266.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam={{convert|35.0|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship height={{convert|50.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} from keel to mast
| Ship draft={{convert|11.0|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship depth={{convert|23.0|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship decks=Three cargo decks
| Ship deck clearance={{convert|6.1|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship ramps=2,600-ton lifting platform in the stern
| Ship power=4{{nbsp}}×{{nbsp}}[[Wärtsilä]]-[[Pielstick]] 16PC2-5V400 (4{{nbsp}}×{{nbsp}}6,620{{nbsp}}kW)
| Ship propulsion=Two [[KaMeWa]] [[controllable pitch propeller]]s
| Ship speed=* {{convert|20.5|kn}} (ballast)
* {{convert|19|kn}} (service)
| Ship range={{convert|12000|nmi}}
| Ship endurance=
| Ship capacity=* 26 1,300-ton [[lighter aboard ship|lighters]]
* 56 LASH barges
* {{TEU|1,552}}
| Ship crew=50–55
| Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Yulius Fuchik''''' ({{lang-rus|Юлиус Фучик}})<ref group="note" name="name">Although the name of the ship is sometimes transliterated as ''Julius Fucik'', such as in the Tom Clancy novel, in official context she is referred to as ''Yulius Fuchik'', transliterated using the Soviet [[GOST 16876-71]] system.</ref> was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and later [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] [[barge carrier]]. Derivatives of the [[Seabee (barge)#Sea Bee system|Seabee]] system, she and her sister ship, [[MV Tibor Szamueli|''Tibor Szamueli'']], were built in the late 1970s by the Finnish state-owned shipbuilder [[Valmet]] in [[Vuosaari shipyard]]. As the demand for lighter transport fell in the 1990s, she was sold and eventually [[shipbreaking|broken up]] in [[Alang]] in 2003.
== History ==
=== Development and construction ===
In the 1970s, the Soviet authorities issued a [[request for tender]]s for the construction of a vessel capable of carrying 25 to 30 barges with displacement of 1,300 tons. At that time, the Soviet Union had the most extensive inland waterway system in the world and the [[Rhine–Main–Danube Canal]] connecting the [[North Sea]] to the [[Black Sea]] was expected to open in the near future. Together with the increasing oil prices, the development of efficient barge-carrying systems with high loading and unloading rate generated considerable interest in the Soviet Union.<ref name="motorship">'Yulius Fucik'. The Motor Ship, March 1979. Pages 78–81.</ref><ref name="tm" />
The contract for two ships was awarded to the Finnish state-owned shipbuilding company [[Valmet]] and was, at the time, the largest single contract made by a Finnish industrial company at [[Finnish markka|FIM]] 700 million (US$200 million).<ref name="tm" /> Although Valmet had been developing its own barge handling system,<ref name="tm" /> it was agreed that the proven [[United States|American]] Seabee concept would be adopted instead of the shipyard's own design due to the relatively short timescale before delivery.<ref name="motorship" /> The Soviets purchased two sets of drawings from the American owners for US$1 million.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sj41AAAAIBAJ&sjid=IGcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2387%2C5750191 Russians Get U.S. Ship Plans]. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 29 October 1975.</ref> However, a number of changes were made to the original design, and as a result the design costs accounted for some 25 percent of the [[man-hour]]s spent on the project. The work included extensive model testing, which resulted in the adoption of a [[bulbous bow]] that alone increased the ships' service speed by 0.5 knots.<ref name="motorship" />
''Yulius Fuchik'', named after the Czech journalist and resistance fighter [[Julius Fučík (journalist)|Julius Fučík]], was launched on 3 March 1978 and handed to [[Sudoimport|V/O Sudoimport]], the Soviet foreign trade organization with a monopoly for the foreign trade of ships, on 20 October of the same year.<ref name="miramar">{{csr|register=MSI|id=7505322|shipname=Yulius Fuchik|accessdate=2012-08-03}}</ref> At the time of her delivery, she was the most expensive ship ever constructed by a Finnish shipyard.<ref name="valkonen">Valkonen, M. [https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/92609 Vuosaaren telakka-altaan kuntotutkimus Vuosaaren telakka-altaan kuntotutkimus ja käyttömahdollisuudet Vuosaaren sataman yhteydessä]. Diplomityö. Rakennus- ja ympäristötekniikan osasto, Teknillinen Korkeakoulu, 2005.</ref> The second ship, [[MV Tibor Szamueli|''Tibor Szamueli'']] — named after [[Tibor Szamuely|a Hungarian Communist leader]] — followed in 1979.<ref name="tm" /> The ships were later followed by two smaller feeder-type barge carriers, [[MV Boris Polevoy|''Boris Polevoy'']] and [[MV Pavel Antokolskiy|''Pavel Antokolskiy'']], in the 1980s.<ref name="valkonen" />
=== Career ===
[[File:Tibor Szamueli 1992-08-25.jpg|thumb|left|[[MV Tibor Szamueli|''Tibor Szamueli'']], the sister ship of ''Yulius Fuchik'', moored at [[Ust-Dunaysk]], [[Ukraine]], on 25 August 1992.]]
''Yulius Fuchik'' and her sister ship were operated by [[Interlighter]], a company founded in May 1978 by the governments of [[Bulgaria]], [[Hungary]], Soviet Union and [[Czechoslovakia]] with the sole purpose of transporting lighters without [[transshipment]] between the countries along the [[Danube river]] and the countries in [[South Asia|South]] and [[South-East Asia]].<ref name="udsc">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110403104849/http://oaoudp.com.ua/content/view/21/1/lang,english/ The historical background of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company]. Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company. {{retrieved | accessdate=2012-08-06}}</ref> The transportation service was offered under the brand "Danube-Sea Line". The barges carried by ''Yulius Fuchik'' were loaded in various ports along the Danube river and then pushed downstream to [[Sulina]], [[Romania]], where they were loaded in the ship. They were mainly transported to the [[Mekong Delta]], a voyage that took around 18 days, and pushed upstream as far as [[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]], for unloading. Occasionally, lighters were also carried to [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]]; [[Bombay]], [[India]]; and [[Penang]], [[Malaysia]]. The service continued until the early 1990s, when the demand for lighters dropped and the ships were laid up.<ref name="ss">[http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=432592 TIBOR SAMUELI - IMO 7505334]. Comment by Marek Gono. {{retrieved |accessdate=2012-08-06}}</ref>
The subsequent career of the Finnish-built barge carriers is unclear. Both ''Yulius Fuchik'' and ''Tibor Szamueli'' were sold in the late 1990s and renamed ''Production Driller'' and ''Development Driller'' respectively. Despite the names, it is uncertain if the ships were ever converted or otherwise used for [[offshore drilling]]. After the alleged plans for using the barge carriers to transport [[rolling stock]] from the United States to the Latin America fell through, the ships were laid up in [[Piraeus]], [[Greece]].<ref name="ss" /><ref>[http://www.infoflotforum.ru/index.php?showtopic=2736&view=findpost&p=27183 Infoflot.ru Forum]. {{retrieved | accessdate=2012-08-06}}</ref><ref>[http://www.norsknettskole.no/studentar/IT20h01alod/ProductionDriller.htm Photograph of ''Production Driller'' in Piraeus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224527/http://www.norsknettskole.no/studentar/IT20h01alod/ProductionDriller.htm |date=2016-03-03 }}. {{retrieved | accessdate=2012-08-06}}</ref>
The ships changed hands again in 2002. ''Production Driller'' was renamed ''Asian Alliance'' and ''Development Driller'' became ''Asian Reliance''.<ref name="ss" /> It is unknown if the specialized barge carriers, already close to the end of their economic life, were used for transporting cargo. Both ships were sold for scrap in 2003 "as is" in [[Eleusis]], [[Greece]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20121216062856/http://celship.com/cgi-bin/dbdseach.cgi?r=search&search_period=0&search_type=0&search_dwt=0&search_built=0&searchstring=&displayfields=0 Search Results]. celship.com. {{retrieved | accessdate=2012-08-06}}</ref> ''Asian Alliance'' was renamed ''Alliance'' and broken up in [[Alang]], [[India]], while ''Asian Reliance'' was rechristened ''Reliance'' and then ''C Reliance'', and scrapped on [[Gadani Beach]], [[Pakistan]].<ref name="ss" />
== Design ==
=== General characteristics ===
''Yulius Fuchik'' was {{convert|226.4|m|ft}} [[length overall|long overall]] and {{convert|210.3|m|ft}} [[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]]. She had a beam of {{convert|35.0|m|ft}} and her depth to the upper deck was {{convert|23.0|m|ft}}. From keel to mast, she measured {{convert|50.5|m|ft}}. The draft of the ship when loaded to the summer load line was {{convert|11|m|ft}}, corresponding to displacement of 60,262 tons. Her [[gross register tonnage]] was 35,817 register tons, [[net register tonnage]] 15,497 register tons and [[deadweight tonnage]] 37,850 tons.<ref name="morflot">USSR MORFLOT Cargo Ships, Part 2, pages 87–88.</ref> In terms of the main dimensions, ''Yulius Fuchik'' was slightly wider than the older Seabee ships, but otherwise her main dimensions were nearly identical to the original design.<ref name="motorship" />
The general arrangements of ''Yulius Fuchik'' were largely dictated by the cargo handling system. The superstructure, spanning across the weather deck, housed only part of the ship's accommodation space. The entire crew of 50 was housed in single cabins, most of them located within the narrow side compartments on both sides of the cargo decks. In addition to normal messes and saloons, the amenities of the ship also included sports and hobby rooms, library, [[sauna]], photographic laboratory and even a swimming pool.<ref name="motorship" /><ref name="shippingworld">'Yulius Fuchik'. Shipping World & Shipbuilder, January 1979.</ref>
=== Cargo capacity ===
''Yulius Fuchik'' belonged to the distinct group of cargo ships known as barge carriers which offered, at the time, the highest theoretical loading and unloading rate of all cargo ships. The lighter aboard ship (LASH) system was based on unpowered barges, also known as lighters, that were loaded on board a larger vessel for transport between inland waterways separated by open seas. For this purpose, ''Yulius Fuchik'' had vast cargo decks and a large lifting platform in the stern.<ref name="motorship" /><ref name="shippingworld" />
Although the basic design of the ship was based on existing Seabee ships with a capacity of 38 1,000-ton lighters, ''Yulius Fuchik'' was designed for 26 slightly different "Danube-Sea barges" weighing 1,300 tons each. Both the lower deck and the 'tweendeck could accommodate eight {{convert|38|m|ft|adj=on}} barges, two side by side, while the longer weather deck had enough space for ten barges, each capable of carrying 1,070 tons of cargo. The barges were moved longitudinally in the cargo holds on remote-controlled platforms. Although the bottom deck, located {{convert|0.8|m|ft}} below the waterline at maximum draught, was protected by a watertight stern door, flooding it while the ship was underway would not have compromised the stability of the vessel.<ref name="motorship" /><ref name="shippingworld" />
The most striking feature of the ship was the lifting platform in the stern, abaft from the propellers and rudders, which was supported by high [[cantilever]] structures on both sides. Although the arrangement was similar to the original Seabee design, the "Syncrolift" cargo elevator was electric instead of hydraulic. Eight winches in four pairs were capable of hoisting 2,600 tons of cargo at a speed of 0.7 metres per minute ({{convert|0.7|m|ft|disp=output only|abbr=off}} per minute), giving the ship a calculated loading capacity of about 2,600 tons per hour in optimum conditions.<ref name="motorship" /><ref name="tm">Tibor Szamuely - erikoinen laiva. Tekniikan Maailma 5/1980.</ref>
In addition to the purpose-built barges, ''Yulius Fuchik'' could also carry other types of cargo. Although each barge could be loaded with 15 [[twenty-foot equivalent unit|standard 20-foot shipping containers]], they could also be carried on the cargo decks and even moved around with the barge-handling equipment. Using special container adapters on the cargo rails, ''Yulius Fuchik'' could carry 1,312 loaded containers plus an additional 240 empty containers on the upper deck stacks, bringing the total container capacity to {{TEU|1,552}}. In addition, 54 LASH-type barges (the type used by the nuclear-powered ''[[Sevmorput]]'') could be carried with another set of adapters, and the decks were strengthened for [[ro-ro]] cargo with axle loads up to 22 tons.<ref name="motorship" /> Furthermore, the ship carried two {{convert|440|kW|hp|abbr=on}} [[towboat|pusher tugs]] for handling the barges.<ref>[http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter/198002/content/pusher-completed-valmet-207021 Four 600-HP Pusher Tugs Completed By Valmet]. Maritime Reporter. {{retrieved | accessdate=2017-05-28}}</ref>
=== Power and propulsion ===
''Yulius Fuchik'' was powered by four [[V16 engine|16-cylinder]] [[Wärtsilä]]-[[Pielstick]] 16PC2-5V400 medium-speed [[diesel engine]]s located amidships, each producing {{convert|6620|kW|hp|abbr=on}} at 504 rpm. The engines were coupled via double input/single output reduction gearboxes to two {{convert|5.5|m|ft|adj=on}} [[KaMeWa]] [[controllable pitch propeller]]s turning at 135 rpm. The propeller shafts were of considerable length, and thus had to be supported by six bearings. The propulsion system gave the ship a maximum speed of {{convert|20.5|kn}}, but her typical service speed was slightly less, {{convert|19|kn}}. Underway, the ship burned [[heavy fuel oil]] at a rate of 128 tons per day. The propulsion system of ''Yulius Fuchik'' was the largest deviation from the original Seabee design which utilized a single {{convert|36000|shp|kW}} [[steam turbine]] coupled to a fixed pitch propeller instead of the twin shaft diesel power plant.<ref name="motorship" />
For maneuvering at ports, ''Yulius Fuchik'' was also equipped with a 900{{nbsp}}kW [[bow thruster]]. Onboard electricity was produced by four [[straight-six engine|six-cylinder]] medium-speed Valmet-[[Burmeister & Wain|B&W]] 6S28 diesel alternators, each generating 1,250 kVA.<ref name="motorship" />
== In popular culture ==
''Yulius Fuchik'' played a prominent role in the 1986 techno-thriller ''[[Red Storm Rising]]'' by [[Tom Clancy]] and [[Larry Bond]].<ref name="suomensotilas">[http://suomensotilas.fi/pdf/suomen_sotilas_2011_2.pdf Good Bye, Tom Clancy]{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Suomen Sotilas 2/2011, page 90. {{retrieved | accessdate=2012-08-08}}</ref> In the novel, she was disguised as the American-flagged Seabee carrier [[SS Cape Mendocino (T-AKR-5064)|''Doctor Lykes'']] and used to transport Soviet troops to [[Keflavik]], [[Iceland]]. In order to conform with the slightly different silhouette of the [[Lykes Brothers Steamship Company|Lykes Lines]] ship, parts of her superstructure were removed and the shape of the funnels was altered with prefabricated parts. Furthermore, the twenty-foot Interlighter markings on the side of the ship were painted over and replaced with "Lykes Lines," and the white L on a blue diamond of the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company emblem was added on the forward superstructure.<ref name="clancy">{{cite book |title=Red Storm Rising |last1=Clancy |first1=Tom |last2=Bond |first2=Larry |year=1986 |publisher=Putnam Publishing |isbn=0-399-13149-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/redstormrising00tomc }}</ref>
Later in the book, ''Yulius Fuchik'' was spotted by an American [[P-3C Orion]] shortly after launching four [[Lebed class LCAC|Lebed class]] [[Landing Craft Air Cushion|hovercraft]] from her cargo deck. After an [[Strela 2|SA-7]] [[surface-to-air missile]] launched from the ship failed to hit the Orion, the American plane retaliated with a [[Harpoon (missile)|Harpoon]] [[anti-ship missile]] and called in two [[F-15]]s to [[strafing|strafe]] the ship with their [[M61 Vulcan|20 mm cannons]]. The damaged ''Yulius Fuchik'' eventually reached the port of Keflavik and, after running aground during the approach, slowly settled to the bottom next to the quay in water only a few feet deeper than the draught of the vessel.<ref name="clancy" />
== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yulius Fuchik}}
[[Category:1978 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Helsinki]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Cargo ships of Russia]]
[[Category:Cold War history of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Soviet Union in fiction]]