Beliany - unique ships of the 19th century
As you know, the need for invention is cunning. Russians have long been famous for their ingenuity and hard work, so it is not surprising that in the 19th century they managed to invent the Belyany - unique ships that sailed along the Volga and Kama rivers and could compete with ocean liners in their size!
Belyany - the pride of the Volga and Vetluga
Belyany swam exclusively in one direction - from the upper to the lower reaches of the rivers and did not go further than Astrakhan. These vessels were impressive in size: some reached 120 m in length, 30 m in width, and the side height was about 6 m. From 15 to 35 people were "served" by Belyan, although sometimes the number of workers reached 60-80 (occasionally on ships worked as families, and women floated on belyans on a par with men).
Some of the Belians reached 120 m in length.
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Unusual boats for timber rafting
Belian looked bulky, but in fact they were very maneuverable. They were controlled with the help of a rudder and a huge lot, because of which the ship moved along the river forward stern, and not bow.
Construction of Belyany.
Kazenki are houses for the team.
Both men and women worked for Belians.
Belyany construction
Used belyany for wood alloying. They got their name due to the fact that their body, made of barkless logs, was of its former color. One ship could be folded from 200 spruce beams (they laid out the bottom) and 250 pine (served for the sides), the deck was laid from a plank or from sawn boards. The ships were originally built without a single nail, and they were never tarred, since they were intended for only one navigation. Arriving at the destination, the ship was dismantled to the ground, the owners of belyans sold everything - from logs to stumps, matting, ropes, fasteners. At the stern of Belyana, two huts were installed for the team, called "kazenki", they were also sold on land as ready-made houses.
Used belyany for wood alloying. They got their name due to the fact that their body, made of barkless logs, was of its former color. One ship could be folded from 200 spruce beams (they laid out the bottom) and 250 pine (served for the sides), the deck was laid from a plank or from sawn boards. The ships were originally built without a single nail, and they were never tarred, since they were intended for only one navigation. Arriving at the destination, the ship was dismantled to the ground, the owners of belyans sold everything - from logs to stumps, matting, ropes, fasteners. At the stern of Belyana, two huts were installed for the team, called "kazenki", they were also sold on land as ready-made houses.
The workers are laying the logs.
Despite the fact that the Belyans' century was not long, the owners made a lot of efforts to decorate them: state, trade or kuch flags resembling sails were attached to the deck. Particular attention was paid to the pilot's booth, it was often carved and painted with gold paint.
Most of the Belyany were built in the middle of the 19th century, when steamers appeared en masse (there were 500 of them in the Russian fleet), which worked on wood at that time. With the transition to oil, the demand for firewood decreased, but the Belians continued to walk to the Volga region until the end of the century.