The meaning of the word pontoon. What is a pontoon? What is a pontoon

Fig.1 Plastic pontoon. Koppe, Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

What is a pontoon? The Big Encyclopedic Dictionary reveals this term as follows. Pontoon (French - ponton from Latin pons - bridge) is a flat-bottomed non-self-propelled vessel with or without a deck. There are metal, inflatable, reinforced concrete, plastic (Fig. 1), etc. They are used to raise sunken ships, as floating supports of floating bridges, components of pontoon bridges, moorings, ferries. The pontoon hulls do not have to be straight-walled.

Today, cylindrical pontoons are also used quite often (Fig. 2).

Often a ship hull with simplified contours is called a pontoon (Fig. 3). Sometimes such hulls have floating berths, floating cranes, landing stages, firewalls, and floating workshops. Pontoons are used in ports (Fig. 4) and at ship repair enterprises for the repair and maintenance of ships.

Fig.2 Pontoons with cylindrical hulls. Geneva, Switzerland.

Today there are hatch covers for "pontoon type" cargo holds. Such a cover in the form of a pontoon is distinguished by increased strength (an important quality that makes it possible to transport deck cargo on hatch covers) and its own positive buoyancy. The latter is especially important when carrying out cargo operations in the absence of a full-fledged port on the coast. Such covers are lowered overboard by ship booms or cranes, forming a kind of floating berth on which unloading can be carried out, to which pontoons can be moored. barges, work boats.

As you can see, the use of pontoons is very diverse. For example, in the 17-18 centuries, there were so-called "camels" (from the English camel - camel) - two pontoons fastened at the bottom with cables, designed to pilot the built ships over the shallows (Fig. 5).

Fig.4. Pontoon for ship service. Nice, France.

Fig.3 Pontoons. Geneva, Switzerland.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, dredging was extremely poorly developed, and a significant number of shipyards were located along the banks of the rivers. In the places where the rivers flow into the sea, vast impenetrable shallows formed from the sand they applied, which ships with a significant draft could not overcome. It was for the transportation of ships through these shallows that the camels were intended. The hull of the ship, placed between two pontoons, really looked like a load lying between two humps of a camel, hence the name of this watercraft (Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8).

Fig.6. Ship on the rocks. Maritime Museum, Toulon, France.

Fig.5. Ship on the rocks. Maritime Museum, Toulon, France.

By the way, today there are similar devices designed to repair boats and yachts afloat (Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 11).

Fig.8. Putting the ship on the camels. Museum of the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Fig.7. Ship on the rocks. Museum of the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In fact, pontoons were the first specialized landing craft used by the French fleet during the landing in Algiers in 1830. In figures 12 and 13, one can see, respectively, infantry, cavalry and artillery landing pontoons.

Pontoon-type hulls also had many prams - a type of coastal defense ships common in the 17-18 centuries - in fact, rack-mounted floating batteries. Sometimes such "boxes" carried up to 44 large-caliber guns, which made them a fairly serious enemy in shallow water even for frigates and battleships. Prams were built in England, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, France.

Fig.10. Ship-lifting pontoon for yacht repair. Chania, Greece.

Fig.9. Ship-lifting pontoon for yacht repair. Chania, Greece.

Prams were used in the 18th century in a military confrontation in the Baltic, both by Sweden and Russia, Russia in the fight against Turkey in shallow water conditions. Sea of ​​Azov and the Dnieper-Bug Estuary. The sonorous names of prams forever entered the history of the Russian fleet: “Wild Bull”, “Oliphant”, “Don't Come Close”, “Thunder and Lightning”, “Northern Bear”.

Fig.11. Ship-lifting pontoon for yacht repair. Chania, Greece.

There were also so-called. pram-mast-lighters (Fig. 13) - special auxiliary vessels that carried out the installation of masts or inclination (inclining or inclining) of ships by the tops of the masts, in order to repair the underwater part of the hull exposed at the same time.

In most cases, pontoons mean non-self-propelled vessels, if an engine and propulsion device are installed on them, then only for the purpose of positioning in the water area (Fig. 15, Fig. 16, Fig. 17).

At the same time, there were pontoons in history that traveled many kilometers along rivers and even miles along the sea under their own power. We are talking about pontoons built in the First world war for the fleets of the military department according to the project of Lieutenant Colonel I.I. Negovsky.

Rice. 13. Models of landing pontoons of the French fleet. Maritime Museum, Toulon, France.

Fig.12. Models of landing pontoons of the French fleet. Maritime Museum, Toulon, France.

These were unique ships with ample opportunities. The flat-bottomed hull of the simplest contours consisted of two sections fastened with a wedge connection. The stern housed a stationary engine (35-40 hp) and tanks for fuel and lubricants. The pontoon could transport 70 infantrymen or a 5-ton vehicle. The displacement of the pontoon was 20 tons, length - 14.24 m, width - 2.75 m, draft - 0.61 m.

Fig.14. Pramy-mastlighters (in the foreground under the side of the frigate). Exposition of the Maritime Museum, Toulon, France.

They were built by the Sevastopol shipyard ROPiT, the Latyaev plant under Nizhny Novgorod, Kolomna and Sormovo plants, the Petrograd shipyard of the light Finnish shipping company.

They were intended, first of all, for heavy bridge motor-pontoon fleets, but they could also operate independently.

Floating workshops were built on the basis of a standard pontoon for the maintenance and repair of ships and vessels of the flotillas of the military department.

During civil war War Department pontoons were widely used by both Reds and Whites. With the expansion of hostilities on the rivers, the need for purely warships increased. Accordingly, some pontoons received weapons (cannons, machine guns) becoming full-fledged combat units.

However, these boats acquired particular value at the end of the civil war as minesweepers, when it was necessary to sweep numerous minefields. Their main advantage turned out to be an extremely small draft, thanks to which they passed almost over the mines without touching them, which made trawling from them relatively safe, although, according to eyewitnesses, these actually river "shells" were pumped and flooded into the sea mercilessly.

Rice. 16. Self-propelled pontoon for hydraulic works, equipped with an outboard motor. Geneva, Switzerland.

Fig.15. Self-propelled pontoon equipped with outboard motors. Toulon, France.

As you can see, this class of simple-looking boats has a complicated and very rich history, worthy of respect and study.

Rice. 17. Self-propelled pontoon for hydraulic works, equipped with an outboard motor. View from the stern. Geneva, Switzerland.

Bibliography.

1. Zhutyaev Yu.N. Rights of the Russian fleet. SPb., Gangut No. 69/2012, pp. 3-28.

2. Shirokorad A.B., The Great River War. 1918-1920 years. Moscow, Veche, 2006. 416 p.

3. Chernikov I.I. Encyclopedia of the river fleet. M., St. Petersburg. AST, Polygon. 2004. 702 p.

4. Big Encyclopedic Dictionary edited by Prokhorov A.M. M. Scientific publishing house "Big Russian Encyclopedia", St. Petersburg "Norint". 1456 p.

"pontoon, pontoons, floating cranes, landing stages, firewalls, floating workshops

IN last years vacation in has gained great popularity among our fellow citizens. Egypt attracts tourists with its luxurious resorts on the Red Sea, hot weather, sandy beaches and warm sea.

But not always all the beaches of Egypt have direct access to the sea from sandy beaches, as the coastline is full of coral colonies that can injure a person. Therefore, the entrance to the sea is often carried out from the so-called pontoons. And if in Hurghada a lot of beaches have a sandy entrance to the sea, then in Sharm el-Sheikh it is a rarity.

So what does it mean if in the description of the hotel you find that the entrance to the sea is from a pontoon? Pontoon- this is essentially a floating bridge, through which you can enter the sea immediately to the depth, passing the line of corals, stones or other obstacles. This is something similar to a pier, but without piles.

But in this situation, you need to be able to swim, because the depth at the end of the pontoon, where the entrance to the sea, can be several or even tens of meters. So those who can't swim or are afraid of the deep may not like this option, but don't worry too much, because the water in the Red Sea is very salty. The salt content in the Red Sea is several times greater than in the Mediterranean or Black Sea, and you can float on the water with only a slight movement of your arms and legs.

Entrance from the pontoon has other advantages. Walking along the pontoon, you can observe the colorful underwater world, fish, corals. But at the same time, you should follow the precautionary rules and do not touch them with your hands, because beautiful fish and corals can be unsafe, so it's best to just watch them.

Yes, and if you still decide to enter the sea from the beach, and not from the pontoon, you must definitely wear special shoes on your feet - the so-called coral slippers, which will help you protect your feet from injury.

Have a nice rest and bright impressions!

Pontoon (French ponton, from Latin ponto - flat-bottomed vessel, boat bridge, from pons - bridge)

the simplest non-self-propelled vessel, usually with sheer sides and a flat bottom, with or without a deck. To reduce the resistance to the flow of water, the P. may have bow or stern contours. Ribbon bridges (see Military bridges) or floating supports of floating bridges and transport ferries are formed from bridges by connecting them together with the help of coupling devices. P. are the main elements of the ferry-bridge structures of pontoon parks (see Pontoon park). Floating moorings are also assembled from P., on which cranes are installed. P. is used to raise sunken ships (see Ship lifting) , guiding deep-seated ships along shallow fairways. P. was first used in the early 17th century. in the Dutch army, and then in other armies. Modern P. are metal (steel or light alloy), inflatable made of rubberized materials, reinforced concrete.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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Pontoner, pontooners, pontooners, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons, pontoons (Source: “Full accentuated paradigm according to A. A. Zaliznyak”) ... Forms of words

- (fr., from pont bridge). 1) light and flat-bottomed boat or barge serving in the military. business for crossing rivers and for building bridges. 2) an old ship without masts, standing in the harbor and serving as a place of detention for sea prisoners. Dictionary… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Pontooners on a shuttle ferry, with a carrying capacity of 180 tons, double the width of the PPS 84 pontoon fleet, with ... Wikipedia

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Barrel, ship, bridge Dictionary of Russian synonyms. pontoon n., number of synonyms: 8 barrel (34) monoponton ... Synonym dictionary

PONTONER, pontonera, husband. (military). Serviceman of the pontoon unit, specialist in the construction of pontoons. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

- (Pontoon) in ancient times a square ferry for crossing rivers, described by Caesar and Aulus Helius. Currently, P. is called a flat-bottomed boat with sheer sides, which serves as a floating support for pontoon bridges, floating cranes, etc. In ... ... Marine Dictionary

Books

• Methodological manual for the study of the physical and mechanical characteristics of ice formations as initial data for the calculation of ice loads on the coast, bottom and offshore structures, V. N. Smirnov, A. I. Shushlebin, S. M. Kovalev, I. B. Sheikin. This paper presents information about the methods and results of studying the physical and mechanical properties of ice formations (smooth ice, hummocks, stamukhas, icebergs) as traditional ...

Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dahl

Ponton, French one of the light, collapsible boats (leather, canvas, etc.) serving in the army for the quick setting of bridges. Pontoon bridge. Pontoon companies. Pontooner serving at the pontoons. Pontooner, pontoon, pontoon, in general, refers to. to this matter. Pottoner, pontoner.

Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Pontoon, -a, m. I. A flat-bottomed non-self-propelled vessel serving as a support for a temporary bridge, temporary structures for some kind of work on the water. Dock napontoons.

floating bridge. Point across the river. || adj. pontoon, th, th.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Ushakov

PONTON, pontoon, m. (French ponton).

A flat-bottomed composite boat (see semi-pontoon), serving as a support for temporary bridges, as well as for crossing rivers (special).

Floating bridge. Set up a pontoon.

Hollow box or cylinder, upr. when lifting from water of something. sunken (special).

A disarmed warship that served as a military prison (obsolete).

Pontoon- non-self-propelled craft. Typical pontoons consist of a deck and modules that keep the structure afloat: barrels, plastic pipes, reinforced concrete structures. Often use several pontoons at once connecting them. Modularity provides a wide range of applications for these floating craft.

Design features

As mentioned above, the design of the pontoon is very simple, but there are various types of pontoons that are somewhat different from the original design.

Plastic pontoon

Perhaps the cheapest type, except for homemade ones. Such pontoons do not have a deck; instead, the surface of plastic blocks fastened together. Even a child can install a berth from such pontoons.

Inflatable pontoons

Instead of solid containers, sweat on the deck or around the perimeter is used inflatable elongated cells. These are often used in construction on water or laying pipelines. Their huge plus is the ease when moving from reservoir to reservoir.

Parachute type pontoons

Such boats are teardrop-shaped inflatable bags. When using several of these bags, a load is suspended from them. Such pontoons are used for rigging at great depths.

Scope of application

For crossings.

Due to the lightness of the design, as well as modularity, pontoons are used to build pontoon crossings. Depending on the length of the reservoir, the required number of sections is selected. During the ice drift, the sections can be taken ashore. Pontoons are also used in the army due to their simplicity, versatility and low cost. The engineering troops are armed with a pontoon-bridge park, PMP. They are capable of making crossings for a weight of 170 tons in several tens of minutes, depending on the length!

For the construction of berths.

The same advantages can be considered in the construction of a mooring line for ships. Thanks to the same modularity, it is possible to ensure the safe mooring of ships in the shallow and high water season.

as a vehicle

In conditions of river navigation, pontoons can also be used as a vehicle. Of course, it is much more convenient to use a barge, but in the absence of barges, pontoons are often used for the same purpose. This is not always convenient and safe, but still performs its functionality. In addition to cargo, pontoons are also used for tourism. Due to the simplicity of the design, the pontoon can be built without specific skills and knowledge. And if you attach an outboard motor, you get a handicraft vessel for 3-4 people for tourism.

Legal part

According to the order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation of June 29, 2005 No. 500, non-self-propelled vessels are subject to registration with the GIMS. But is a pontoon a ship? According to the Code of Inland Water Transport of the Russian Federation dated March 7, 2001 No. 42-FZ: A vessel is a self-propelled or non-self-propelled floating structure used for navigation, including a mixed vessel, river - sea, navigation, ferry, dredging and bottom cleaning shells, floating crane and other technical facilities of this kind. Thus, whether a pontoon needs to be registered depends on the application.