Volgar-Dobrovolets — a Volga riverboat that distinguished itself during the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War; a floating museum.
History
In September 1918, in Nizhny Novgorod, at the call of Leontyev, first mate of the steamship Prince Yuri Suzdalsky, a volunteer detachment was formed for the Volga Military Flotilla. The riverboat Matvey Bashkirov was transferred to this detachment and renamed Volgar-Dobrovolets. The vessel was fitted with armor plating and armed with 102 mm and 75 mm artillery guns and 4 machine guns. On 14 October 1918 the riverboat set out for the Kama River to join the flotilla. During the Civil War, the Volgar-Dobrovolets took part in engagements on the Kama, near Tsaritsyn, Kamyshin, and Dubovka. It transported Red Army units to the front, along with ammunition and provisions.
After the end of the war the riverboat was converted for towing oil barges and served in dispatching and piloting duties.
In 1942 the vessel was once again converted for combat operations and sent to the Stalingrad area. There it ferried military units across to Stalingrad, delivered food, weapons, and ammunition, and provided anti-aircraft cover for crossings of the Volga River.
In 1967, at the suggestion of river fleet veterans and party organizations of the city of City of Gorky, it was returned to the city and a museum of the history of the Volga Military Flotilla was established aboard. The vessel was restored to its wartime appearance, and a 100 mm automatic cannon was installed on the stern. For twenty years the Volgar-Dobrovolets made voyages along the Volga, the Kama, and in the river basins of the Northwestern region.
During the perestroika years, under the pretext of financial difficulties and the impossibility of upkeep, the riverboat was cut up for scrap metal.