Description of the attraction
The Museum of the Dnieper Flotilla called "The Seagull" is the so-called informal museum of the Cossack flotilla, which was created on the basis of two ancient ships found at the bottom of the Dnieper River near the island of Khortytsya.
In 1737, during the Russian-Turkish war, after Russian ships could not overcome the rapids of the Dnieper and reach the Black Sea, it was decided to lay a shipyard at Khortitsa. Dowel boats and various Cossack-type vessels were built here - kayaks and boats that looked like Cossack gulls, and Russian brigantines. In 1739, about 400 ships of the Dnieper fleet were located on the island of Khortitsa. Many of them sank during the flood.
In our time, namely in 1998, the body of a real Cossack gull was found intact under the sand at the bottom of the Dniester. And a year later he was raised to the surface. The length of the found ship is 17.5 meters, the height is 3.5 meters. There were also found 4 guns of the so-called falconet. The number of the crew of this vessel reached 50 people. The uniqueness of this seagull is that it combined the traditions of European galley construction of ships of that time with the peculiarities of Cossack boats. It was calculated that the ship would be able to pass the rapids of the Dnieper with a minimum draft and at the same time carry both the command, and the cargo, and the combat strength of the army. And in 2007, a brigantine discovered in the same place was raised to the surface.
All the finds found at the bottom of the sea have been preserved and placed in a restoration boathouse, which is located near the theater. Active work is underway to restore their previous appearance. Also in the museum there are many things of the Cossacks raised from the bottom of the Dniester. These are cradles, buttons, cannonballs, bullets and flintlock pistols.
