The Museum of the History of the Resort City of Sochi showcases original artifacts and reproductions of large objects that, while unable to fit inside the museum, are essential for providing visitors with a comprehensive understanding of the city’s history. Such exhibits include a model of the Kometa ship.

The Kometa motor ship is a remarkable vessel that was created in 1961 by the design engineer Rostislav Yevgenievich Alekseyev and the design bureau later named in his honor. Kometa is notable for being the first passenger motor ship to use hydrofoils, which allow the vessel to rise above the water’s surface during operation, thanks to the hydrodynamic forces generated by them. It all began in the 1930s when Alekseyev wrote his diploma thesis on hydrofoil boats. A predecessor of the Kometa, developed in 1943, is considered the first hydrofoil ship.

The first passenger voyage from the Sochi seaport took place on April 28, 1962. The ship had an unusual shape and developed a speed of up to 67 kilometers per hour. It was designed for 118 passengers. The Sochi seaport welcomed twelve such hydrofoil “beauties”. They were mass-produced at two shipyards, and diesel engines for them were manufactured at the Zvezda plant in Leningrad.

Between 1964 and 1981, 86 Kometas were built at the Morye shipyard in Feodosia, including 34 ships for export. Between 1962 and 1992, a total of 39 similar vessels were produced at the Poti shipyard under the 342 ME project. Kometas traveled between cities, for example, it was possible to “fly on the wings of a Kometa” to Sukhumi in just two and a half hours. After a long break, in the 2000s, Kometas appeared in the Sochi seaport once again. An attempt to resume serial production was made at the Vympel Shipyard in Rybinsk in 2013. Four years later, a new vessel was launched. As of today, there are attempts to revive the production of hydrofoil ships.