In the middle of the 30th years last century the Soviet Union headed for the merchant and military fleet building under the slogan “For powerful State – powerful Fleet”. In accordance with the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR regulation the special organization «Dockbuilding» was formed for building the greatest in the world reinforced concrete docks for Black Sea shipping. Building yard for this organization was chosen in Kherson in 1936. The history of Kherson state plant «Pallada» has begun since that time. First four reinforced concrete monolithic construction docks 4000 and 6000 tons lifting capacity were already built in the new-founded plant in the pre-war years. Some of these docks are still used at the former Leningrad Gunner plant and at Odessa ship-repair plant. In 1958 the plant has begun to build reinforced concrete docks precast and block assembly construction, whose hulls consisted of separate reinforced concrete blocks and units, prefabricated and jointed in monolithic hull on the stocks. The greater majority of these docks still operate successfully at the plants of the Far East, Kola Peninsula, Caspian, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas.
In 1968 for the first time in the practice of world dock building the plant developed the manufacture of composite floating docks. A unique feature of these docks is that they are made of a sulphate-resisting reinforced concrete pontoon part, being permanently in the sea water, and dock sidewalls made of steel used in shipbuilding. The labor coefficient of this dock building is half as much as that of all-concrete dock building. This made it possible for plant to increase considerably quantity of docks, supplied to the domestic market and for export.
Practices of composite construction of floating docks and commissioning of caisson free joining of docks’ hull of several parts afloat made it possible for the plant to create floating constructions practically of any dimensions. Strength properties of these docks allow towing them to any port on the globe; they are competitive at the world market and much in demand.
The navigator of «Pallada» is a highly qualified professional, honourable worker of Ukrainian industry, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Academician of Ukrainian Academy of Shipbuilding Sciences, Laureate of the State Prize of Ukrainian M.S.Budnikov Academy of Building, Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology to 2010 year was Mykola Georgievych Slutskyy.
Specialists of our plant in cooperation with the design offices and different institutes worked out and implemented highly productive technology, and new high-strength ice-resisting marine concretes. These technologies improved the quality and operating life of the floating docks and opened up the possibility for building docks of different functions. Many of these docks are unique and do not have analogues in the world dock building practice. The nuclear-powered submarine «Kursk»was lifted after the well-known accident by one of these docks.
Kherson State Plant «Pallada»was named in honor of the goddess Athena Pallada, personifying victories in the ancient Greek mythology and being a patroness of knowledge, art and trade. The history of development and successful practical activities of Kherson State Plant «Pallada» prove that the goddess Athena Pallada apparently patronizes our plant, which is a modern highly developed enterprise today, occupying the leading position not only among dock builders of the former USSR but also among famous world firms – builders of floating docks and other facilities.
