1946-1949

On January 31, 1946, the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences was founded and it needed a research oceanic vessel. The Vitiaz was chosen for this purpose. The project of re-equipment was made by the Central Planning and Design Office №1 of Ministry of  Merchant Marine and works were carried out in 1947-1948 at the shipyards of Vismar (Germany), Leningrad, Riga, Odessa and Vladivostok. During the re-equipment the middle superstructure was lengthened; laboratories; service and living cabins were located here. The former cargo tweendecks were rebuilt into living cabins, a restcabin, sanitary and service cabins. Diesel-generator sets and additional containers for fuel and water were installed. As a result, 136 crew members could be received aboard the vessel and autonomous sailing for 120 days was able. The Vitiaz became a unique scientific-research vessel since modern equipment had been installed. The vessel could be anchored at the maximum ocean depths because of the eleven-kilometer deep-water anchor winch. The world record of deep anchoring still belongs to the Vitiaz. The trawling deep-water winch was as unique as the anchor winch. Trawling could be made at the depth of no less than 11 km. There were 14 laboratories, a research library and a storage for collections and tests aboard the vessel. The vessel had many names – Equator, Admiral Makarov, but the fame came to the Vitiaz. This name was given in honor to the famous corvettes of the XIX century – S. Makarov’s Vitiaz and N. Miklukho-Macleay’s Vitiaz. A new oceanographic vessel received this name and brought it through the oceans. And letters of the name were designed by Peter Shirshov.