In the graveyard of the rusting Soviet 'River Rockets' that once flew across the water with JET engines at a speed of 150 km/h
A collection of river rockets from Russia's Soviet era lies rotting near a forest in an abandoned ship graveyard.
The rusting passenger boats, which sailed above the water at speeds of 90 miles per hour and were powered by jet engines, were once a revelation of the 1980s.
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The Star Wars-esque boats were once part of a fleet called the “heroes of the Russian rivers.”
Hydrofoil technology was used to lift the boat out of the water, allowing it to quickly skim above the waves and travel at incredible speeds.
The popular boats, known as “River Rockets”, were even equipped with aircraft turbojet engines and were used throughout Russia and Ukraine.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, hydrofoil production stopped.
The missiles were decommissioned and many were sent to a ship graveyard near a forest in the Russian city of Perm, where they continue to collect dust and rust today.
Ghostly images show the windows of the once wildly popular boats that have cracked and yellowed over the years.
Even the seats inside are still covered in stained, decades-old fabric.
And the outside of the boats is a shell of what they once were.
Rows upon rows of enormous passenger boats line the eerie collection – a reminder of the once 'golden' Soviet era.
Using hydrofoil technology, Russian inventors built nearly 3,000 of these types of ships for water travel in the 1980s.
Several models were named with the Space Race in mind – such as “Sputnik”, “Comet”, “Meteor” and “Stormbringer”.
Some River Rockets survived the Cold War and today sail rivers in Canada, Greece, Turkey and even China.
A wealthy Russian even converted his own yacht into a luxury yacht.
Another ended up in the middle of a Ukrainian residential area.
Black and white photos from the 20th century show the River Rockets gliding across the water as passengers wave from the windows.
Sketches, probably drawn by architects and designers, show the impressive boats floating above the sea at high speed and cutting through the water.
The River Rockets aren't the only impressive ships left to rot.
A The incredible cruise ship dubbed the 'City by the Sea' became stranded in Greece – and is now half under water.
The floating palace made an incredible journey, traveling between England, South Africa, Mozambique and Spain alongside its three sister ships.
It even once traveled from London to Cape Town in as many as fifteen days.
The passenger boat had the most modern facilities for that time, including: luxury cabins, three swimming swimming pools, opulent bars and air conditioning.
But in August 1996 the liner would make its last voyage from Patras to Brindisi in Greece.
After the caretaker died and the owners put it up for sale, it was left without a home and was sent to Elefsina in 2002, where it now lies in the shallows.
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