Volga–Don Canal
| Volga–Don Canal | |
|---|---|
Volga–Don Canal in October 2009 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 63 miles (101 km) |
| Maximum boat length | 141 m (463 ft) |
| Maximum boat beam | 16.8 m (55 ft) |
| Maximum boat draft | 3.6 m (12 ft) |
| Locks | 13 |
| Maximum height above sea level | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Status | Open |
| History | |
| Construction began | 1948 |
| Date of first use | 1 June 1952 |
| Date completed | 1952 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Volgograd, Russia |
| End point | Tsimlyansk Reservoir, near Volgodonsk, Russia |
| Beginning coordinates | 48°37′21″N 43°32′06″E / 48.62250°N 43.53500°E |
| Ending coordinates | 48°31′21″N 44°33′09″E / 48.52250°N 44.55250°E |
Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal (Russian: Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени, В. И. Ленина, Volga-Donskoy sudokhodniy kanal imeni V. I. Lenina, abbreviated ВДСК, VDSK) is a ship canal in Russia. It connects the Volga and the Don at their closest points. Opened in 1952, its length is 101 km (63 mi), 45 km (28 mi) of which is through rivers and reservoirs.
The canal forms a part of the Unified Deep Water System of European Russia. Together with the lower Volga and the lower Don, the canal provides the shortest navigable connection between the Caspian Sea and the world's oceans via the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.