Russian battleship Novgorod

The "Novgorod" (Russian: Новгород) was an Imperial Russian warship. It was one of the most unusual warships ever constructed, and still survives in popular naval myth, often described as the "ugliest warship ever built". The hull was circular (viewed from the top) intended to be a particularly stable platform for guns but proving to be almost unmaneuvrable in practice [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] .

She was designed by Andrey Alexandrovich Popov of the Imperial Russian Navy, with the purpose of creating a stable platform armed with a few heavy guns, that could operate in coastal waters, and be well protected by armour plating [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] .

The perceived advantage of the circular hull form was that a shallow-draught vessel could be built with a greater displacement; a small ship could then carry the same armament as a much larger vessel with a more typical hull form [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] . For comparison, a 100 ft long by 13 foot beam and 13 foot draught vessel would only displace about 250 tons.

The primary armament of "Novgorod" was two 26-ton 11 inch guns mounted on separate revolving turntables that could be moved independently or together [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] . Recoil was suppressed by a hydraulic frictional compressor, and by wedges placed in the after part of their platforms.

The ship was driven by six engines each with their own propeller shaft. Boiler and engine rooms occupied fully half of the interior hull space. The boilers were placed in two separate compartments, one on either beam [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] . Four steam launches were usually carried on deck.

"Novgorod" and her near-sister "Rear Admiral Popov" proved poorly designed in use. They pitched and rolled excessively, even in moderate seas [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] . They were slow, poorly maneuverable, and vulnerable to plunging fire. Worst though, was that the off-axis recoil of the guns would impart a centrifugal rotation to the ship [Dougherty, Martin J. The Worlds Worst Weapons, Metro Books, ISBN978-0-7607-8581-2] . In operational use, these ships would have to throw their single rudder hard over during firing, to act as "water brakes". This severely restricted the aiming and rate-of-fire of the main guns. Both ships (dubbed 'popoffkas' after their designer) served in the Danube Flotilla during the Russo-Turkish War. Both were redesignated as "Coastal Defense Armor-Clad Ships" in 1892, and relegated as storeships in 1903. They were not scrapped until 1912.

References

External links

* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aj.cashmore/russia/battleships/novgorod/novgorod1.html Novgorod Top/Profile illustration]
* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aj.cashmore/russia/battleships/novgorod/novgorod3.html Novgorod Blueprint]

* [http://members.cox.net/ironmonger/novgorod.htm CGI recreation]