Russian monitor Vitse-admiral Popov

Sketch of Vitse-admiral Popov in The Graphic, 30 November 1878
Class overview
Preceded byNovgorod
Built1872–1876
In service1876–1903
Completed1
Scrapped1
History
Russian Empire
NameVitse-admiral Popov
NamesakeVice Admiral Andrei Alexandrovich Popov
BuilderNikolaev Admiralty Shipyard, Nikolaev
Cost3,260,000 rubles (excluding armament)
Laid down8 September 1874[Note 1]
Launched7 October 1875
Completed1876
Decommissioned2 May 1903
ReclassifiedAs a coast-defense ironclad, 13 February 1892
Stricken3 July 1903
FateSold for scrap, December 1911
General characteristics (as built)
TypeMonitor
Displacement3,600 long tons (3,658 t)
Length126 ft 10 in (38.7 m)
Beam117 ft 8 in (35.9 m)
Draft19 ft (5.8 m)
Installed power
Propulsion6 shafts, 8 compound-expansion steam engines
Speed8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph)
Range540 nautical miles (1,000 km; 620 mi) at full speed
Complement19 officers and 187 crewmen
Armament
Armor

Vitse-admiral Popov was a monitor built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1870s. It was one of the most unusual warships ever constructed, and still survives in popular naval lore as one of the worst warships ever built. The hull was circular to reduce draught while allowing the ship to carry much more armour and a heavier armament than other ships of the same size. Vitse-admiral Popov played a minor role in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and was reclassified as a coast-defence ironclad in 1892. The ship was decommissioned in 1903 and sold for scrap in 1911.
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