Popov proposed a ship whose beam matched its length.
There were to be no straight sides.
Instead, the hull was to curve all around the ship.
In other words, a ship with a completely circular hull and a flat bottom.
The circle is an amazing shape.
It encompasses the maximum area at minimum perimeter.
Any shell striking the hull off its center would have the brunt of its impact deflected away.
A model was built and tested on the Baltic Sea at St. Petersburg in 1870.
The craft moved well and the test was deemed a success.
A scale model of the Novgorod at the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg.
Photo credit:Zandcee/Wikimedia Commons
Popov and his assistants were soon busy working out various designs and dimensions.
The ship was armed with two 11-inch guns placed on a turntable at the center of the ship.
She was namedNovgorodand was launched in 1873.
This made the ship almost unsteerable in a severe storm.
The Novgorod under construction.
Image courtesy:John Jordan
The Novgorod a few days before her launch.
Image courtesy:John Jordan
