Why touch if something is working? Of course, it’s not the most revenue-generating motto in the history of technology, or the maxim that encourages innovation; but there are times when he is the smartest. Let them tell Andrei Alexandrovich Popov, for whom he even gave his name, the creator of one of the most curious and unfortunate ships of the Russian Navy: “popovkas”, armed warships, boats… and circular shape . Just like giant water lilies.

In the second half of the 19th century, Andrei A. Popov, an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, came to the unorthodox conclusion that what his country’s fleet really needed was: wafer design boats. It sounds crazy, but Popov was not the first to consider the advantages of such a model, his reasoning calmly and on paper was not so exaggerated.

After the end of the Crimean War and the Treaty of Paris, the Black Sea had turned into a vast demilitarized area – at least in theory – a possibility that Russia did not feel very comfortable with. Without warships and fortifications protecting the area, it was subject to the Ottoman Empire. As if that weren’t enough, the measure did not contribute to their desire to gain direct access to the Mediterranean. A solution was needed. And as soon as possible.

To the credit of Saint Petersburg pretty clear ideas: I wanted warships well adapted to the scenario, capable of defending the strategic Kerch Strait banks and the mouth of the Dnieper River. And above all, scare all the enemies around the area.

Clear ideas… on paper

Analyzing the situation, Popov concluded that it would be best to opt for structures that were light, well-armed, capable of protecting the coastline, and …—the really curious thing—a circular design, more like donuts than ships. He was not the only one convinced that in certain situations such a design was more interesting than the traditional stylized configuration of ships.

The advantages of wide-girder ships were already noted by the prestigious Scottish engineer John Elder, and far from Glasgow or Saint Petersburg, Edward Reed was also intrigued. Reasons were not lacking, as they remembered in Va de barcos and La Brújula Verde.

at least on paper.

By stretching its hive to the maximum, the hull reduced the draft and the surface that needed to be armored. Not counting the theoretical gains in carrying large-caliber guns. Speed ​​was lost, true, but that wasn’t something that could be mitigated by good engines.

Popov, in short, designed a ship capable of handling. shallow waters and show weapons that will scare the most painted enemies. Maybe its configuration would have been a bit odd, but it didn’t matter much in the engineering applied to the battle either.

The idea was strong enough to persuade the Admiral of the Navy, Grand Duke Kontsntin Nikolayevich, so that Popov could move from paper to shipyard. It was decided to produce four units, and after several prototypes, for which the tsar himself was nicknamed “popovka”, the ship began to be produced in April 1871 and was almost completed on New Year’s Eve of the same year.

Although Nikolayevich initially chose a large design, 46 meters in diameterEquipped with four cannons and more than 6,000 tons of displacement, its bill was so stratospheric that it had to settle for a slightly smaller and more tuned version of 29 m. Those baptized as Novgorod would have slightly exceeded the 30 m beam with a draft of 4.1 m and a displacement of about 2,500 tons.

The wafer shape wasn’t the only interesting thing about Novgorod.

Its logistics seem to be taken from a story by Kafka. When the ship was finished, the Navy decided to dismantle it and move piece by piece first on a train and then from Saint Petersburg, where he was collected, by barge to Nikolaev, his final destination on the Black Sea coast. Novgord was then launched in mid-1873.

Picture showing the arrival of Novgorod to Sevastopol.

Engraving showing Vice Admiral Popov’s ship in 1878.

Appearance of one of the “popovka”, showing its propellers.

It was not the only “popovka” that crossed the waters. Construction of a similar ship, the kyiv, later known as Vice Admiral Popov, began in 1972 in Nikolaev. The ship was completed in 1876, at the time of the outbreak of the Eastern War – it lasted from 1877 to 1878 – at this time, Novgorod focused mainly on the defense of the Odessa coastline.

The (not so epic) legend of the “Popovka”

Circular ships were Good idea As Popov believed at the beginning of the same decade? No, in fairness the result is not as bad as the fame that the “popovka” earned for himself, although it is even said that they returned with the force of each shot.

The fact is, as va de barcos points out, there was a malfunction in the bases of the ship’s guns that affected the gunfire and the technicians had to fix it. The thing about the so-called uncontrolled turns is, in any case, not one of officer Popov’s strange ships, but just one.

Its structure was stable when sailing in calm areas, but things got complicated when navigating strong currents. Moving the balls between the swings was not easy.

It wasn’t particularly agile in corners either, maneuvering slowly, very limited speedIt was as fast as 6.5 knots, and the management of the steam engines required the transport of a significant amount of coal, which – according to the Green Compass – reduced its autonomy.

“They couldn’t navigate the open sea and slower than turtles. On the other hand, the force of the shots caused the ship to turn on its own. These ships could only have played a minor role as a coastal defense tool, but not in a prominent way,” says Igor Kasatónov, former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, in statements gathered by Russia Beyond. To complete the loop, hosting the crew was also hardly considered.

Despite their discreet record of service to the Novgorod Chronicle and Vice Admiral Popov, they still had a few pages to write. Of course, without the great episodes. In the following years they continued to modernize, their weapons were strengthened and they used the scenario in which they best defended themselves, coastal defense. They retired in 1903 and pointed their arrows after a disappointing sale in 1911. to the junkyard where the last chapter was written.

Or not.

“popovka” they weren’t the only ones ships exploring the possibilities of expanding the sleeve to unprecedented levels. Popov’s theories were still to be tested on another ship, the Livadia, which was launched in July 1880 and was launched with a slightly thinner design that kept it from looking like a gigantic circle. Even today, until the 21st century, some round-shaped ships remain in service.

Pictures | Wikimedia, Zandcee, Красовский Н.П.