Russian monitor Vitse-admiral Popov

Sketch of Vitse-admiral Popov in The Graphic, 30 November 1878
Class overview
Preceded by	Novgorod
Built	1872–1876
In service	1876–1903
Completed	1
Scrapped	1
History
Russian Empire
Name	Vitse-admiral Popov
Namesake	Vice Admiral Andrei Alexandrovich Popov
Builder	Nikolaev Admiralty Shipyard, Nikolaev
Cost	3,260,000 rubles (excluding armament)
Laid down	8 September 1874[Note 1]
Launched	7 October 1875
Completed	1876
Decommissioned	2 May 1903
Reclassified	As a coast-defense ironclad, 13 February 1892
Stricken	3 July 1903
Fate	Sold for scrap, December 1911
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Monitor
Displacement	3,600 long tons (3,658 t)
Length	126 ft 10 in (38.7 m)
Beam	117 ft 8 in (35.9 m)
Draft	19 ft (5.8 m)
Installed power	4,480 ihp (3,340 kW) 12 cylindrical boilers
Propulsion	6 shafts, 8 compound-expansion steam engines
Speed	8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph)
Range	540 nautical miles (1,000 km; 620 mi) at full speed
Complement	19 officers and 187 crewmen
Armament	2 × 12-inch (305 mm) rifled muzzle-loading guns 4 × 4-pounder, 3.4-inch (86 mm) guns
Armor	Belt: 16 in (406 mm) Barbette: 16 in (406 mm) Deck: 2.75 in (70 mm)

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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