The Russian Empire Once Built a Circular Battleship
It goes down in the annals of naval history as one of the most unusual warships – and possibly the worst – ever built.
Here's What You Need to Know: The concept of a circular battleship actually wasn’t entirely Russian.
While Czar Peter the Great of Russia sought to “westernize” his nation, and this included adopting what were then modern military tactics, weapons and even uniforms, he also founded the Russian Navy. He oversaw the construction of Imperial Russia’s warships and even some sea fortresses.
However, even the forward-thinking Peter likely couldn't have envisioned something as truly revolutionary and completely Russian in design as the Novgorod, a monitor-style warship that was built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1870s. It goes down in the annals of naval history as one of the most unusual warships – and possibly the worst – ever built.