An item reported that the Russian navy could not act against the Turkish monitors and warships cruising off Batoem and Soekoem-Kaleh was caused while the Russian fleet was not a match for the Turkish. At Kronstadt were lying two large armoured ships and a dozen old monitors anchored. The Petropaulowska was being repaired in Italy, in Greece were lying the wood-built corvettes Askold, Bogumil and Kreusser and two gunboats. The other ships were elsewhere. In the Black Sea were two palookas (1)for the coast defence available, some small gunboats and yacht. On the Amur were six wood-built ships lying.
Note
1. Together with her sister ship Rear Admiral Popov (ex-Kiev) designed by Andrei Alexandrovich Popov (21 September Russia-6 March 1898 Russia)to be circular shaped shallow draught vessels to serve in coastal waters. The Novgorod was armed with 2-11”26 ton guns placed on revolving turntables which could operate independently from each other. She was from far the stable platform Popov projected. It were pitching, rolling, slow and worse manoeuvring ships. Using the guns the ship started spinning. Propelled by six screws and fitted out with one rudder. The Novgorod was laid down at St. Petersburg, Russia on 17 December 1871,disassembled and transported to Nikolayev, launched on 21 May 1873, commissioned in 1874, reclassified as coastal defence armor-clad in 1892, stricken in 1900, decommissioned on 4 July 1803, became a store and finally broken up in 1912. With a displacement of 2.491-2.671 (full load) tons and as dimensions 30,8 (diameter) x 3,75 (draught( metres. The 8-coal fired boilers supplied 2.000 ihp allowing a speed of just 7 knots. Her crew numbered 2-11” guns, 2-4pd guns and 16-3,7cm guns. The armour consisted of a 23cm thick belt and a 6cm thick deck. Her sister ship - built at Nikolaiev in 1874- was somehow larger with a diameter of 36,3 metres and a displacement of 3.550 tons and heavier armed with 2-12.2” guns.
