Russian Monitor Program
A Russian monitor program was started as soon as news of the Battle of Hampton Roads reached Europe.
| “ | The Merrimack struck in the side not so much a corvette at anchor, but the bureaucratic administration of the Union States and England, that slumber under the protection of the wooden walls of their ships, and only built their nations' few iron vessels as goodies to pamper their children. Now, the question of timber ships is finally resolved in the most stupid and improvident minds. | ” |
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—Rear-Admiral G. Butakov, "Order number 4", May 30, 1862, |
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Naval architect N. Artseulov was sent to America to join Russian naval attaché, Captain (later Rear Admiral) Stepan Stepanovich Lessovsky and to assess at first hand the advantages and disadvantages of John Ericsson's monitors. He returned on March 16, 1863, with detailed drawings and specifications of the Passaic class.
Already on March 11, 1863 the Russian Admiralty approved a program to build ten armored vessels based on the Passaic design. The decision to use the American plans was based on the lack of time, money and experience in building armored vessels. A larger monitor, Smerch («Смерч»), with two turrets of a design by Cowper Phipps Coles was also approved and launched in 1864. One of the benefits of the Ericsson turret design, as opposed to the British design by Coles, was the layered construction from 1 inch armored plate. The Coles design required slabs of 114.3 mm thickness. This armor could not be produced in any Russian plant, and in Europe, only John Brown & Co in Sheffield, England, was producing armored plate of this thickness and of the required quality.
Read more about this topic: Uragan Class Monitor
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