Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Russian scout Novik

I see that William Hovgaard credited the Russian scout Novik, lost in the Russo-Japanese War, with a 26 knot speed. That was achieved, apparently, by using a very light hull structure and destroyer-like machinery. The hull was even shaped like a German torpedo boat, as the ship was built by the German firm Schichau, at Elbing in the Baltic. The ship had some problems, as the steering gear was unprotected and the hull lacked a double bottom to save weight. The unprotected steering gear resulted in the ultimate loss of the ship. The Japanese subsequently raised the wreck and put the Novik back in service. I liked the armament of 6-4.7in QF guns for a small scout.

No comments: