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.

Russian ships

I had thought that the improved Russian battleship designs originated after the start of the Russo-Japanese War. That is not the case. As far back as 1903, Russia was planning new battleships with a 11in belt, 4-12in/40, 12-8in/45, and 20-12pdr QF guns. The deck armour would have been an impressive 100mm (3.9in). The ships were projected to have a displacement of 16,000 tons. The dimensions were not yet public knowledge, even as rumour.

Jane's Fighting Ships

I am a great fan of the old Jane's Fighting Ships. The volumes form 1899 to 1904 are especially good. The volumes from 1919 to 1921 are also very useful, as were the volumes from 1936 to 1945. A general feature of the older Janes were that they did not actually reflect the ships as they were completed, but were more like intelligence reports or even press reports. They aided and abetted the British navy in the 1905 to 1914 period, when they printed disinformation designed to fool the Germans. They have a different slant, being more graphically oriented than Brassey's, which I also like. For a long time, I didn't appreciate Brassey's, as I was looking for the drawings and photographs, but I came to appreciate how much good information they had. The older volumes, such as from the 1880's up to 1905 are good sources of ship and gun information that go below the level of detail that is the Conway's volumes.

The original sketch design for the Republique class

The original sketch design for the French Republique class battleships looked very impressive. They were described as being "the best protected ships in existence". They were to have a 11in belt and a 10in upper belt, with 2in upper and 3in lower deck armour. The decks would enclose coal, backing up the belt to make them very strong. The guns would be 4-12in/45 and 18-6.4in/45. Of the six ships projected, the Republique was launched in 1902 and the Patrie in 1903. The other four ships were eventually completed to an improved design. The last ship, the Verite, was only launched in 1907, when the class was already obsolescent. The first two were completed in December 1906 asnd t6he last four were completed in 1908. They had already been superceded by more modern designs. The belt actually tapered, and was just 12ft-6in high and tapered from 11in down to 9.5in, not 10in. The original concept appeared to have an armoured height of 16ft, but that was not the case. The speed was better than the apparent 18 knots, as the ships could make 19 knots.

The French battleship Suffren, prior to 1904

This a photograph of the French battleship Suffren, which was a more modern design than the ships the French had been producing with the lozenge arrangement of single turrets. The Suffren still had the complete belt and high, unprotected sides, with considerable tumble home.

The American cruiser Boston

The American cruiser Boston looked like an 1880's design, with a low freeboard and rigging, as built. The Boston relied on 2-8in and 6-6in guns for hitting power. The Boston was a 15 knot ship built in 1884. The protective deck was a thin 1.5 inches. The Boston took part in the Battle of Manilla Bay in 1898, at the start of the Spanish-American War.

The American torpedo boat Porter

The torpedo boat Porter was one of the fastest American ships in service in 1898. The Porter exceeded 28 knots on trials. The photo is from the year 1897, when the Porter was completed. The Porter was a 165 ton vessel that was 175 feet long. The armament consisted of 3-1pdr QF guns and 3-18in torpedo tubes.