Freak Ships of the Nineteenth Century II: Circular Ships

Freak Ships of the Nineteenth Century is the title of a pamphlet written in 1966 by J Guthrie, then an employee of the maritime classification society Lloyds Register. It was written for private circulation amongst the staff. Guthrie realised that, as the premier classification society Lloyds Register were able to produce a very good technical description, often directltly from plans, reports and records of conventional ships. But this left a gap in their knowledge - 'But what of the unorthodox ships, the rebels from tradition: those monsters and freaks of the nautical world which, throughout the whole of the 19th century attained transient fame (or notoriety) before disappearing from the scene for ever?'. Guthrie's pamphlet aimed to answer that question by exploring some of the most radical nautical designs of the nineteenth century. This episode, the second of four, looks at the circular ships, usually associated with the Russian Vice-Admiral Popov, that came to be known as Popovkas. First built in 1873, these vessels were designed for the defence of Russia's shallow Black Sea coasts. With a limited draught of just thirteen feet, these vessels were nonetheless heavily armed and armoured. To find out more Dr Sam Willis spoke with the naval historian Stephen Mclaughlin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.