Russian monitor Smerch
Encyclopedia
The Russian monitor
Smerch (Смерч - "Tornado") was built for the Imperial Russian Navy
in the early 1860s. She was built in England and assembled in Saint Petersburg
. The ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet
for her entire career. Smerch was hulk
ed in 1904 and renamed Blokshiv No. 2. She was still in existence in 1941.
and her crew numbered 153 officers and men. Her turrets weighed 175 LT, were rotated by an auxiliary steam engine, and were based on designs of the British inventor Cowper Coles
.
Smerch was 189 in 9 in (57.84 m) long overall. She had a beam
of 38 feet (11.6 m) and a draft
of 11 in 4 in (3.45 m). The ship displaced 1461 long tons (1,484.4 MT). Smerch was fitted with a double bottom
that could be flooded in combat to reduce her freeboard
. Bilge keel
s 100 feet (30.5 m) long were mounted on her hull to reduce rolling.
, each driving a single 2.44 metre propeller. Steam was provided by three rectangular boiler
s. The engines produced a total of 700 ihp which gave the ship a maximum speed of 8 knots (4.4 m/s). Smerch carried 250 long tons (254 t) of coal.
, muzzle-loading guns. She was designed to have two 60-pounder guns in each turret, but her turrets were too small to accommodate a pair of the newly adopted, larger Obukhov guns. The ship was rearmed with two 20-caliber
9-inch Obukhov breech-loading rifles sometime in the mid-1870s; each gun weighed about 15 LT. By the late 1880s Smerch was fitted with a secondary armament of four 4-pounder and four 1-pounder (37 millimetres (1.5 in)) quick-firing gun
s.
of wrought iron that was 4.5 inches (114 mm) thick amidships and thinned to 4 inches (102 mm) at the ends of the ship. It completely covered the hull from the upper deck to 4 feet (1.2 m) below the waterline
. The armor protection of the circular turrets was 4.5 inches thick and was backed by teak
in two layers, 8 inches (20 cm) and 4 inches thick, respectively. The inside of the turret was lined with a 1 inches (2.5 cm) iron plate. The area around the gun ports was reinforced by 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) plates to give a total thickness of 6 inches (15 cm). The walls of the ship's oval conning tower
were also 4.5 inches thick. Watts and Gardiner claim that her deck
was one inch thick, but this is not supported by other sources.
for this task and assembly began on 7 April 1863. She was laid down on 19 November 1863, launched on 23 June 1864 and completed in 1865. The ship spent her career with the Baltic Fleet. Smerch was stricken from the Navy List in 1904 and renamed Blokshiv No. 2. She was still in existence in 1941.
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
Smerch (Смерч - "Tornado") was built for the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
in the early 1860s. She was built in England and assembled in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
for her entire career. Smerch was hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
ed in 1904 and renamed Blokshiv No. 2. She was still in existence in 1941.
Design and description
The design of Smerch was inspired by the American twin-turret monitors built during the American Civil War. She was fitted with a ramNaval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
and her crew numbered 153 officers and men. Her turrets weighed 175 LT, were rotated by an auxiliary steam engine, and were based on designs of the British inventor Cowper Coles
Cowper Phipps Coles
Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, C.B., R.N. , the son of the Reverend John Coles and his wife Mary Ann Goodhew Rogers, was an English naval Captain and inventor. Coles died when HMS Captain, an experimental warship built to his designs, sank with him onboard.-Naval career:He entered the Royal Navy at...
.
Smerch was 189 in 9 in (57.84 m) long overall. She had a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 38 feet (11.6 m) and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 11 in 4 in (3.45 m). The ship displaced 1461 long tons (1,484.4 MT). Smerch was fitted with a double bottom
Double bottom
A double bottom is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom of the ship has two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is somewhat higher in the ship, perhaps a few feet, which forms a...
that could be flooded in combat to reduce her freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
. Bilge keel
Bilge keel
A bilge keel is used to reduce the hull's tendency to roll. Bilge keels are employed in pairs . A ship may have more than one bilge keel per side, but this is rare. Bilge keels increase hydrodynamic resistance to rolling, making the ship roll less...
s 100 feet (30.5 m) long were mounted on her hull to reduce rolling.
Propulsion
The ship had two simple horizontal direct-acting steam engines, built by Maundslay, Sons & Field of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, each driving a single 2.44 metre propeller. Steam was provided by three rectangular boiler
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
s. The engines produced a total of 700 ihp which gave the ship a maximum speed of 8 knots (4.4 m/s). Smerch carried 250 long tons (254 t) of coal.
Armament
Smerch was armed with two Obukhov 9 inches (23 cm) smoothboreSmoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
, muzzle-loading guns. She was designed to have two 60-pounder guns in each turret, but her turrets were too small to accommodate a pair of the newly adopted, larger Obukhov guns. The ship was rearmed with two 20-caliber
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
9-inch Obukhov breech-loading rifles sometime in the mid-1870s; each gun weighed about 15 LT. By the late 1880s Smerch was fitted with a secondary armament of four 4-pounder and four 1-pounder (37 millimetres (1.5 in)) quick-firing gun
Quick-firing gun
A quick-firing gun is an artillery piece, typically a gun or howitzer, which has several characteristics which taken together mean the weapon can fire at a fast rate...
s.
Armor
Smerch had a complete waterline beltBelt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
of wrought iron that was 4.5 inches (114 mm) thick amidships and thinned to 4 inches (102 mm) at the ends of the ship. It completely covered the hull from the upper deck to 4 feet (1.2 m) below the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
. The armor protection of the circular turrets was 4.5 inches thick and was backed by teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
in two layers, 8 inches (20 cm) and 4 inches thick, respectively. The inside of the turret was lined with a 1 inches (2.5 cm) iron plate. The area around the gun ports was reinforced by 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) plates to give a total thickness of 6 inches (15 cm). The walls of the ship's oval conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
were also 4.5 inches thick. Watts and Gardiner claim that her deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
was one inch thick, but this is not supported by other sources.
Service
Smerch was constructed at the Charles Mitchell shipyard in England, broken down and shipped to Saint Petersburg for reassembly. Mitchell leased part of the Galernii Island ShipyardAdmiralty Shipyard
The Admiralty Shipyard is one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, located in Saint Petersburg. The shipyard's building ways can accommodate ships of up to , 250 meters in length and 35 meters in width...
for this task and assembly began on 7 April 1863. She was laid down on 19 November 1863, launched on 23 June 1864 and completed in 1865. The ship spent her career with the Baltic Fleet. Smerch was stricken from the Navy List in 1904 and renamed Blokshiv No. 2. She was still in existence in 1941.