''General-Admiral'' was the lead ship of her class of armored cruisers built for the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...

in the early 1870s. She is generally considered the first true armored cruiser.Beeler, p. 222

Design and description

Originally classified as an armored

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

, ''General-Admiral'' was redesignated as a semi- armored frigate on 24 March 1875. She was laid out as a

central battery ironclad The central battery ship, also known as a centre battery ship in the United Kingdom and as a casemate ship in European continental navies, was a development of the (high-freeboard) broadside ironclad of the 1860s, given a substantial boost due t ...

with the armament concentrated amidships. The iron-hulled ship was not fitted with a ram and her crew numbered approximately 482 officers and men. ''General-Admiral'' was

long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...

. She had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draft of . The ship was designed to displace , but displaced as built, an increase of over .Watts, p. 72

Propulsion

The ship had a vertical compound steam engine driving a single two-bladed propeller. Steam was provided by five cylindrical

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

s at a pressure of . The engine produced during

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s which gave the ship a maximum speed around . ''General-Admiral'' carried a maximum of of coal which gave her an economical range of at a speed of . She was

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

-rigged with three masts. To reduce drag while under sail her funnel was retractable and her propeller could be hoisted into the hull.Wright, pp. 44–45

Notes

Footnotes

References

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External links