23. A Warship So Bad it Could Not Go to Sea
The Novgorod’s greatest oops had to do with its core function as a fighting platform. The ship’s two 11-inch guns had an exceptionally slow rate of fire, at 10 minutes per shot. The rotating mounts on which the guns were placed were also slow, taking 3 minutes to traverse 180 degrees. The problem was made worse by weak locks that caused the gun mounts to rotate on their own from the guns’ recoil. Worse, the guns’ firing caused the ship to rotate uncontrollably.
The flat bottomed vessel had no stabilizing keel to keep her in line and keep her guns pointed towards the target. The only solution was to moor the Novgorod in a fixed position. That transformed her from a ship to a floating fortress anchored in place, with her guns pointed seaward.