Nautical Research Journal 327


1. T e author’s completed model of the monitor Uragan. All photographs by the author unless otherwise indicated.


Modeling the Imperial Russian Navy Monitor Uragan By Maurice Richard


I suff er from a long-standing fascination with the sometimes bizarre vessels generated by the combination of steam power, armor protection, and iron construction. Over the years it has led me to build models of dozens of these oſt en odd vessels. I am especially drawn to monitors. USS Monitor, by any standards, was both enormously infl uential and very unusual for its time. Its impact on warship design at the time was signifi cant, with navies all over the world seizing on its features, for better or worse. T e ramifi cations of this intrigue me.


Prototype background


One of the oddities of history is that almost the fi rst non-United States producer of monitors was Imperial Russia. T is was a consequence of the far from cordial relations between Russia and Great Britain over the Polish crisis of 1863-1864. T e Russian government was particularly concerned about the possibility of a British naval assault on St. Petersburg aſt er its experience during the Crimean War. It was impressed by USS Monitor’s performance at Hampton Roads and sent a mission to the United States to further explore the capabilities of what appeared to be such a simple and powerful warship. American government offi cials provided the mission with the complete plans and specifi cations for the new Passaic class monitors that followed on from Monitor itself. Rather


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