Guess the battleship part II!!!

[Woodlouse2002]

All accounts i've seen said the design, although proving exceptionally stable (as planned) suffered from severe steerage problems and so wern't really of much use. Hence both ships were used for coastal protection. Besides, they can't have been too sucessful or more round battleships would have been made.

[Hagar]

You know far more than I ever will about ships Woody. I'm not arguing, simply stating what I've read on this fascinating subject over the last couple of days. According to this account, coastal protection in shallow waters was what they were designed for.

http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_075400_rearadmiralp.htm

Popov's idea was to create a stable platform for large-caliber guns to guard the shallow coastal waters around the Black Sea ports of Odessa, .......................................................

Both Rear-Admiral Popov and Novgorod performed well in their assigned roles, and during the Russo-Turkish War, the two ships served with the Danube Flotilla. Designated Coastal Defense Armor-Clad Ships in 1892, they later served as storeships until stricken from the naval lists in 1903. They were not scrapped until 1912.

[Woodlouse2002]

Well who knows.