[9] If war between Russia and Britain were to begin, it was thought likely that British and French Naval forces would try to attack the Russian capital of Saint Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland.

[8] The Merrimack struck in the side not so much a corvette at anchor, but the bureaucratic administration of the Union States and England, that slumber under the protection of the wooden walls of their ships, and only built their nations' few iron vessels as goodies to pamper their children.

Now, the question of timber ships is finally resolved in the most stupid and improvident minds.Naval architect N. Artseulov was sent to America to join Russian naval attaché, Captain (later Rear Admiral) Stepan Stepanovich Lessovsky and to assess at first hand the advantages and disadvantages of John Ericsson's monitors.

[1][2][8] On 11 March 1863 the Russian Admiralty approved a program to build ten armored vessels based on the Passaic design.

[1][5][8] The Galerniy Island yard, Carr and MacPherson and the Nevsky factory (owned by Colonel PF Semyannikov and Retired Lieutenant VA Poletika) each produced two ships.

[13] Iron armor for the ships was first ordered form John Brown & Co in Sheffield, but they cited difficulties in meeting the demand.

An order was placed in 1863 with the Krupp factories in Germany for 9 inch smoothbore guns with steel barrels; these were initially used to arm the monitors.

As the monitors were hulked in 1900 the rifled M1867 guns were removed; they later served as coastal artillery in Peter the Great's Naval Fortress.