class battleship class battleships known class dreadnoughts begun imperial_russian_navy world war convoluted design history involving british companies evolving requirements international design competition foreign protests ships ordered named victorious battles great northern war named battles war ships class names pre dreadnought battleships class lost russo japanese war construction delayed financing problems formally authorized ships delivered december january needed work turrets fire control systems role defend mouth germans tried enter ships spent time training providing cover operations crews participated general mutiny february revolution joined following year russians forced evacuate naval base finland independent december class ships led contingent ships frozen dreadnoughts laid october november lack manpower severely damaged fire laid retained commission defend british forces supporting helped suppress mutiny garrison fort crew joined rebellion march crushed ships given proper revolutionary names vessels recommissioned renamed work repair known money quickly ran repairs modified improve sea keeping abilities transferred heavier light cruiser available proved series ship class progressively reconstructed improved number proposals 1930s rebuild match sisters battlecruiser removing turret came preparatory scrapping ships play prominent role winter war anti aircraft guns significantly increased help ship attempted provide fire support defenders bow blown badly damaged multiple bomb hits september sunk later raised floating battery duration siege spent year repair lengthened subsequent bomb hits hands shipyard ships bombarded german finnish troops long remained reach venture away duration war remained forced evacuate advancing german troops trip besieged december number support january march withdrawn combat april german aerial supremacy risky risk large target remained active list end war little known activities reclassified school battleships stricken slowly scrapped plans project reconstruct bow accepted formally cancelled june renamed served stationary training ship stricken subsequently broken finally scrapped beginning design development end russo japanese war imperial russian navy state confusion leadership tactics ship designs cast repeated defeats japanese battle battle battle navy took time absorb design lessons war government reformed forced conservative officers retire conducted design contest dreadnought refused authorize preferring spend money rebuilding army requirements new class dreadnoughts state submitted design met latest specifications nearly accepted navy long ton ship inch guns triple superimposed turrets rumors contract vickers raised public outcry problems armored cruiser building england situation december announcing international design contest ship built russia regardless winning firm deadline march total designs submitted different shipyards winner competition design german firm french protested want money loaned russia build defenses german pockets russians bought design shelved sides design runner revised navy updated requirements complete design presented march extended month allow contract british firm design assistance hull form machinery believed speed advantage knots mph german battle fleet prove useful battle demonstrated battle use heavy boilers insisted engineering section naval technical committee prevent new design exceeding knots indicated ship turbines deliver shp supplied steam hull form reach knots mph horsepower naval general staff took opportunity speed desired small tube boilers convened meeting discuss issue packed engineers fleet favor small tube boilers engineering section yarrow small tube boiler significantly smaller lighter belleville large tube boiler required frequent cleaning repair horsepower dropped rapidly use russians believe super firing turrets offered advantage discounted value fire believed broadside fire important believed super firing turrets fire lower turret muzzle blast interfering open sighting lower turret roof designed ships linear arrangement turrets distributed length ship arrangement advantages reduced stress ends ship turrets concentrated end ship increased stability lack elevated turrets barbettes improved ship magazines separated gave lower silhouette magazines middle machinery required steam pipes run lack deck space free blast greatly complicated placement anti torpedo boat guns ultimately mounted hull closer water desirable general characteristics meters long waterline meters long overall beam meters draft meters centimeters designed completed overweight displacement metric tons long tons load long tons short tons designed displacement metric tons long tons reduced inches gave slight bow trim wet ships high steel framed hull mild steel areas contribute structural strength plus design process meant hull lighter preceding class pre dreadnoughts hull subdivided transverse watertight bulkheads double engine rooms divided longitudinal bulkheads electrically driven centerline main rudder smaller auxiliary rudder designed metacentric height meters propulsion parsons type steam turbines drove propellers engine rooms located turrets transverse compartments outer compartments high pressure ahead reverse turbine wing propeller shaft central engine room low pressure ahead astern turbines cruising turbines driving center shafts engines total designed output shaft horsepower produced shp speed trials november gave speed knots mph small tube boilers provided steam engines designed working pressure kpa psi boiler fitted oil mixed oil coal burning arranged groups forward group consisted boiler rooms second turret foremost boilers second rear group second turrets comprised compartments boilers load carried long tons coal long tons fuel oil provided range nautical miles speed knots armament main armament consisted dozen inch pattern caliber guns mounted electrically powered triple turrets guns depressed elevated loaded angle rate fire round seconds elevation round minute forward turret arc fire second turret total turret aft turret elevate second traverse rate second rounds gun carried load guns fired kilogram projectiles muzzle velocity provided maximum range meters sixteen manually operated inch caliber pattern guns mounted hull casemates secondary battery intended defend ship torpedo boats lack bow heavy trim forward casemates washed moderate seas guns firing arc bear horizon maximum elevation elevate second traverse degrees second rounds gun provided increased rounds construction designed feet waterline reduced service overweight rate fire seven rounds minute maximum range yards elevation pound semi armor piercing model shell muzzle velocity class ships completed single inch caliber anti aircraft gun mounted quarterdeck maximum depression maximum elevation fired pound shell muzzle velocity rate fire rounds minute maximum ceiling guns probably added course world war details lacking conway says millimeter guns added roofs end turrets war inch submerged torpedo tubes mounted torpedoes tube fire control meter fitted conning towers foot instrument possibly precise master ship concentrating fire situated lower level forward conning tower provide data central artillery post imported mechanical fire control computer transmit gun commands transmission system gun crew follow winter transferred armored rear fore aft turrets point foot added roofs middle turrets received foot rangefinder spring protection armor protection class ships protect different threats revealed russo japanese war japanese high explosive shells portions russian ships sunk ships heavy armor belts russians decided entire ship needed armored limit thickness main belt developed system outer armor break slow shells burst immediately outer armor armor bulkhead stop splinters shell fragments reaching system likely worked british armor piercing shells performed badly battle jutland failed improved shells introduced redesigned related weakness turrets conning towers lacked splinter bulkhead armor thickness roughly equivalent main belt waterline belt krupp cemented armor maximum thickness millimeters tapered edge meters long total height meters meters design waterline meters ship draft centimeters deeper intended meant water remaining portion waterline protected millimeter plates upper belt protected casemates citadel meters high thickness millimeters forward citadel area aft citadel unprotected section hull meters longitudinal splinter bulkhead cemented armor thick level main belt upper belt main deck sloped bulkhead lower edge waterline belt consisted plate mild steel plate space coal bunker added extra protection main belt closed transverse bulkheads fore aft steering gear protected armor thick main gun turrets face sides thick roof guns inch gun shields protect splinters entering separated splinter bulkheads barbettes thick upper deck reduced armor fore aft barbettes conning tower sides thick roof guns individual inch gun shields funnel protected armor upper deck steel middle deck steel longitudinal splinter bulkheads outside lower deck mild steel underwater protection minimal single watertight bulkhead presumably high steel upwards extension double extension splinter bulkhead meters comprehensive system considered early design process rejected cost long tons short tons armor scheme class ships significant weaknesses rear transverse bulkhead unprotected armor thickness forward bulkhead defended upper belt armor barbette armor defect proved fatal battle lack splinter bulkhead armor turrets barbettes conning towers left locations vulnerable main gun hits biggest weakness lack anti torpedo bulkhead highly vulnerable mines torpedoes construction ships laid june ceremonial event actual work begin september october major design turrets magazines completed construction began weights dimensions estimated machinery ships built franco russian works lacked engine shop construction initially slow money ships initial funding taken budget items emperor fund shipyards use money work going enormously expensive cost estimated million including armament way comparison preceding class pre dreadnoughts cost million provided funding pace work accelerated ships launched later year delays delivery engines turrets hindered completion ships completed abbreviated trials end reached fleet december january ships service world war assigned december january reached turrets fire control systems adjusted fine tuned spring role defend mouth germans tried enter spent time training occasional sorties baltic ships ran aground providing cover operations suffered significant damage minor mutiny broke november board executive officer refused feed crew traditional meal meat crews battleships joined general mutiny march idle sailors received word february revolution saint_petersburg treaty brest required soviets evacuate base march interned newly independent finland frozen sisters led group ships march reached days later known ice voyage russian civil war interwar period dreadnoughts laid october november lack manpower bombarded rebellious garrison fort supported light forces operating british ships supporting august claimed torpedoed action harbor fact damaged november fire broke forward boiler room interior repaired numerous proposals reconstruct crews joined rebellion renamed respectively rebellion crushed commemorate betrayal communist_party undamaged ships recommissioned ships given proper revolutionary names initial attempts return service restore original design money ran half completed subsequent plans focused modernized equivalent sisters battlecruiser turret deleted save weight considered finally abandoned january work stopped refitted preparation transfer year given open topped false bow improve sea keeping ability route caught heavy storm damaged bow forced brest repairs class reconstructed april superstructure enlarged guns replaced turrets overhauled anti aircraft armament augmented fire control equipment modernized boilers converted burn fuel oil produced steam forward boilers removed boiler room turned anti aircraft magazines control spaces forward funnel angled rear extended try exhaust gunnery spaces bridge given false bow solid turned forecastle ship rebuilt experiences sister modernization old boilers replaced dozen oil fired boilers originally intended class battlecruiser space saved add longitudinal watertight bulkhead greatly improved underwater protection rest modernization lines tubular foremast replaced semi conical mast new aft structure built rear conning tower caused mainmast moved forward forward funnel curved rear better bridge clear exhaust gases thickness turret roofs increased millimeters began stage reconstruction lines modernization major differences guns turrets improved increase rate fire rounds minutes extend range ship class receive light anti aircraft guns forward funnel given curve direct exhaust gases away forward superstructure completed alterations returned dockyard december july receive new armored deck anti torpedo cured stability problems greatly increased underwater protection modest cost speed world war participation winter war limited bombardment finnish coastal artillery december failed inflict permanent damage driven near misses ships anti aircraft armament modernized reinforced winter transferred shortly soviets occupied estonia received guns february march received modest number guns receiving landed guns right germans invaded june germans attacked soviet_union date soon forced fall speed german advance baltic fleet dreadnoughts participated combat september fired troops positions near lightly damaged german centimeter guns september bow blown september bomb hits claimed iii flying detonated forward magazine sank shallow water progressive flooding raised floating artillery battery rest war later gun turrets reverted original badly damaged september bomb hits bow knocked turrets sent repairs october hit bombs different occasions repair november armament reinforced period returned mission providing fire support siege offensive january offensive june soviet battleship fire shots anger june offensive july ship awarded order red banner received air warning radar late 1930s barracks hulk stripped parts formally discarded december scrapping begun pace german invasion towed run aground late july near siege hull base small ships raised towed scrapped beginning remained october evacuated germans breached soviet defensive lines near ship fired shots war november bombarded german romanian troops south evacuation run december bombarding german troops arrival spent time supporting troops january march fired shots war targets near nights march returning worn inch guns time finished soviets unwilling expose prominent ship german air attacks sunk number cruisers destroyers returned original remained late led surviving major units november air warning radars fitted war awarded order red banner july postwar remained active list end war little known activities reclassified school battleships july stricken february scrapping began year hulk existence war plans project reconstruct known bow moving turret forward position accepted formally cancelled june renamed nearby river november served stationary training ship stricken september broken world war turrets guns rebuild remained service
Gangut-class battleship