Q&A · 2:28:53-2:29:52

Borodino-class battlecruisers in the modern Black Sea

A modern-use counterfactual balances heavy naval gunfire against age, weak deck armor, and vulnerability to air attack.

Question

How would a Borodino-class battlecruiser affect the modern Russian Black Sea Fleet?

Short answer

Its twelve 14-inch guns could threaten movement near the coast, but an original ship would be ancient and a newly built version would lack the air defense and deck protection needed for the modern battlespace.

Notes

Four triple 14-inch turrets would provide formidable firepower against targets near the coast. That does not make the First World War design a viable modern combatant. An original survivor would be extremely old, while a newly constructed copy would raise the question of why a navy accepted a hull unable to mount the air-defense system the environment demands. Deck armor of roughly 37.5-75 millimeters would be inadequate against many modern bombs. Impressive gun caliber cannot compensate for a mismatch in survivability and defensive systems.