Why circular battleships rank among the worst designs

What was the worst battleship class ever designed?

Russian circular battleships are a leading candidate because their form created severe practical problems for their own operators.

Naming one universally worst battleship is difficult because several Russian proposals combine attractive features with serious faults. The circular vessels are the clearest answer. Their unusual form created handling and employment problems that a conventional hull avoided. The useful criterion is the burden a design places on its own navy rather than how strange it looks in isolation.