The Imperatritsa Mariya class shows Russia achieving quality within its means. In the Black Sea, three ships operating together could use the confined geography to restrict and potentially herd a faster battlecruiser into combat. Their roughly 21-knot speed was paired with enough endurance to maintain that pace for a substantial distance. The ships combined waterline armour reaching about ten and a half inches with twelve-inch main guns, a secondary battery, and submerged torpedo tubes. They were capable Russian-built dreadnoughts suited to a specific Russian theatre, although they were not the world's most advanced examples.
Chapter · 1:07:17-1:12:20
Imperatritsa Mariya: quality within Russian means
The Black Sea dreadnoughts combined sustained speed, useful armour, and heavy guns in ships suited to containing an enemy battlecruiser within confined waters.