Kuznetsov followed several earlier Soviet aviation ships, so a complete lack of carrier experience is rejected as an explanation for its problems. The emphasis falls on the Black Sea shipyard and the wider group of yards also struggling with Slava construction. The same builders were intended to produce Ulyanovsk, a nuclear carrier combining catapults with a ski-jump arrangement. That mixture complicates the idea that it was simply a copy of an American carrier. Earlier successful cruiser construction is contrasted with the difficulties associated with later large ships.
Notable Point · 4:39:04-4:42:07
Kuznetsov's problems are linked to its builders despite earlier carrier experience
The Soviet Navy had earlier carrier experience; Kuznetsov's difficulties are instead associated with its shipyard and the construction of increasingly demanding ships.