Chapter · 50:29-53:39

Novik destroyers across a divided navy

Russian destroyer strength included the fast Novik class, but separate fleets and flotillas diluted a force that had to serve very different waters.

Notes

The navy built large numbers of destroyers and produced some notably capable ships, including the Novik class. Novik's 37.5-knot performance made her the fastest warship in the world at completion, while experience against Japan reinforced the demand for powerful destroyers. Russia's Baltic, Black Sea, Caspian, Siberian, and residual Pacific commitments divided those assets among theatres with incompatible conditions. Force totals therefore reveal little unless the ships' locations and missions are considered as well.