The design grew from a 45,900-ton concept with nine 406 mm guns into a heavier battleship whose engineering details were approved only after construction had begun. Yard readiness and manufacturing quality lagged behind the program: one hull was suspended amid widespread riveting defects, while the others remained at low completion when war intervened. Armor prepared for Sovetsky Soyuz was diverted to coastal fortifications near Leningrad, and the unfinished hulls were eventually abandoned or broken up. The episode also warns readers that the English-language reference is information-rich but lightly sourced and awkwardly translated.
Notable Point · 1:34:49-1:43:23
Project 23 battleships versus Soviet yard capacity
A Russian reference guide traces Project 23 from ambitious requirements to premature laying down, changing protection schemes, defective riveting, wartime interruption, and postwar scrapping.