Q&A: When did Russia cease to field a competitive navy?

Were these naval weaknesses permanent, or had Russia once possessed a competitive navy?

Russia had been competitive in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but fell behind as naval industrialization intensified.

Russia could field a competitive navy in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Its difficulties became sharper as industrial warships demanded modern yards, machinery, transport, and administrative coordination. Nicholas II invested in naval growth after taking power in 1894, but expansion did not automatically cure those supporting weaknesses. The older naval tradition remained distinct from the later industrial bottleneck.