The analogy between a second-class battleship and the lower rates of the sailing navy fails because weaker timber was never what made a lower-rate sailing warship useful. Oslyabya's 18-knot speed could not carry her away from contemporary battleships, while 10-inch guns offered less striking power than the 12-inch batteries she would face. The design surrendered protection and firepower without gaining a distinct tactical role. A near-battleship intended for colonial coercion would also struggle to intimidate powers already able to field serious naval forces. Paying close to the cost of a first-class battleship for a slower, weaker substitute made the supposed economy especially poor.
Notable Point · 1:17:35-1:25:50
Second-class battleship savings bought no tactical escape
Less armor and smaller guns saved little money because Oslyabya remained too slow to avoid the battle line and too costly to be expendable.