The Gnevny-class Project 7 destroyers were useful ships whose design flaws helped prompt Project 7U. Conservatively rated turbines and boilers allowed many examples to exceed their intended performance. Poor manufacture accounted for some exceptions. Fuel capacities also varied, with quoted endurance ranging from nearly 1,700 to nearly 3,200 nautical miles at 19 knots. That spread is attributed to yards changing fuel-tank allocations without preserving the design's intended capacity. Those changes are also associated with buoyancy problems.
Chapter · 32:52-34:51
Project 7: workable machinery and inconsistent fuel capacity
Conservative machinery ratings helped Project 7 exceed its speed targets, but yard changes produced sharply different endurance within the class.