Why French and Russian naval designers remain underrated

Who was the most underrated naval designer of the dreadnought era?

On the proposed measure of English-language coverage, French and Russian designers receive less attention than the other major naval traditions.

Access to English-language scholarship provides one way to judge which naval designers receive too little attention. Directors of naval construction remained closely involved with battleships because of their importance, limiting the case for an overlooked subordinate working independently. British, American, German, and Japanese designers have extensive English-language coverage, while Italian coverage has recently improved. French and Russian designers are harder to study through English-language books. French designs improved by about 1913, but there is disagreement over whether they had become equal to foreign contemporaries or merely viable opponents. Quadruple turrets illustrate a further criticism that technically distinctive ideas could distract from getting sound designs into service.