Russian 16-inch Gun Battleship Projects

Contributed by Vladimir Yakubov (yakv2@yahoo.com) as part of the Warship TechSpec effort. His source:

Poslednie Ispoliny Rossiyskogo Imperatorskogo Flota ("Last Giants of the Russian Imperial Fleet") by S.E. Vinogradov, St. Petersburg 1999

Bubnov Designs

1914 Battleship design for the Baltic created by ship building engineer I.G. Bubnov (designer of Ganguts) and accepted by the Main Shipbuilding Directorate.

This design came closest to being laid down. It was planned to lay down 8 units in mid-1915. Unfortunately the design was being considered from March to July 1914 and many of the documents were lost. The remaining documents say that the design was in no way finalized and the armour scheme was supposed to be tested in October 1914, but then the war started and the test was forgotten until 1922, when it was done under the Soviets. Other problem was the TDS system, which was judged to be too thin especially in the area of bow and stern turrets. When the war started the project was abandoned.

Data (all in metric units):

Displacement:

Standard - 34,300 tons

Normal - 35,600 tons

Full - 38,660 tons

Normal - 9.15 m

Full - 9.83 m

Twelve 16"/45

Twenty four 130mm/55

Four 100mm/37 AA

Eighteen 450mm torpedo tubes

Belt - 280mm KC + 75mm KC

Decks - 35mm Chrome-Nickel + 75mm KC

Barbettes - 375mm/250mm

Turrets - 400mm/400mm/400mm/250mm

Conning Tower - 400mm/250mm

funnels - 75mm KC/25mm High tension steel

Anti-torpedo bulkhead - none

Forward - 4464 kg

Broadside - 13,392 kg

The Illustrations

(click on each for an enlargement)

Elevation

Plans

Cross-section (1)

Cross-section (2)

1914 Putilov designs

These next designs are from the Putilov Shipyard. These were submitted to the navy in February 1914. Only real alternative to the Navy version of the BB. Putilov SY was a partner with German Blohm und Voss and many of these designs show a strong German influence.

The Illustrations

(click on each for an enlargement)

"1914 Ultimate Battleship" Study

This was the ultimate BB study done in June 1914 by the Russo-Baltic SY in Revel. It was never seriously considered for production and was more of a design study to see if it can be done. It was considered to be too big for the Baltic Sea operations.

Data (all in metric units):

Displacement - 45,000 tons

Full length - 265.0 m

Full width - 34.4 m

Draft - 9.15 m

Armaments:

Sixteen 16"/45

Twenty four 150mm/52

Torpedo tubes:

Four 450mm

Armour: See drawings

Engines: 11 universal boilers, 16 oil boilers, 119,452 h.p.

Speed - up to 30 knots

The Illustrations

(click on each for an enlargement)

1917 Naval design for a Black Sea Battleship

The design was done by one of the best Russian engineers, V.P. Kostenko. The design was semi-official and none of the documents were found from the navy requesting it. It had no chance of ever being built in the conditions of 1916-17 Russia, but shows a Russian attempt at the post-Jutland battleship. The info on it is fragmentary due to the nature of the situation in 1917-18 in the South of Russia.

Data (all in metric units):

Displacement (Version 1) - 42,360 tons

Displacement (Version 2) - 44,000 tons

Displacement (Version 3) - 43,600 tons

Displacement (Version 4) - 45,000 tons

Version 1:

Full length - 252 m

Full width - 30 m

Draft - 10.1 m

Version 2:

Full length - 240 m

Full width - 30 m

Draft - 10.1 m

Version 1:

Full length - 240 m

Full width - 30 m

Draft - 10.1 m

Version 1:

Full length - 230 m

Full width - 30 m

Draft - 10.1 m

Version 1

Armaments:

Eight 16"/45

Twenty 6"/50

Version 2

Armaments:

Nine 16"/45

Twenty 6"/50

Version 3

Armaments:

Ten 16"/45

Twenty 6"/50

Version 4

Armaments:

Twelve 16"/45

Twenty 6"/50

Version 1

Armour:

Belt - 250mm + 100mm

Version 2

Armour:

Belt - 275mm + 100mm

Version 3

Armour:

Belt - 300mm + 100mm

Version 4

Armour:

Belt - 325mm + 100mm

Version 1

Engines:

144,000 h.p.

Speed - 31.5 knots

Version 2

Engines:

120,000 h.p.

Speed - 30 knots

Version 3

Engines:

96,000 h.p.

Speed - 28 knots

Version 4

Engines:

72,000 h.p.

Speed - 25 knots

The Illustrations

(click on each for an enlargement)

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