The Imperial Navy Yards at St Petersburg had a tie in to the Vickers-Armstrong Armaments and building group. This enabled the Russian Navy to keep up with what was happening in the Royal Navy. It also enabled the Russian Yards to order specific parts and drawings to assist with building ever better ships. After the loss to Japan only a short time before, the Russians kept themselves abreast of what was happening in the Japanese shipbuilding industries as well. The news of the Kongo class battlecruisers, led the Russians to order the Borodino Class fast battleships in the mould of the RN's Queen Elizabeth class. The Borodino class was to be larger than the QE's as they were to be armed with twelve 14" guns, and 2-3 knots faster.
Displacement: 31,000 tons normal, 35,300 tons full load
Dimensions: 677 x 102 x 29 feet
Machinery: 4 shaft, steam turbines, 100,000shp
Speed: 27 knots
Endurance: 7,000 miles at 12 knots
Armour: 13" belt, 2" deck, 13"-9"-7.1" turrets
Armament:
12 x 14" (4x3)
16 x 5.1" (16x1)
14 x 3.9" (14x1)
6 x 76mm AA (6x1)
6 x 47mm (6x1)
Crew: 1520
Originally four were ordered, two for the Baltic Fleet and two for the Black Sea fleet. The two Baltic Sea Fleet ships were completed in 1916 and named Izmail and Borodino. However the two for the Black Sea Fleet were never completed being captured by the Germans at their building yards in 1916, then scuttled by the Germans when they left again after the Armistice of 1917. The two completed ships turned out to be well armed and armoured and compared favourably with their equivalents in other navies. It was the speed of 27 knots that gave these ships the edge over the German ships they encountered in the Baltic during 1916-17 prior to the Armistice. The Germans normally had a numerical superiority when they made incursions into the Gulf of Finland in support of their troops, so the Russian ships would fire a few salvos with their longer ranged guns, then turn tail, discretion being the better part of valour.
The two ships spent all their lives in the Baltic Sea Fleet. These were the ships that forced the victorious Allies to provide the Germans with decent ships in the Versailles Treaty to act as a front line against the Russian battleships. During the 1920's the ships languished at their anchors and were in a filthy state. The Soviets finally took notice of their Navy and cleaned up those ships that were still useful and scrapped the rest. The two Brordinos were to be the centrepiece of the Soviet Fleet, but as the years passed they looked less and less fearsome. 1936 and the decision was made to follow what other countries were doing with their old battleships, a complete rebuild to improve armour, propulsion, and most of all director control of both main and secondary armaments. 1937 the plans were made around the new 130mm (5.1") dual purpose gun system. Eight twin turrets were to be fitted. While the ships were under reconstruction the plans for the 40mm Bofors gun system were 'found' and put into production. The original 40mm size being increased to the Russian standard of 47mm. The first units being put aboard the Borodino and Izmail. A lot of 23mm AA guns in singles and twins were added during the siege of Leningrad.
Displacement: 33,000 tons normal, 38,300 tons full load
Dimensions: 677 x 102 (108 over bulges) x 29 feet
Machinery: 4 shaft, Geared turbines, 115,000shp
Speed: 27 knots
Endurance: 7,000 miles at 12 knots
Armour: 13" belt, 2" deck, 13"-9"-7.1" turrets
Armament:
12 x 14" (4x3)
16 x 130mm/5.1" (8x2)
27 x 47mm (27x1)
Crew: 1635
1941 and the German invasion. Borodino and Izmail stay in harbour behind the minefields in the Gulf of Finland. Both ships are used as floating artillery batteries in the Leningrad siege. Both ships are major targets but their own AA batteries help to shield them from the German bombers. Eventually Izmail receives a 1000kg bomb hit in an aft magazine that wrecks the aft part of the ship. X turret is blown over the side of the ship and Y turret is unseated from its rollers and lies accross the deck of the ship. The remainder of the ship is driven ashore and used as a static battery. Further bomb hits on Izmail wreck the rest of the ship and the remains are scrapped post-war. Borodino survives the war and is eventually scrapped in 1958.