Terrible Russian/Soviet Designs: Battle-Carriers and Torpedo Battleships

In the ever-evolving world of naval warfare, few nations have experimented with warship designs as boldly as the Russian Empire and its Soviet successors. From hybrid battleship-carriers to torpedo battleships armed with an absurd number of tubes, the Russian naval architects envisioned some of the most unconventional designs ever proposed. This video explores these fascinating yet bizarre concepts, highlighting how geopolitical ambitions and technological limitations shaped their development.

One of the most ambitious designs came from an unexpected source—American naval architect William Francis Gibbs. During the late 1930s, the Soviet Union sought to modernize its fleet and approached Gibbs & Cox, a prominent U.S. firm, to design a cutting-edge battleship. Gibbs, with little direction from the Soviets, created an enormous 62,000-ton hybrid battleship-carrier, armed with twelve 16-inch guns, a 35-knot speed, and a full-length flight deck for aircraft operations. Intended to outclass anything in the Japanese fleet, the design combined firepower and aviation capability in a way never seen before. However, the layout—particularly the positioning of the turrets—raised concerns about turbulence interfering with flight operations. While the U.S. Navy reviewed the design with interest, tensions between Washington and Moscow ultimately killed the project before it could materialize.

While the Soviet hybrid battleship was an attempt to dominate the seas with overwhelming firepower and versatility, an even stranger idea emerged decades earlier in Imperial Russia: the torpedo battleship. Following the Russo-Japanese War, Russian naval strategists explored unconventional ways to counter their numerically superior enemies. The result was a proposal for a 23,000-ton warship featuring 84 underwater torpedo tubes, ten 7-inch guns, and a 30-knot speed—all protected by a 400mm armored belt. The idea was simple yet radical: these torpedo battleships would charge directly into enemy lines, launching a massive spread of torpedoes at point-blank range to throw the enemy fleet into chaos. The Imperial Russian Navy briefly considered the design, with Vice Admiral Essen supporting its potential to disrupt enemy formations. However, the concept was ultimately deemed impractical, as it relied too heavily on outdated assumptions about torpedo effectiveness and close-range engagements. Additionally, placing so many torpedo tubes inside a heavily armored hull introduced serious structural vulnerabilities.

These designs highlight the ambitious, if often unrealistic, thinking behind Russian naval strategy during the early 20th century. While neither concept saw the light of day, they reflect the constant tension between innovation and practicality in warship development. The Soviet Union would go on to build its own fleet of battleships—though none as radical as Gibbs’ hybrid design—while torpedo warfare shifted away from battleships and toward submarines and aircraft. Despite their flaws, these warships serve as fascinating what-if scenarios in naval history.

This is just the beginning of our deep dive into Russia’s strangest battleship concepts. Future videos will explore even more unconventional designs, including the Russian pre-dreadnoughts that defied conventional wisdom. Let me know what you think of these bizarre warships in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to help the channel grow. Until next time, my friends, have a great week!

Intro 0:00
Battle-Carrier 0:26
Torpedo Battleship 11:28

Sources/Other Reading:

https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/Mussolinis-Nav...

https://www.usni.org/press/books/russ...

https://www.amazon.com/Warships-Sovie...

https://www.amazon.com/Warship-2015-J...

Video Information:
Copyright fair use notice. All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders, when applicable.