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In the 1960s and 1970s quality regulations tightened , and more legal barriers to condom use were removed . In Ireland , legal condom sales were allowed for the first time in 1978 . Advertising , however was one area that continued to have legal restrictions . In the late 1950s , the American National Association of Broadcasters banned condom advertisements from national television : this policy remained in place until 1979 .
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After learning in the early 1980s that AIDS can be a sexually transmitted infection , the use of condoms was encouraged to prevent transmission of HIV . Despite opposition by some political , religious , and other figures , national condom promotion campaigns occurred in the U.S. and Europe . These campaigns increased condom use significantly .
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Due to increased demand and greater social acceptance , condoms began to be sold in a wider variety of retail outlets , including in supermarkets and in discount department stores such as Wal @-@ Mart . Condom sales increased every year until 1994 , when media attention to the AIDS pandemic began to decline . The phenomenon of decreasing use of condoms as disease preventatives has been called prevention fatigue or condom fatigue . Observers have cited condom fatigue in both Europe and North America . As one response , manufacturers have changed the tone of their advertisements from scary to humorous .
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New developments continued to occur in the condom market , with the first polyurethane condom — branded Avanti and produced by the manufacturer of Durex — introduced in the 1990s , and the first custom sized @-@ to @-@ fit condom , called TheyFit , introduced in the early 2000s .
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Worldwide condom use is expected to continue to grow : one study predicted that developing nations would need 18 @.@ 6 billion condoms by 2015 . As of September 2013 , condoms are available inside prisons in Canada , most of the European Union , Australia , Brazil , Indonesia , South Africa , and the US states of Vermont ( on September 17 , 2013 , the Californian Senate approved a bill for condom distribution inside the state 's prisons , but the bill was not yet law at the time of approval ) .
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= = = Etymology and other terms = = =
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The term condom first appears in the early 18th century . Its etymology is unknown . In popular tradition , the invention and naming of the condom came to be attributed to an associate of England 's King Charles II , one " Dr. Condom " or " Earl of Condom " . There is however no evidence of the existence of such a person , and condoms had been used for over one hundred years before King Charles II ascended to the throne .
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A variety of unproven Latin etymologies have been proposed , including condon ( receptacle ) , condamina ( house ) , and cumdum ( scabbard or case ) . It has also been speculated to be from the Italian word guantone , derived from guanto , meaning glove . William E. Kruck wrote an article in 1981 concluding that , " As for the word ' condom ' , I need state only that its origin remains completely unknown , and there ends this search for an etymology . " Modern dictionaries may also list the etymology as " unknown " .
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Other terms are also commonly used to describe condoms . In North America condoms are also commonly known as prophylactics , or rubbers . In Britain they may be called French letters . Additionally , condoms may be referred to using the manufacturer 's name .
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= = Society and culture = =
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Some moral and scientific criticism of condoms exists despite the many benefits of condoms agreed on by scientific consensus and sexual health experts .
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Condom usage is typically recommended for new couples who have yet to develop full trust in their partner with regard to STDs . Established couples on the other hand have few concerns about STDs , and can use other methods of birth control such as the pill , which does not act as a barrier to intimate sexual contact . Note that the polar debate with regard to condom usage is attenuated by the target group the argument is directed . Notably the age category and stable partner question are factors , as well as the distinction between heterosexual and homosexuals , who have different kinds of sex and have different risk consequences and factors .
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Among the prime objections to condom usage is the blocking of erotic sensation , and / or the intimacy that barrier @-@ free sex provides . As the condom is held tightly to the skin of the penis , it diminishes the delivery of stimulation through rubbing and friction . Condom proponents claim this has the benefit of making sex last longer , by diminishing sensation and delaying male ejaculation . Those who promote condom @-@ free heterosexual sex ( slang : " bareback " ) claim that the condom puts a prophylactic barrier between partners , diminishing what is normally a highly sensual , intimate , and spiritual connection between partners .
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= = = Religious = = =
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Roman Catholic Church opposes all kinds of sexual acts outside of marriage , as well as any sexual act in which the chance of successful conception has been reduced by direct and intentional acts ( for example , surgery to prevent conception ) or foreign objects ( for example , condoms ) .
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The use of condoms to prevent STD transmission is not specifically addressed by Catholic doctrine , and is currently a topic of debate among theologians and high @-@ ranking Catholic authorities . A few , such as Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels , believe the Catholic Church should actively support condoms used to prevent disease , especially serious diseases such as AIDS . However , the majority view — including all statements from the Vatican — is that condom @-@ promotion programs encourage promiscuity , thereby actually increasing STD transmission . This view was most recently reiterated in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI .
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The Roman Catholic Church is the largest organized body of any world religion . The church has hundreds of programs dedicated to fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa , but its opposition to condom use in these programs has been highly controversial .
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In a November 2011 interview , the Pope discussed for the first time the use of condoms to prevent STD transmission . He said that the use of a condom can be justified in a few individual cases if the purpose is to reduce the risk of an HIV infection . He gave as an example male prostitutes . There was some confusion at first whether the statement applied only to homosexual prostitutes and thus not to heterosexual intercourse at all . However , Federico Lombardi , spokesman for the Vatican , clarified that it applied to heterosexual and transsexual prostitutes , whether male or female , as well . He did , however , also clarify that the Vatican 's principles on sexuality and contraception had not been changed .
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= = = Scientific and environmental = = =
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More generally , some scientific researchers have expressed objective concern over certain ingredients sometimes added to condoms , notably talc and nitrosamines . Dry dusting powders are applied to latex condoms before packaging to prevent the condom from sticking to itself when rolled up . Previously , talc was used by most manufacturers , but cornstarch is currently the most popular dusting powder . Talc is known to be toxic if it enters the abdominal cavity ( i.e. , via the vagina ) . Cornstarch is generally believed to be safe ; however , some researchers have raised concerns over its use as well .
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Nitrosamines , which are potentially carcinogenic in humans , are believed to be present in a substance used to improve elasticity in latex condoms . A 2001 review stated that humans regularly receive 1 @,@ 000 to 10 @,@ 000 times greater nitrosamine exposure from food and tobacco than from condom use and concluded that the risk of cancer from condom use is very low . However , a 2004 study in Germany detected nitrosamines in 29 out of 32 condom brands tested , and concluded that exposure from condoms might exceed the exposure from food by 1.5- to 3 @-@ fold .
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In addition , the large @-@ scale use of disposable condoms has resulted in concerns over their environmental impact via littering and in landfills , where they can eventually wind up in wildlife environments if not incinerated or otherwise permanently disposed of first . Polyurethane condoms in particular , given they are a form of plastic , are not biodegradable , and latex condoms take a very long time to break down . Experts , such as AVERT , recommend condoms be disposed of in a garbage receptacle , as flushing them down the toilet ( which some people do ) may cause plumbing blockages and other problems . Furthermore , the plastic and foil wrappers condoms are packaged in are also not biodegradable . However , the benefits condoms offer are widely considered to offset their small landfill mass . Frequent condom or wrapper disposal in public areas such as a parks have been seen as a persistent litter problem .
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While biodegradable , latex condoms damage the environment when disposed of improperly . According to the Ocean Conservancy , condoms , along with certain other types of trash , cover the coral reefs and smother sea grass and other bottom dwellers . The United States Environmental Protection Agency also has expressed concerns that many animals might mistake the litter for food .
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= = = Cultural barriers to use = = =
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In much of the Western world , the introduction of the pill in the 1960s was associated with a decline in condom use . In Japan , oral contraceptives were not approved for use until September 1999 , and even then access was more restricted than in other industrialized nations . Perhaps because of this restricted access to hormonal contraception , Japan has the highest rate of condom usage in the world : in 2008 , 80 % of contraceptive users relied on condoms .
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Cultural attitudes toward gender roles , contraception , and sexual activity vary greatly around the world , and range from extremely conservative to extremely liberal . But in places where condoms are misunderstood , mischaracterised , demonised , or looked upon with overall cultural disapproval , the prevalence of condom use is directly affected . In less @-@ developed countries and among less @-@ educated populations , misperceptions about how disease transmission and conception work negatively affect the use of condoms ; additionally , in cultures with more traditional gender roles , women may feel uncomfortable demanding that their partners use condoms .
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As an example , Latino immigrants in the United States often face cultural barriers to condom use . A study on female HIV prevention published in the Journal of Sex Health Research asserts that Latino women often lack the attitudes needed to negotiate safe sex due to traditional gender @-@ role norms in the Latino community , and may be afraid to bring up the subject of condom use with their partners . Women who participated in the study often reported that because of the general machismo subtly encouraged in Latino culture , their male partners would be angry or possibly violent at the woman 's suggestion that they use condoms . A similar phenomenon has been noted in a survey of low @-@ income American black women ; the women in this study also reported a fear of violence at the suggestion to their male partners that condoms be used .
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A telephone survey conducted by Rand Corporation and Oregon State University , and published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes showed that belief in AIDS conspiracy theories among United States black men is linked to rates of condom use . As conspiracy beliefs about AIDS grow in a given sector of these black men , consistent condom use drops in that same sector . Female use of condoms was not similarly affected .
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In the African continent , condom promotion in some areas has been impeded by anti @-@ condom campaigns by some Muslim and Catholic clerics . Among the Maasai in Tanzania , condom use is hampered by an aversion to " wasting " sperm , which is given sociocultural importance beyond reproduction . Sperm is believed to be an " elixir " to women and to have beneficial health effects . Maasai women believe that , after conceiving a child , they must have sexual intercourse repeatedly so that the additional sperm aids the child 's development . Frequent condom use is also considered by some Maasai to cause impotence . Some women in Africa believe that condoms are " for prostitutes " and that respectable women should not use them . A few clerics even promote the idea that condoms are deliberately laced with HIV . In the United States , possession of many condoms has been used by police to accuse women of engaging in prostitution . The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV / AIDS has condemned this practice and there are efforts to end it .
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In March 2013 , technology mogul Bill Gates offered a US $ 100 @,@ 000 grant through his foundation for a condom design that " significantly preserves or enhances pleasure " to encourage more males to adopt the use of condoms for safer sex . The grant information states : “ The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom , creating a trade @-@ off that many men find unacceptable , particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse . Is it possible to develop a product without this stigma , or better , one that is felt to enhance pleasure ? ” The project has been named the " Next Generation Condom " and anyone who can provide a " testable hypothesis " is eligible to apply .
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Middle @-@ Eastern couples who have not had children , because of the strong desire and social pressure to establish fertility as soon as possible within marriage , rarely use condoms .
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= = = Major manufacturers = = =
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One analyst described the size of the condom market as something that " boggles the mind " . Numerous small manufacturers , nonprofit groups , and government @-@ run manufacturing plants exist around the world . Within the condom market , there are several major contributors , among them both for @-@ profit businesses and philanthropic organizations . Most large manufacturers have ties to the business that reach back to the end of the 19th century .
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= = Research = =
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A spray @-@ on condom made of latex is intended to be easier to apply and more successful in preventing the transmission of diseases . As of 2009 , the spray @-@ on condom was not going to market because the drying time could not be reduced below two to three minutes .
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The Invisible Condom , developed at Université Laval in Québec , Canada , is a gel that hardens upon increased temperature after insertion into the vagina or rectum . In the lab , it has been shown to effectively block HIV and herpes simplex virus . The barrier breaks down and liquefies after several hours . As of 2005 , the invisible condom is in the clinical trial phase , and has not yet been approved for use .
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Also developed in 2005 is a condom treated with an erectogenic compound . The drug @-@ treated condom is intended to help the wearer maintain his erection , which should also help reduce slippage . If approved , the condom would be marketed under the Durex brand . As of 2007 , it was still in clinical trials . In 2009 , Ansell Healthcare , the makers of Lifestyle condoms , introduced the X2 condom lubricated with " Excite Gel " which contains the amino acid l @-@ arginine and is intended to improve the strength of the erectile response .
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= Sovetsky Soyuz @-@ class battleship =
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The Sovetsky Soyuz @-@ class battleships ( Project 23 , Russian : Советский Союз , " Soviet Union " ) , also known as " Stalin 's Republics " , were a class of battleships begun by the Soviet Union in the late 1930s but never brought into service . They were designed in response to the battleships being built by Germany . Only four hulls of the sixteen originally planned had been laid down by 1940 , when the decision was made to cut the program to only three ships to divert resources to an expanded army rearmament program .
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These ships would have rivaled the Imperial Japanese Yamato class and America 's planned Montana class in size if any had been completed , although with significantly weaker firepower : nine 406 @-@ millimeter ( 16 @.@ 0 in ) guns compared to the nine 460 @-@ millimeter ( 18 @.@ 1 in ) guns of the Japanese ships and a dozen 16 @-@ inch ( 406 @.@ 4 mm ) on the Montanas . However , they would have been superior to their German rivals , the Bismarck class , at least on paper . The failure of the Soviet armor plate industry to build cemented armor plates thicker than 230 millimeters ( 9 @.@ 1 in ) would have negated any advantages from the Sovetsky Soyuz class 's thicker armor in combat .
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Construction of the first four ships was plagued with difficulties as the Soviet shipbuilding and related industries were not prepared to build such large ships . One battleship , Sovetskaya Belorussiya , was cancelled on 19 October 1940 after serious construction flaws were found . Construction of the other three ships was suspended shortly after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 , and never resumed . All three of the surviving hulls were scrapped in the late 1940s .
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= = Design and development = =
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Design work began in 1935 on new battleships in response to the existing and planned German battleships , and the Soviets made extensive efforts in Italy and the United States to purchase either drawings or the ships themselves in the late 1930s . The Italian firm of Gio . Ansaldo & C. proposed a ship of 42 @,@ 000 long tons ( 43 @,@ 000 t ) standard displacement with nine 16 @-@ inch ( 406 mm ) guns , in size and appearance similar to the Italian battleship Littorio then under construction by the company . The U.S. firm of Gibbs & Cox provided four designs ; one for a conventional battleship , and three hybrid designs which combined battleship main armament with a raised flight deck on the central superstructure capable of operating up to 30 aircraft . While these projects proved useful to the Soviets , they decided to proceed with their own designs .
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The first Tactical @-@ Technical Requirement ( abbreviated in Russian as TTZ ) for the large battleship design was issued on 21 February 1936 but proved too ambitious , specifying nine 460 mm guns and a speed of 36 knots ( 67 km / h ; 41 mph ) on a displacement of 55 @,@ 000 tons . The TTZ was revised in May 1936 by Admiral Orlov , Commander of the Soviet Navy , reducing speed to 30 knots ( 56 km / h ; 35 mph ) , and weakening the secondary and anti @-@ aircraft batteries . A few months later Admiral Orlov further reduced the size of the battleship to 45 @,@ 000 tons and set the size of the main guns at 406 mm . Shortly afterward , the Soviet Union signed the Anglo @-@ Soviet Quantitative Naval Agreement of 1937 and agreed to follow the terms of the Second London Naval Treaty that limited battleships to a displacement of 35 @,@ 560 metric tons ( 35 @,@ 000 long tons ) , although they did add a proviso that allowed them to build ships of unlimited size to face the Imperial Japanese Navy if they notified the British . Yet another TTZ was approved by Orlov on 3 August for ships of 41 @,@ 500 tons with an armament of nine 406 @-@ millimeter , twelve 152 @-@ millimeter ( 6 @.@ 0 in ) , twelve 100 @-@ millimeter ( 3 @.@ 9 in ) , and forty 37 @-@ millimeter ( 1 @.@ 5 in ) guns , a maximum armor thickness of 380 mm ( 15 in ) and a speed of 30 knots .
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The design of KB @-@ 4 , the surface ship design bureau of the Baltic Shipyard , was selected for further development although the lead designers were convinced that only a larger ship could fulfill the ambitious requirements . They did manage to get agreement on 22 November 1936 for a thickening of the deck armor that raised the displacement to about 47 @,@ 000 tons . Design work continued on this basis and technical work was completed for a ship of 47 @,@ 700 tons in April 1937 , but the designers continued to press their case for larger ships . The issue was resolved by Premier Stalin at a meeting on 4 July when he agreed to increase displacement to about 56 @,@ 000 tons . This forced the project to begin again .
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The timing of the redesign proved to be inauspicious as the Great Purge was spreading through the ranks of the military and related industries . The original deadline for completion of design work by 15 October was missed , and an incomplete version was presented to the navy 's Shipbuilding Administration the next month . A number of details remained to be worked out , including the final design of the machinery plant , the 152 mm guns and the 100 mm gun mounts . In the meantime , extensive and expensive testing was conducted on the ship 's hull form , deck armor and torpedo protection ; 27 million rubles were spent on experimental work in 1938 alone . Over 100 models of the hull were tested in a ship model basin to find the best hull form and two one @-@ tenth @-@ scale launches were built at Sevastopol to test the hull 's maneuverability . An old steamship was fitted with a replica of the design 's armor decks and tested against 500 @-@ kilogram ( 1 @,@ 100 lb ) bombs , proving that such ordnance would generally penetrate both the 40 @-@ millimeter ( 1 @.@ 6 in ) upper and 50 @-@ millimeter ( 2 @.@ 0 in ) middle decks before exploding on the armored deck . The main armor deck was raised one deck in consequence and a splinter deck added underneath it to stop any bomb or shell fragments that might penetrate the armor deck . The underwater protection system was tested on fifteen one @-@ fifth scale models and two full @-@ sized experimental barges . These tests proved that the torpedo belt system of multiple bulkheads was superior to the Pugliese system of a large tube filled with smaller sealed tubes , but it was too late to incorporate these test results into the design as construction was well underway by the time they were completed in late 1939 .
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A revised design was approved on 28 February 1938 and the first ship was to be laid down on 15 July , but even this design was incomplete and would be revised later . Trials with similarly shaped motor launches suggested that the hull 's propulsive efficiency would be 1 knot ( 1 @.@ 9 km / h ; 1 @.@ 2 mph ) less than planned , and this was accepted in the November 1938 revision as a maximum speed of 27 @.@ 5 knots ( 50 @.@ 9 km / h ; 31 @.@ 6 mph ) . However , a new propeller design proved to be more efficient and was predicted to increase speed to 28 knots ( 52 km / h ; 32 mph ) . Another change was the deletion of the centerline rudder when tests showed that the two wing rudders would not be able to counteract its effects if it jammed . The weight toward the stern of the boat was calculated to be too great , producing a substantial stern @-@ down trim . To remedy this , the two 100 mm turrets mounted on the quarterdeck were deleted and the height of the armor belt abreast the rear turret was lowered , but this decision was reversed and they were restored by a decision of the State Defense Committee on 14 January 1941 . This forced a revision of the aircraft arrangements as the aircraft catapult had to be removed from the centerline of the quarterdeck ; two catapults were added to the sides of the quarterdeck instead .
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= = = General characteristics = = =
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As designed , the Project 23 @-@ class ships , as Sovetsky Soyuz and her sisters were designated , were 269 @.@ 4 meters ( 883 ft 10 in ) long overall . They had a beam of 38 @.@ 9 meters ( 127 ft 7 in ) and at full load a draft of 10 @.@ 4 meters ( 34 ft 1 in ) . They displaced 59 @,@ 150 metric tons ( 58 @,@ 220 long tons ) at standard load and 65 @,@ 150 metric tons ( 64 @,@ 121 long tons ) at full load , although weight estimates made in 1940 show that they would have exceeded 60 @,@ 000 metric tons ( 59 @,@ 052 long tons ) standard and 67 @,@ 000 metric tons ( 65 @,@ 942 long tons ) at full load .
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The hull form was very full @-@ bodied , especially at the forward magazines , where the torpedo protection system added width to the beam . Coupled with the relatively low length @-@ to @-@ beam ratio of 7 @.@ 14 : 1 , this meant that very powerful turbines were necessary to achieve even modest speeds . Stalin 's decision that the Project 23 @-@ class ships would use three shafts instead of four increased the load on each shaft and reduced propulsive efficiency , although it did shorten the length of the armored citadel and thus overall displacement . Metacentric height was designed at 3 @.@ 4 meters ( 11 ft 2 in ) and the tactical diameter was estimated at about 1 @,@ 170 meters ( 3 @,@ 840 ft ) .
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The Sovetsky Soyuz @-@ class ships were provided with aircraft facilities to handle two to four KOR @-@ 2 flying boats which would be launched by the two catapults mounted on the stern . Two hangars were built into the after end of the forecastle deck to house two of them and cranes were provided at the forward end of the quarterdeck to hoist them out of the water .
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= = = Machinery = = =
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The machinery arrangement " provided good dispersal of the machinery spaces , but at the cost of very long runs for the wing shafts ( ca . 105 meters ( 344 @.@ 5 ft ) ) " . The turbine compartments for the wing shafts were located forward of boiler room No. 1 and aft of the No. 2 turret magazines . The engine room for the center shaft 's turbine was between boiler room No. 2 and No. 3 . This meant that the wing propeller shafts had to run underneath the boilers .
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The steam turbines , and a license to build them , were originally going to be ordered from Cammell Laird in the United Kingdom , but their £ 700 @,@ 000 cost was more than the Soviets wanted to pay . Instead they bought them from Brown Boveri , using the technical information acquired from Cammell Laird in the process , for £ 400 @,@ 000 . Four single @-@ reduction , impulse @-@ reduction geared turbines were ordered from the Swiss firm , three to equip Sovetskaya Rossiya and one to serve as a pattern for the factory in Kharkiv that was to build the remainder . The three produced a total of 201 @,@ 000 shaft horsepower ( 149 @,@ 886 kW ) . Six triangle @-@ type water @-@ tube boilers — two in each boiler room — powered the turbines at a working pressure of 37 kg / cm2 ( 3 @,@ 628 kPa ; 526 psi ) and a temperature of 380 ° C ( 716 ° F ) .
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Maximum speed was estimated at 28 knots , using the revised propeller design , although forcing the machinery would yield an extra knot . The normal fuel oil capacity was 5 @,@ 280 metric tons ( 5 @,@ 197 long tons ) , giving an estimated endurance of 6 @,@ 300 nautical miles ( 11 @,@ 700 km ; 7 @,@ 200 mi ) at 14 @.@ 5 knots ( 26 @.@ 9 km / h ; 16 @.@ 7 mph ) and 1 @,@ 890 nautical miles ( 3 @,@ 500 km ; 2 @,@ 170 mi ) at full speed . Maximum fuel capacity was 6 @,@ 440 metric tons ( 6 @,@ 338 long tons ) which gave a range of 7 @,@ 680 nautical miles ( 14 @,@ 220 km ; 8 @,@ 840 mi ) at 14 @.@ 5 knots and 2 @,@ 305 nautical miles ( 4 @,@ 269 km ; 2 @,@ 653 mi ) at full speed .
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= = = Armament = = =
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The main armament consisted of three electrically powered MK @-@ 1 triple turrets , each with three 50 @-@ caliber 406 mm B @-@ 37 guns . The guns could be depressed to − 2 ° and elevated to 45 ° . They had a fixed loading angle of 6 ° and their rate of fire varied with the time required to re @-@ aim the guns . It ranged from 2 @.@ 0 to 2 @.@ 6 rounds per minute depending on the elevation . The turrets could elevate at a rate of 6 @.@ 2 degrees per second and traverse at 4 @.@ 55 degrees per second . 100 rounds per gun were carried . The guns fired 1 @,@ 108 @-@ kilogram ( 2 @,@ 443 lb ) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 830 m / s ( 2 @,@ 700 ft / s ) ; this provided a maximum range of 45 @,@ 600 meters ( 49 @,@ 900 yd ) .
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The secondary armament consisted of twelve 57 @-@ caliber B @-@ 38 152 mm guns mounted in six dual MK @-@ 4 turrets . Their elevation limits were − 5 ° to + 45 ° with a fixed loading angle of 8 ° . Their rate of fire also varied with the elevation from 7 @.@ 5 to 4 @.@ 8 rounds per minute . They were provided with 170 rounds per gun . The turrets could elevate at a rate of 13 degrees per second and traverse at 6 degrees per second . They had a maximum range of about 30 @,@ 000 meters ( 98 @,@ 425 ft ) with a 55 @-@ kilogram ( 121 lb ) shell at a muzzle velocity of 950 m / s ( 3 @,@ 100 ft / s ) .
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Heavy anti @-@ aircraft ( AA ) fire was provided by a dozen 56 @-@ caliber 100 mm B @-@ 34 dual @-@ purpose guns in six twin MZ @-@ 14 turrets with 400 rounds per gun . The ships began construction with only four turrets , but two additional turrets were restored to the quarterdeck in January 1941 . They could elevate to a maximum of 85 ° and depress to − 8 ° . They could traverse at a rate of 12 ° per second and elevate at 10 ° per second . They fired 15 @.@ 6 @-@ kilogram ( 34 lb ) high explosive shells at a muzzle velocity of 895 m / s ( 2 @,@ 940 ft / s ) ; this provided a maximum range of 22 @,@ 241 meters ( 24 @,@ 323 yd ) against surface targets , but their maximum range against aerial targets was 9 @,@ 895 meters ( 32 @,@ 464 ft ) , the limit of their time fuse .
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Light AA defense was handled by ten quadruple , water @-@ cooled , 46 @-@ K mounts fitted with 37 mm ( 1 @.@ 5 in ) 70 @-@ K guns with 1800 rounds per gun . Initially only eight mounts were planned when the ships began construction , but two more were added later , probably in January 1941 , one on each side of the forward superstructure . Each mount was fully enclosed to protect the crew from the muzzle blast of the larger guns and against splinters . The guns fired .732 @-@ kilogram ( 1 @.@ 61 lb ) shells at a muzzle velocity of 880 m / s ( 2 @,@ 900 ft / s ) . Their effective anti @-@ aircraft range was 4 @,@ 000 meters ( 13 @,@ 123 ft ) .
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= = = Fire control = = =
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Each main gun turret was given a DM @-@ 12 12 @-@ meter ( 39 ft 4 in ) rangefinder for use in local control , but they were generally controlled by one of three KDP @-@ 8 fire @-@ control directors . These had two 8 @-@ meter ( 26 ft 3 in ) stereoscopic rangefinders , one to track the target and the other to measure the range to the ship 's own shell splashes . Two of these were protected by 20 mm ( 0 @.@ 79 in ) of armor and were mounted atop the rear superstructure and the tower @-@ mast . The other was mounted on top of the conning tower and was protected by 50 mm ( 2 @.@ 0 in ) of armor . They used a TsAS @-@ 0 mechanical computer to generate firing solutions . Four KDP @-@ 4t @-@ II directors , with two 4 @-@ meter ( 13 ft 1 in ) rangefinders each , controlled the secondary armament . One pair was on either side of the tower @-@ mast and the aft pair was on each side of the aft funnel . Three SPN @-@ 300 stabilized directors , each with a 4 @-@ meter rangefinder , controlled the heavy anti @-@ aircraft guns . There was one on each side of the forward funnel while the other was atop the rear superstructure .
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= = = Protection = = =
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Soviet armor plate plants proved incapable of producing plates of cemented armor thicker than 230 mm ( 9 @.@ 1 in ) which forced the decision to replace cemented plates thicker than 200 mm ( 7 @.@ 9 in ) with face @-@ hardened ones with less resistance in November 1940 . The plants tended to compensate by making the thicker plates harder , but this often made them more brittle and large numbers did not pass the acceptance tests . This would have significantly reduced the level of protection enjoyed by the Sovetsky Soyuz @-@ class ships in combat .
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The Sovetsky Soyuz @-@ class ships devoted a total weight of 23 @,@ 306 metric tons ( 22 @,@ 938 long tons ) to armor protection , a slightly greater weight than that of the larger Japanese Yamato class ( 23 @,@ 262 metric tons ( 22 @,@ 895 long tons ) ) . Their armor was intended to resist 406 mm shells and 500 kg bombs , specifically shells fired from forward bearings between 35 ° and 50 ° from the centerline . This led to the very unusual situation where the armor belt thickened toward the bow to compensate for the narrowing of the ship near the forward magazines , which had to be compensated for by thicker armor . The belt was 148 @.@ 4 meters ( 486 ft 11 in ) long and covered 57 % of the total waterline length . It was inclined 5 ° to increase its resistance to flat @-@ trajectory shells . Over the machinery spaces it was 375 mm ( 14 @.@ 8 in ) thick and increased in steps until it was 420 mm ( 17 in ) thick over the forward magazines . It was 380 mm ( 15 in ) over the rear magazine . The belt armor was carried forward of the magazines at a thickness of 220 mm ( 8 @.@ 7 in ) and terminated in a steeply sloped ( 30 ° ) transverse 285 mm ( 11 @.@ 2 in ) bulkhead that reduced to 250 mm ( 9 @.@ 8 in ) at the lower deck where it was continued down to the inner bottom by a 75 @-@ millimeter ( 3 @.@ 0 in ) bulkhead . Forward of this bulkhead was a 20 mm splinter belt that continued all the way to the bow . The main armor belt dropped down to the main deck from the upper deck abreast the aft turret to reduce weight . This " step " was protected by 180 @-@ millimeter ( 7 @.@ 1 in ) plates . A 365 @-@ millimeter ( 14 @.@ 4 in ) transverse bulkhead separated the rear turret and the ship 's sides . The main part of the armored citadel was closed off by a 230 mm forward bulkhead and a 180 mm ( 7 @.@ 1 in ) rear bulkhead , both of homogeneous armor . Splinter armor 25 mm ( 0 @.@ 98 in ) thick covered the upper portion of the citadel .
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The forecastle deck was 25 mm thick while the upper deck was 155 mm ( 6 @.@ 1 in ) over the citadel . Below it , the 50 mm middle deck acted as a splinter deck . The upper deck was 100 mm thick above the 220 mm waterline belt extension . The bottom edge of the forward splinter belt met with a 65 mm ( 2 @.@ 6 in ) arched deck . Another arched deck of the same thickness covered the stern aft of the rear transverse bulkhead .
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The main gun turrets had faces 495 mm ( 19 @.@ 5 in ) thick with sides and roofs 230 mm ( 9 @.@ 1 in ) thick . 180 @-@ millimeter ( 7 @.@ 1 in ) thick plates protected the gun ports and 60 @-@ millimeter ( 2 @.@ 4 in ) bulkheads separated each gun . The barbettes were 425 mm ( 16 @.@ 7 in ) thick above the upper deck . The MK @-@ 4 turrets had 100 mm faces and 65 mm sides . Their barbettes were 100 mm in thickness , but reduced to 65 mm on their inboard sides . 100 mm of armor protected the faces , sides and backs of the MZ @-@ 14 turrets for the 100 mm guns , but their roofs and barbettes were 100 mm thick . The forward conning tower had walls 425 mm thick while the rear conning tower had only 220 mm ( 8 @.@ 7 in ) . The flag bridge in the tower @-@ mast had 75 mm ( 3 @.@ 0 in ) of protection .
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The torpedo defense system was designed to withstand torpedoes with warheads equivalent to 750 kg ( 1 @,@ 653 lb ) of TNT . The ships were intended to be able to remain afloat with any five adjacent compartments flooded or with three torpedo hits and the destruction of the unarmored above @-@ water side . The Pugliese system protected 123 meters ( 403 ft 7 in ) of the ships ' midsection . At the aft end was a multi @-@ bulkhead protection system that extended another 33 meters ( 108 ft 3 in ) to the rear from the Pugliese system . The depth of the system was 8 @.@ 2 meters ( 26 ft 11 in ) amidships , but it reduced to 7 meters ( 23 ft 0 in ) fore and aft . The outer plating ranged from 11 to 14 mm ( 0 @.@ 43 to 0 @.@ 55 in ) in thickness while the inner bottom was 7 mm ( 0 @.@ 28 in ) thick . The cylinder of the Pugliese system was also 7 mm thick while the semi @-@ circular main bulkhead was 35 mm ( 1 @.@ 4 in ) thick with a flat 10 @-@ millimeter ( 0 @.@ 39 in ) bulkhead behind it . The 3 @.@ 15 @-@ meter ( 10 ft 4 in ) diameter cylinder was intended to be immersed in fuel oil or water .
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= = Construction = =
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