 Three of the four ships were launched in 1915 and the fourth in 1916 . Work on the gun turrets lagged , and it became evident that Russian industry would not be able to complete the ships during the war . The Russian Revolution of 1917 put a stop to their construction , which was never resumed . Although some consideration was given to finishing the hulls that were nearest to completion , they were all eventually sold for scrap by the Soviet Union . The Soviet Navy proposed in 1925 to convert Izmail , the ship closest to completion , to an aircraft carrier , but the plan was cancelled after political maneuvering by the Red Army led to funding not being available . 
