After the end of the disastrous Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, the Imperial Russian Navy needed several years to absorb the lessons of that war, particularly from the Battle of Tsushima. Design work continued during this period, but designs for dreadnought battleships evolved constantly as new requirements were made. By late 1907, a consensus had been reached by the Russian Naval General Staff and an international design competition was ordered after domestic protests arose after the selection of a design by the British firm of Vickers. A Russian design was ultimately selected, albeit with extensive support from foreign companies, but money was tight and the ships took over five years to complete. All four ships survived World War I, but one was badly damaged in a fire while in reserve a f