Construction of both ships began well before the formal keel-laying ceremony; "Evstafi" on 13 July 1904 and "Ioann Zlatoust" on 13 July 1903, although the working drawings and preliminary calculations were not approved until 31 May 1904, which caused some problems with "Ioann Zlatoust". Progress was relatively quick, despite the disruptions caused by the 1905 Revolution, and both ships were launched less than three years after work began. Fitting-out, however, was considerably delayed by a number of changes made as the navy digested the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War. Maximum elevation of the main guns was increased from 15 degree to 35 degrees, the number of torpedo tubes was reduced from five to two, mine stowage was eliminated as were the guns. The armour protection of the waterline fore and aft of the main belt was increased to prevent the sort of damage that disabled several ships at the Battle of Tsushima. A second conning tower was added at the rear of the superstructure and its design was altered, probably to eliminate the overhanging top that deflected splinters into the conning tower at the Battle of the Yellow Sea and Tsushima. The masts and their fighting tops were replaced by light pole masts and light booms replaced the heavy boat cranes to save weight.