Complex sentence: The "Gangut"-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts begun for the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests.
Split into simpler sentences: The "Gangut"-class were the first dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Russian Navy. The Gangut battleships had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests.