As plans and designs of "Rurik" were being finalised, rumours began floating as to the exact nature of the vessel. In particular, Britain became extremely nervous about the new cruiser, fearing greatly for her large commercial fleet which she depended on. The British press "fuelled anxiety to the point where it approached paranoia." As it turned out, the Royal Navy grossly overestimated the threat posed by "Rurik" and built the cruisers specifically designed to counter the "Rurik." Two of the first ones were the "Powerful" and "Terrible". The British cruisers turned out to be much faster, easily making 22 knots compare to the "Rurik" top speed of . The British cruisers were using the watertube, or coil, boilers that later were proved superior and became a standard on all new warships of that time.