KMS Lützow would have been the fifth and final ship belonging to the Admiral Hipper class. Lützow's hull was laid down on 1 July 1937 at Bremen; completion was schedule for July 1941. When construction stopped as the war broke out in September 1939, Lützow was about 54% finished. All the machinery was in place (she had only nine boilers instead of 12 like her sisters). The A and D 8-inch turrets were also installed, the former with two guns fitted. She was already fitted with the Atlantic (clipper) bow and various other modifications that were later retrofitted to her sisters.
In the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact of August 1939, the USSR requested from Germany several naval technological cargoes. Thus on 15 April 1940, Germany sold the incomplete hull of Lützow to the Soviet Union for 150 million Reichsmark (the complete KMS Prinz Eugen took RM 104.5 million to build). She did not depart until August, when she was towed via the Kiel Canal to Leningrad. She arrived at Leningrad in either Marti or Ordzhonikidze Yard and was renamed Petropavlovsk for completion. Progress was slow; only a few light anti-aircraft guns were installed (probably 20mm and 37mm) and another 8-inch gun in D turret. Some work might also have been done on the superstructure. During the war, the half-complete hull served as a floating battery and platform for light anti-aircraft guns. On 15 September 1941, the German army broke into Kronstadt Bay near Peterhof and began shelling the Soviet warships assembled there. On 16 September, Petropavlovsk was hit by a 15cm shell and damaged slightly. Two days later she was hit again and suffered heavy damage. On 4 April 1942, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Eisstoss against Soviet warships near Leningrad to disable them before the ice thaw. Petropavlovsk was said to be hit and sunk in shallow water.
In 1943, she was renamed Tallin, following the Soviet practice of renaming ships. She remained in Leningrad throughout the rest of the war. Between 14 and 21 September 1944, Tallin and other ships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet gave support to the break out from the encirclement of Leningrad. Later when the scuttled KMS Seydlitz was captured at Königsberg, the Soviets planned to complete both as heavy cruisers carrying ten 18cm (7.1in) guns (A and D turrets tripled, and B and C twin), but reconstruction of the two hulls never started. Tallin continued to serve as a training facility, before the whole idea of rebuilding was dropped. She was finally scrapped circa 1950-51.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of Admiral Hipper class cruisers.
	The hull of KMS Lützow sliding down the ramp in the Bremen shipyard.
	The Atlantic, or clipper, bow of Lützow, already present at hear launching.

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