Novosibirsk

In the mid-1930s, the U.S.S.R. began working out preliminary designs for large artillery ships to meet the needs of their navy in the future. In February 1936, the first top-level specifications for the construction of a cruiser were worked out. The project later evolved into a "B-type battleship." It was unlikely that the new heavy cruiser would be completed before World War II—the ship would have been completed in the 1960s for escorting convoys, supporting amphibious operations, and as the flagship of the expeditionary squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet.