Seydlitz, a 14,240-ton modified Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser, was built at Bremen, Germany. Launched in mid-January 1939, she was nearly complete by June 1942 when her construction was stopped. Plans to rebuild her as an aircraft carrier resulted in the removal of her guns and most of her superstructure by the first months of 1943, but no further progress was made on the conversion. The threat of allied bombing raids resulted in the ship being towed from Bremen to K?nigsberg in March and April 1944. In December 1944, while tied up at that East Prussian port, Seydlitz was reclassified as a hulk. The relentless advance of the Soviet Armies toward K?nigsberg caused German authorities to scuttle the cruiser's hull in late January 1945. Her remains were scrapped by the Soviets in the 1950s.