 The "Stalingrad"s bow form was radically altered with a much more raked stem, its sheer and flare were greatly increased and the ship gained almost in length, possibly in response to the "Chapayev"s problems.In addition the thickness of her belt armor was increased from , possibly in response to weight savings elsewhere.This final design was submitted for approval on 4 June 1951, but preparations for the working design drawings began before it was approved.