In January 1943, it was decided to deploy "Scharnhorst" to Norway, along with "Prinz Eugen" and several destroyers. Attempts to sail on 7 and 23 January were aborted after the navy received reports of heavy activity at British air bases in Britain. A third try on 10 February terminated when "Scharnhorst" ran aground while trying to avoid collision with a U-boat. Repairs lasted until 26 February. On 8 March, "Scharnhorst" and four destroyers departed Gotenhafen; she arrived off Narvik on 14 March. For 6 months, fuel shortages curtailed any major operations by "Scharnhorst" or the other ships in Norway, which included the battleship and the heavy cruiser . On 25 November 1943 "Scharnhorst" carried out a two-hour full-power trial, achieving , and it was noted that her draught had increased by over from her 1940 trials, where she had attained .