In late 1942, "Gneisenau" was heavily damaged in an Allied air raid against Kiel. In early 1943, "Scharnhorst" joined the in Norway to interdict Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. "Scharnhorst" and several destroyers sortied from Norway to attack a convoy; the Germans were instead intercepted by British naval patrols. During the battle of North Cape, a force led by the Royal Navy battleship sank "Scharnhorst". In the meantime, repair work on "Gneisenau" had begun, and the ship was in the process of being rearmed. When "Scharnhorst" was sunk, work on her sister was abandoned. Instead, she was sunk as a blockship in Gotenhafen in 1945; the wreck was broken up for scrap in the 1950s.