While on the return voyage to Gotenhafen on 15 October,
Prinz Eugen inadvertently rammed the light cruiser
Leipzig amidships north of
Hela.
[62] The cause of the collision was heavy fog.
[68] The light cruiser was nearly cut in half,
[62] and the two ships remained wedged together for fourteen hours.
[65] Prinz Eugen was taken to Gotenhafen, where repairs were effected with a month.
[62] Sea trials commenced on 14 November.
[66] On 20–21 November, the ship supported German troops on the
Sworbe Peninsula by firing around 500 rounds of main battery ammunition. Four torpedo boats—
T13,
T16,
T19, and
T21—joined the operation.
[66] Prinz Eugen then returned to Gotenhafen to resupply and have her worn-out gun barrels re-bored.
[62]
Prinz Eugen under escort from Copenhagen to Wilhelmshaven after surrendering
The cruiser was ready for action by mid-January 1945, when she was sent to bombard Soviet forces in
Samland.
[69] The ship fired 871 rounds of ammunition at the Soviets advancing on the German bridgehead at
Cranz held by the
XXVIII Corps, which was protecting
Königsberg. She was supported in this operation by the destroyer
Z25 and torpedo boat
T33.
[66] At that point,
Prinz Eugen had expended her main battery ammunition, and critical munition shortages forced the ship to remain in port until 10 March, when she bombarded Soviet forces around Gotenhafen,
Danzig, and Hela. During these operations, she fired a total of 2,025 shells from her 20.3 cm guns and another 2,446 rounds from her 10.5 cm guns. The old battleship
Schlesien also provided gunfire support, as did
Lützow after 25 March. The ships were commanded by
Vizeadmiral Bernhard Rogge.
[66][70]
The following month, on 8 April,
Prinz Eugen and
Lützow steamed to
Swinemünde.
[65] On 13 April, 34
Lancaster bombers attacked the two ships while in port. Thick cloud cover forced the British to abort the mission and return two days later. On the second attack, they succeeded in sinking
Lützow with a single
Tallboy bomb hit.
[71] Prinz Eugen then departed Swinemünde for
Copenhagen,
[65] arriving on 20 April. Once there, she was decommissioned on 7 May and turned over to
Royal Navy control the following day.
[70]