Germany tried to recommission Admiral Hipper for Baltic service, but five months of trials did not restore operational status. Advancing Soviet forces pulled crew into local defenses, while British mining confined the ship to harbor. The required overhaul could no longer be fitted into the shrinking timetable, and the long-decommissioned machinery had become an operational liability. She finally moved to Kiel with only one turbine working, where bombing and scuttling ended the effort.
Chapter · 35:42-37:56
Why Admiral Hipper never returned to readiness
A long period out of service, diverted labor, RAF mines, overhaul demands, and only one working turbine prevented the cruiser from returning to combat in 1944-45.