by 1943, the ship had received a fumo 21 search radar. during sea trials on 15 february 1943, a fire broke out in an engine room; repairs were not completed until 22 april and the ship then returned to norway. in september the ship participated in operation zitronella, ferrying troops of the 349th grenadier regiment ("grenadier-regiment") of the 230th infantry division to destroy norwegian facilities on the island of spitzbergen, together with "tirpitz" and the battleship "scharnhorst", escorted by eight other destroyers. while successful, the operation was primarily intended to boost the morale of the ships stationed in the arctic when fuel shortages limited their activities and the allies reestablished the bases five weeks later. "hans lody" and her sisters then spent the next six months in southern norway laying minefields at the entrance to the skaggerak and escorting convoys to and from norway. she was ordered to kiel at the end of april 1944 for a lengthy refit that lasted until february 1945. sometime in 1944, the ship had her radar replaced by a fumo 24 search radar and her foremast was rebuilt in a goal-post shape to allow the antenna to fully rotate. a fumo 63 k hohentwiel radar replaced the searchlight on its platform abaft the rear funnel. after working up, the ship was assigned convoy escort duties in the skaggerak on 5 april. a month later, "hans lody" departed copenhagen to load refugees at the hela peninsula in east prussia; she had about 1,500 aboard when she returned on 7 may. the ship sailed to kiel the next day and was decommissioned on 9 may.