By late December 1946, the ship was in very bad condition; on 21 December, she began to list severely.[66] A salvage team could not be brought to Kwajalein in time,[72] so the US Navy attempted to beach the ship to prevent her from sinking, but on 22 December, Prinz Eugen capsized and sank.[66] Her main battery gun turrets fell out of their barbettes when the ship rolled over. The ship's stern, including her propeller assemblies, remain visible above the surface of the water.[75] The US government denied salvage rights on the grounds that it did not want the irradiated steel entering the market.[72] In August 1979, one of the ship's screw propellers was retrieved and placed in the Laboe Naval Memorial in Germany.[5] The ship's bell is currently held at the National Museum of the United States Navy, while the bell from Tegetthoff is held in Graz, Austria