There’s a 771,000-Pound Submarine Crossing Germany by Road Right Now

It’s not every day that a rust bucket submarine blocks your commute. Alas, such is life in the German countryside, where a decommissioned U-boat navigates a route above water rather than under it. And the entire bizarrely fascinating event is being live-streamed. Toll! 

The submarine in question is a U17 that is traveling a 50-kilometer (31-mile) route from the Technik Museum Speyer to the Technik Museum Sinsheim. No, this isn’t the most direct path. The museums say a straight shot via the motorway is about 30 kilometers (19 miles), a drive that would take less than an hour. But this is no Autobahn-friendly auto. 

The grand ol’ U-boat spans about 160 feet and weighs more than 350 tons. However, its overall transport measures 295 feet long and roughly 33 feet tall. With that heft and height, the scenic route it is. The Technik Museum transfer is a massive effort that includes no shortage of engineering and logistics know-how. Not only does the team have to maneuver narrow streets but also bridges and underpasses, which require the submarine to be turned and rebalanced each time.

Traveling on land at a leisurely but safe speed of 10 km/h (6 mph), the entire pontoon procession will take four weeks to reach its final destination. Equipped with a 1,100 kW (1,000 horsepower) electric traction motor and two 600-horsepower MTU diesel engines powering the generators, the U17 had a maximum speed of around 31 km/h (19 mph) when submerged. But life is about less schnell and more snail these days. The U17 is retired, after all, so what’s the hurry, ja? 

Used by the German Navy from 1973 to 2010, the submarine could accommodate a crew of up to 23. During its time in service, the U17 reportedly sailed 201,152 nautical miles, 80,105 of which were submerged. It never occurred to me that submarines would have odometers, but natürlich, why wouldn’t they? 

The logistics project is said to cost about 2 million Euros ($2.17 million), most of which is financed through donations. Scheduled to “drop anchor” in Sinsheim tomorrow afternoon, the U17 will then begin another journey: conversion into a museum exhibit. This journey will take a bit longer, though, as the U17 display isn’t expected to open until next summer. In the meantime, Technik Museum Sinsheim visitors can take a look at another submarine exhibit, a U9, one of the U17’s forebearers.