German sub U36 returning to operations after ground contact in Norway

German Navy submarine U36 is ready to return to operations after one of its rudders came into contact with the ground at the Norwegian Navy’s Haakonsvern base.

The damage to one of the submarine’s four rudders was repaired by Norwegian Navy divers over a course of two days.

Repairs were supported by specialists from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, the boat’s builder.

The navy disputed last week’s reports of the submarine sustaining significant damage highlighting the fact that the Type 212 submarine would not have to return to its homeport for repairs.

The navy also noted that only 2 percent of the boat’s 20 square meters of rudder surface had been damaged. U36 was sailing at a low speed of just 1 kn = 1,8 km/h at the moment of the contact with the ground. Trying to illustrate the extent of the damage, the navy compared the damage to a scratch on a vehicle.

The incident occurred last week, during the submarine’s five-month training deployment to Norway, Germany’s partner-nation in acquiring Type 212CD submarines.

The boat’s commander said the incident would not affect the remainder of the deployment which is now scheduled to conclude with U36’s return to Eckernförde, Germany, in early June.