The Navy must once again take care of the operational readiness of its submarine fleet. According to SPIEGEL information, a German submarine ran aground again on Tuesday. The navy confirmed the accident on Wednesday in a confidential meeting of the Bundestag's Defense Committee.
In marine circles it was said that the submarine "U36" had had ground contact when leaving the Norwegian port Haakonsvern and was damaged. Currently, video images of a diver are evaluated to estimate the extent of the damage and to clarify whether the submarine can continue.
The recent breakdown is bitter for the Navy. In 2017, after not a single one of the German submarines was ready for use, the situation had improved slightly in recent months. During a visit to the defense committee in the home port of the submarine fleet, the Navy reported almost proudly that currently three of the six submarines are operational. The accident in Norway could reduce the number in the worst case.
The concerned submarine of the class 212A had come only 2018 from a nearly one-year repair at the manufacturer. In January 2019 the "U36" left for Norway and participated in maneuvers.
Basic touches on submarines awaken bad memories in the navy. So in 2017 the "U35" collided with a rock off Norway. The rotor blades were bent so much that the submarine had to be extensively repaired.