Status: 11.11.2023, 19:17 PM
By: Marten Kopf
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Speyer/Sinsheim - After the first rotation of the 350-ton metal colossus was overturned, the technicians have now found a new solution for the submarine.
November 2 Update: Has the Museum of Technology got the hang of it now? Since September, the 350-ton submarine U17 has been waiting for its rotation. It is to be moved from Speyer to the sister museum in Sinsheim in the summer of 2024. And for this it has to be tilted by 90 degrees, because some bridges, such as the Old Bridge in Heidelberg, are too low.
A first test to turn the underwater vehicle, which weighs several tons, was cancelled in September – the submarine could have been damaged by the rotating device. A new solution was needed. In the meantime, the technicians of the museums in Sinsheim and Speyer, as well as the forwarding company Kübler and the manufacturer of the turning device, have come up with something.
Rotation 2.0 – load distribution belt to remedy the situation
A 3 centimeter thick load distribution belt now spans the metal colossus and thus separates the outer skin of the submarine and the rollers of the rotating device. This is to prevent possible damage to the submarine.
Of course, with a new solution for the rotation comes a new date: On November 8 at around 9 a.m., a second attempt will be launched. However, the delays in the rotation of the U17 submarine do not change the schedule, the transport in 2024 will probably be able to take place as planned.
350-ton submarine rotation in Speyer – specialists with new plan for U17
September 28 Update: After the test rotation of the submarine U27 planned for Wednesday (17 September) was cancelled, a new plan is in place just two days later to turn the 350-ton behemoth. Furthermore, U17 will be positioned in the front and rear area on two rollers each, which will be driven by motors and thus rotate the submarine.
The mechanism is already working as planned. There is only too much weight on individual parts of the submarine. Especially in the rear, heavier area of U17, deformations are to be feared, as the rollers press against the boat and the stability of the outer skin is not sufficient. No impairments were found in the front area.
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350-ton submarine rotation: next attempt expected in November
The technicians of the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer had worked together with the forwarding company Kübler and the manufacturer of the turning device on site on optimisations and promptly found a new solution. A load distribution belt for U17 is already being made to avoid deformation. To put it simply, this band can be thought of as a band around a cigar that serves as protection.
This does not change the museum's management's timetable for transporting the loan from the Military Technical Study Collection of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to Sinsheim. A new time frame has already been set. It is expected that everything will be ready to carry out the next test as early as November.
350-ton submarine rotation cancelled – Not possible without damage
Update September 27, 2023: Actually, filming was supposed to take place in Speyer on Wednesday (27 September), which absolutely does not belong filmed: A huge, multi-ton submarine was to be prepared for onward transport to the Technik Museum Sinsheim in 2024. This means that the 350-tonne elephant has to pass through the bottleneck of the Old Bridge in Heidelberg.
And according to the current status, this is only possible on the side. That's why the submarine U17 was supposed to be tested this Wednesday. But the test has now been cancelled. According to the Technik Museum Speyer, the rotation was simply not possible without damage to the museum exhibit.
Rotation of 350-ton submarine cancelled – not possible undamaged
Everything was set up to turn a 350-ton submarine. The special rotating device had been successfully installed under U17. But then it became apparent that the turning would be feasible, but only with the impairment of the submarine.
Since the latest major exhibit of the Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer should of course be transported undamaged and as true to the original as possible, the museum management has decided to postpone the test rotation. U17 is on loan from the Military Technical Study Collection of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support.
The decommissioned submarine U17 sits on the ingenious rotating device in Speyer. Technically, it was possible to tip the 350-tonne truck, but not without damage to the museum exhibit. © Technology Museums Sinsheim Speyer
Spectacular submarine action – Museum Speyer topples 350-tonne colossus
First reported on September 10, 2023: It was a transport of superlatives: When the decommissioned submarine U17 finally arrived at the Technikmuseum Speyer (Rhineland-Palatinate) in mid-May after a long journey from Kiel via the North Sea and the Netherlands down the Rhine, people from all over Germany had followed the spectacle. Everywhere along the banks of the Rhine, thousands of onlookers marvel at the rare spectacle that is offered.
U-boat transport through the Neckar valley – special equipment turns U17 90 degrees to the side
But the journey of the retired giant is by no means over in Speyer. The destination is the sister museum in Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg, where it is expected to arrive in the summer of 2024, as SÜDWEST24 knows. The crux of the matter: Once again, U17 has to be transported by water, this time across the Neckar. This, in turn, leads through Heidelberg, where it is spanned by the picturesque Old Bridge. The relatively low Old Bridge. Too low.
To ensure that the transport can still go as planned, U17 will now be turned 90 degrees on its side. What sounds simple, however, is one of those things for a 350-ton steel colossus. You can't just tip it with two men, you have to get heavier equipment.
To transport the U17 across the Neckar, it has to be tilted by 90 degrees. (Sketch) © Technology Museums Sinsheim Speyer
U-boat rotation in Speyer easy to observe for onlookers
At the end of September, the time has come: The turning device for U17 will be delivered and the turning as a decisive preparation for the onward transport of the submarine will be tested at the current location in the parking lot of the Museum of Technology in Speyer. Whether this project will succeed is written in the stars. No one has ever done such an undertaking before.
But because the submarine is located in the parking lot of the museum, as mentioned, these works are easy to observe for those interested. On 26 September, the rotating device is to be positioned, and the next day, from about 9 a.m., U17 will be tilted. The museum is not yet able to provide any information about the duration of the individual work steps. But it should undoubtedly be exciting. (mko/pm)