A historic U17 submarine was transported by road in Germany on 30 Scheuerle InterCombi axle lines, pulled by a MAN TGX 41.680 8×6. A complex, high-precision journey for this convoy, which was 90 m long and 10 m high, with a total weight of 500 tonnes.
A few weeks ago, the Kübler company transported a 350-ton historic U17 submarine from the technical museums in Speyer to Sinsheim. On paper, this was a route of just a few dozen kilometers, but given the dimensions of the convoy, it proved to be complex and tricky. Loaded onto 30 Scheuerle InterCombi axles, the road convoy was 90 m long, 10 m high and weighed almost 500 tonnes. The first part of the route had to be completed by river, on the Rhine and Neckar, using a river barge.
Once unloaded in Hassmersheim, the convoy set off on its journey through the hilly Kraichgau region in northwestern Baden-Württemberg. "For transport of this kind, we need high-quality, robust modular axle lines with precise steering. We've been cooperating with TII SCHEUERLE for 35 years now, and are convinced of the quality of the vehicles," explains Frieder Saam, driver and transport manager at Spedition Kübler.
Curves and narrow streets
At Bad Rappenau, too, narrow bends, twists and turns and a few medians awaited the convoy, which then rejoined the A 6 freeway, blocked in both directions. Here, too, the U17 had to be tilted once more to prevent the submarine's kiosk from snagging any high-voltage lines. A final swivel to pass under the catenary wires, and the convoy headed for the center of the municipality of Ittligen, which it crossed by threading its way through the narrow streets, just a few centimeters from the facades of the houses.
Thousands of spectators accompanied the convoy over the last kilometer to the technical museum.
These operations are facilitated by the performance of Scheuerle's InterCombi series, which consists of three-meter-wide modular flatbed vehicles that cover a wide range of transport requirements. InterCombi modules can be mobilized either as a towed combination, as in the case of the U17, or as an articulated train or self-propelled transporter. What's more, the modules can be coupled in width and length, enabling very heavy loads to be transported on public roads.
