There's only ever been one car-submarine wreck in history and even that feels like too many
Published on Feb 19, 2026 at 6:13 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Feb 19, 2026 at 6:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
A long time ago, a Volvo PV544 crashed into a docked submarine in Sweden.
The 1961 incident sounds like the start of a very bad joke, but it actually happened.
It was the result of an incredibly unlikely combination of factors.
And, for a couple of reasons, we can assert with a fair degree of confidence that this is never going to happen again.
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This is how this Volvo ended up crashing into a submarine
The Volvo PV544 (a forgotten icon) crashed into a docked submarine in service with the Swedish Navy.
This is the sort of thing that you’d expect to see in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but it happened IRL.
And it happened for an incredibly banal reason.
The owner of the Volvo apparently had to make a call (those were the days), which means they had to leave the car and find a payphone.
The driver just so happened to leave the car in a parking lot without the handbrake – presumably because they forgot.
The car park was, unfortunately, angled downhill.
Then, by pure chance, a submarine happened to be moored at the very end of said steep hill.
And, in short, that’s how a car ended up crashing into a submarine.
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There are a couple of reasons why this is very unlikely to happen again
The combination of factors we mentioned is very unlikely to happen again.
For starters, no one uses payphones anymore.
We all have smartphones.
Also, modern cars have automatic (and electronic) handbrakes, so there’s no such thing as ‘forgetting to put the handbrake on‘ anymore.
But the main reason why this is never going to happen again is that in today’s world, the chances of a submarine being docked in public areas are zero.
Modern security protocols mean that naval vessels – including submarines – are kept in highly restricted, fenced-off military zones, not near mom-and-pop boats.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
