German Warship Blasts 'Darth Vader Theme' On River Thames

BERLIN (AP) Germanys Navy says there was no deeper message in the choice to blast the famed Imperial March Darth Vaders theme song in the Star Wars films from one of its warships as it cruised down the River Thames through London this week.

A bystander captured the spectacle Monday on video, which quickly went viral on social media. The song selection made waves across Europe. The warship was in the area for training and dropped anchor in London for a normal supply stop, the German Navy said.

The commander can choose the music freely, the Navy said in a statement Thursday. The choice of music has no deeper message.

Other video recorded the warship, the Braunschweig, playing London Calling, the 1979 hit from British rock band The Clash, upon its arrival in London. The songs title is drawn from the BBC World Service station identification in World War II and its lyrics include the lines, London calling to the zombies of death/Quit holding out and draw another breath.

The Braunschweig is named for a city in Germanys Lower Saxony area a galaxy far, far away from the UK and part of the countrys newest class of ocean-going corvettes.

For its departure, a tugboat pulled the warship down the river near Tower Bridge as sailors without any lightsabers, sadly stood on the deck. This trip was the Braunschweigs second to the British capital, the Germany Embassy to London wrote on social media platform X.

The warships commander is a big Star Wars fan and an admirer of the legendary musical scores of John Williams, the embassy said in a statement. He chooses a different Williams tune whenever his ship is visiting a foreign harbor.

Theres no word whether Anakin Skywalker himself was aboard.