German warship plays Darth Vader anthem in heart of London. Navy says: ‘No deeper message’

The German Navy said there was “no deeper message” behind the choice to play the famous Imperial anthem – Darth Vader’s song in the “Star Wars” films – from one of its warships as it sailed down the River Thames through London this week.

The scene was captured on video by a passerby on Monday, and quickly went viral on social media. The song choice has sparked outrage across Europe. The German navy said the warship was in the area for training and had dropped anchor in London for a routine supply stop.

“The commander has the right to freely choose the music, and the choice of music carries no deeper message than that,” the Navy said in a statement Thursday.

Another video captured the battleship Braunschweig playing the 1979 hit song “London Calling” by British rock band The Clash as it arrived in London. The song’s title is taken from the BBC World Service’s World War II identity, and its lyrics include: “London is calling the zombies of death/Stop holding on and catch your breath again.”

Named after a city in Lower Saxony, Germany – a region quite far from the UK – Braunschweig is part of the country’s newest class of ocean-going warships.

On the way out, the tugboat pulled the warship down the river near Tower Bridge while sailors – without any lightsabers, unfortunately – stood on the deck. The German embassy in London wrote on social media platform X that this was Braunschweig’s second trip to the British capital.

The warship captain is a huge Star Wars fan and admirer of Legendary Musical Instrumentals by John Williams“He chooses a different tune from Williams’ songs whenever his ship visits a foreign port,” the embassy said in a statement.

There is no word on whether Anakin Skywalker himself is on board the ship.