Mystery Submarine Spotted Lurking Near Sun Princess in the Mediterranean
Key Aspects:
Sun Princess had a close encounter with a military submarine in the Mediterranean this week.
There was no interaction between the vessels but the surfaced sub provided great views to guests.
Submarine sightings are rare for cruise guests, but there are other ways to enjoy these unique naval vessels.
A favorite pastime of many cruisers is watching the water as they’re sailing to see if there might be dolphins, sea turtles, or even whales alongside the ship. Guests onboard Sun Princess recently, however, spotted something very different.
In a video posted online on Monday, April 13, 2026, a submarine is seen lurking a short distance off the side of the cruise ship. The submarine was surfaced but low in the water on an otherwise hazy day, just cruising along.
The obvious military craft did not appear to interact with the cruise ship and there was no tension with any vessels nearby. Sun Princess did not change her course or take any other action.
No identification is apparent on the submarine, which might belong to any of several naval forces in the region. With all the tensions in the Middle East, it is possible the vessel is on protective maneuvers or monitoring. There are more than 450 submarines in operation around the world, with more than 35 countries having submarines in their navies.
For example, Italy, Greece, the UK, and Turkey all have submarines, and any of them could have been in the vicinity at the time the cruise ship was passing by. The vessel could also be from other nations supporting allies in the Mediterranean while military action is heightened in the region.
While the exact date of the sighting was not confirmed, Sun Princess is currently on a 7-night one-way cruise from Rome to Athens. The ship departed Italy on Saturday, April 11, visited Naples the next day, and spent Monday, April 13, leisurely at sea.
The brief sighting has had no impact on 175,500-gross-ton, Sphere-class ship, which continued on to Crete on Tuesday and will visit Kusadasi on Thursday, followed by Mykonos on Friday before arriving in Athens on Saturday, April 18.
Sun Princess can welcome 4,300 guests aboard at double occupancy. The ship is sailing in the Mediterranean through the summer and fall, and will move to Fort Lauderdale in November for the winter Caribbean season.
Guests Enjoy Unique Sightings
Reactions to the submarine sighting showed just how much fun cruise guests can have with other naval activity.
“Not even yellow. I am disappointed,” one commenter responded in reference to The Beatles’ 1966 chart-topping hit, “Yellow Submarine.”
Others shared unique sightings they’ve had during various sailings, such as seeing an active aircraft carrier nearby on one cruise and witnessing military exercises on another.
Still more jokes referenced “The Hunt for Red October,” a 1990 spy film about a Soviet naval captain defecting to the US with a submarine, based on Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel.
Multiple guests note that submarines are seen occasionally in the Mediterranean, but the rare sight is still one to be enjoyed. To see one of these vessels “in the wild” is still a very unusual sighting indeed.
Guests have a better chance of seeing a submarine at certain homeports, such as Port Canaveral, where submarines occasionally use the port for training, ordnance replenishment, taking on supplies, or personnel transfers.
Better still are options to tour decommissioned submarines, which gives guests a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the unique vessels. The USS Drum is just two miles from the Port of Mobile, the USS Cavalla is a five-mile drive from the Port of Galveston, and the USS Growler is just down the street from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Another great option for guests to enjoy submarine encounters is with a semi-submersible or full submarine shore excursion (or rather, underwater excursion) at different ports of call. This can be a fun way to see coral reefs and marine life without getting wet. These types of tours are popular in many destinations throughout the Caribbean.
Mystery Submarine Spotted Lurking Near Sun Princess in the Mediterranean