Danube Drought Exposes Nazi-Era Wrecks in Serbia, Delays Shipping
Approximately 200 wrecks and debris are clogging the Danube, while drought-driven low water has forced ship delays and reactor slowdowns, officials said.
- Drought-Driven low water levels in the Danube River have exposed dozens of Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet vessels near Prahovo, Serbia, as the heatwave sweeping across Europe reveals wreckage submerged for decades.
- During their 1944 retreat, German forces scuttled these vessels to prevent capture by advancing Soviet troops in World War II, leaving hundreds of ships scattered along the Danube that periodically emerge.
- According to the European Investment Bank, approximately 200 vessels lie scattered along the waterway, with some ships still containing ammunition and explosives that pose hazards to communities and shipping operations.
- Serbia faces annual shipping losses estimated at roughly €5m due to the debris, prompting the European Investment Bank to commit €16m for blockage removal as part of a Balkans investment plan.
- Further north in Bulgaria, researchers recently discovered mammoth remains near the city of Ruse, while the European Investment Bank has committed to recovering similar Kriegsmarine wrecks emerging across the river in recent years.
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The shattered wreckage of the "Oryoku Maru" made it impossible for the United States to retrieve the remains of hundreds of Americans - until now.
The second longest river in Europe is historically low in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania. Drought disrupts navigation, threatens irrigation and begins to affect the country's energy infrastructure.
Reuters: The ships appeared on the section of the Danube that crosses the city of Prahovo, Serbia, and were allegedly sunk by the Germans themselves, so that it would not fall into Soviet hands.
Sunken Nazi warships resurface in Europe amid record heatwave
A prolonged drought has pushed the Danube River to record-low levels, revealing long-submerged relics Several sunken World War II-era Nazi warships have resurfaced in the Danube River amid a major heatwave and prolonged drought. The vessels became visible as the water level in Europe’s second-longest river fell to record lows. Photos and videos posted on...
At the end of World War II, Soviet troops advanced into southeastern Europe. To slow their advance, a German admiral ordered several warships to be scuttled in the Danube. The plan succeeded. The low water level exposed the wrecks.
Severe heatwaves and droughts across Europe have caused water levels in the Danube River to drop to record lows, revealing the wreckage of a Nazi German warship from World War II and other shipwrecks above the water's surface.
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