Danube River’s shrinking water levels expose dozens of World War II ships

Drought has caused the Danube River, Europe's second-longest waterway, to reach record low levels this summer. The parched conditions have unveiled the rusted hulls of dozens of World War II German battleships that once belonged to the Black Sea fleet. These decommissioned vessels were deliberately sunk in September 1944 near the Serbian port of Prahovo to impede Soviet forces advancing in the Balkans.

The deliberate scuttling of these ships came just months before Nazi Germany's surrender in May 1945. The sight of the sunken ships is a stark reminder of the war's aftermath. However, the low water levels have posed a new threat, forcing power plants to the brink of shutting down and prompting governments across Central and Eastern Europe to take measures to conserve electricity.

Authorities are now striving to maintain the flow of traffic on the Danube, which traverses ten nations, as the dwindling water creates dangerous conditions for larger ships. Historians estimate that up to 200 German warships were sunk in this location during the war. Efforts to remove these ships from the river have been ongoing, with some already removed by Communist Yugoslav authorities, but most remain due to the explosives they carried.

A local resident noted that the shrinking water levels have nearly halted ship traffic, with the large vessels no longer able to pass.