Wrecks Of 20 WWII German Warships Turn Up As Danube River Levels Shrink
As temperatures across Europe continue to reach unprecedented heights, rivers on the continent are experiencing the lowest water levels in nearly a century.
For a section of Danube River, this was clearly evident, with wrecks from World War II Nazi warships surfacing after decades of being submerged.
According to Reuters, there are now 20 warships—which were deliberately sunk towards the end of the war—exposed near Prahovo in Serbia, one of the 10 countries through which the river flows between Germany and the Black Sea.
Many of the newly-revealed hulks still contain tonnes of ammunition and explosives from the war, posing a grave threat to shipping carriers traversing the waters.
In Photos: The Danube has dropped to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the wrecks of Nazi warships, which now endanger trade and fishermen. https://t.co/vopMsberDq
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) August 22, 2022
Not to mention, the bulky vessels could hamper river traffic, especially during low tide.
Impressively, despite having remained sunken for years, some of the ships that recently surfaced still boast turrets, command bridges, masts, and hulls, though others mostly lie covered under the river’s sand banks.
According to Live Science, as per Der Tagessipegel, it’s believed that nearly 200 warships were scuttled in the Danube River towards the end of 1944, as the German navy attempted to slow the advance of the Soviet army.
While some of the wrecks were removed shortly after the war, many still remain, leaving it up to the Serbian government to propose a US$30 million clean-up operation to rid the waters of these clunky vessels.
[via Live Science and Reuters, cover image via Dragan Ilić | Dreamstime.com]
