Ghost Fleet Of Nazi Warships Emerges As The Danube River Reaches Historic Lows
Drought Reveals WWII Nazi Shipwrecks in the Danube
A Tourist Curiosity and Historical Memorial
Deliberately Scuttled in September 1944
Driven by Historical Heatwaves
Environmental Risks to the Local Ecosystem
Ice Age Discoveries Alongside WWII Ships
Intact Command Bridges and Turrets
Ongoing Multimillion Euro Removal Effort
Preserved by Yugoslav Authorities' Reluctance
Severe Chokepoint for Commercial Shipping
Still Packed with Dangerous Things
-
1 / 10
That scorching summer heatwave left a lot of Europe basically stuck in severe drought. Because of it, the Danube River has fallen to some of the lowest levels anyone can remember. Near the Serbian port town of Prahovo, dozens of rusting Nazi warships, long kept under the river, have surfaced again from the riverbed. It’s kind of an eerie, rare window into the last months of World War II, yet, at the same time, these wrecks bring real environmental damage risks and nasty navigation troubles right now.
Have feedback on this article? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at editorial@7awi.com or share your thoughts with our editorial team.