WWII Nazi ships emerge as Danube River dries up amid drought

Record low water levels along Europe's Danube River, exacerbated by a severe drought and the climate emergency, have brought a grim historical spectacle to light: the rusting hulks of World War II Nazi warships. Near the Serbian port of Prahovo, where the river separates Serbia and Romania, the skeletal remains of these vessels are now visible as water recedes to its lowest point in decades.

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The ground is dry where cruise ships and ferries once docked. Fishermen are out of work, vessels are stranded and crucial power plants are on the brink of closure.

Historians report that up to 200 German warships were deliberately sunk in September 1944 near Prahovo. The scuttling was intended to block the advancing Soviet army in the Balkans. However, with the war's end months later, these vessels became submerged relics. Today, at least 20 of these World War II wrecks are visible from the riverbanks, a stark reminder of the conflict.

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At least 20 World War II wrecks are visible to the naked eye from the banks of Prahovo.

The parched conditions affecting Europe's waterways, from the Netherlands to the Black Sea, are not limited to submerged history. The Danube, Europe's second-longest river, is flowing at its lowest levels in decades. This has stranded hundreds of cargo ships and small boats, halted river excursions, and placed crucial power plants at risk of closure. In Budapest, authorities even had to close the Margaret Bridge after a wartime bomb was exposed at its base.

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Historians say up to 200 German warships were scuttled in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube gorge as they came under Soviet fire.

Beyond the warships, the receding waters have unearthed other historical and prehistoric finds. In the Bulgarian village of Ryahovo, residents discovered the bones of what is believed to be a woolly mammoth, with scientists identifying a jawbone, tusk fragments, and parts of a shoulder blade and femur. These discoveries underscore the profound impact of extreme weather conditions, linked by experts to global warming, which is causing increased heatwaves, water scarcity, and more intense wildfires across the continent.

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Experts have linked the record low water levels to global warming and other factors.