Nazi shipwrecks emerge from the depths as Europe’s Danube dries up
Unexploded ordnance and a military motorcycle also recovered following record heat and drought conditions
Record-low water levels in the Danube have exposed remnants of Europe’s
Nazi past, with dozens of second world war ships emerging from the
riverbed during an intense drought.
In the middle of the river on the Serbian and Romanian border, a
broken-up hull was visible on a sandbank that is normally underwater.
Other vessels were partly submerged, some still believed to be laden
with weapons.
The ships were part of Adolf Hitler’s Black Sea fleet that the German
military deliberately sank towards the end of the war to slow down the
Soviet advance. Historians say up to 200 German warships were scuttled
in this way in September 1944. But Nazi Germany did not surrender until
the following year in May 1945.
The ships have been revealed during previous droughts only to disappear
again as water levels rose along the second-longest river in Europe. The
Serbian government has tried in the past to remove the wrecks, but most
remain in place owing to the explosives they carried.
Other second world war remnants have been found in other parts of the
river, including a German military motorcycle in Budapest, Hungary.
In Slovakia, police recovered an unexploded British 1,543lb (700kg) bomb.
Police said authorities loaded it on to a “specially modified
firefighter vehicle with a sand bed, which ensured its safe transport”
and took it to a 5-metre deep pit to detonate it.
In 1944, Britain’s Royal Air Force mined the river to disrupt enemy troops.
The
Danube, which flows through 10 countries, has become increasingly
difficult to navigate as low water levels create dangerous conditions.
Prolonged droughts have left major European rivers at significantly
lower water levels than is typical for the time of year, creating an
energy crisis as many power plants rely on their natural water supply
for cooling.
The wreckage of a second world war German warship near Prahovo, Serbia on Tuesday.
