MOHACS, Hungary/PRAHOVO, Serbia—Nazi ships laden with explosives that were sunk in the River Danube during World War II have resurfaced near Serbia’s river port town of Prahovo. This emergence comes after a drought in July and August caused the water level of the river to drop, revealing four vessels dating back to before 1950 in Hungary’s Danube-Drava National Park near Mohacs.
In 1944, as Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet retreated from advancing Soviet forces, they scuttled hundreds of ships along the Danube, including those in Prahovo. These sunken wrecks pose a challenge to river traffic during periods of low water levels.
The riverbed is now strewn with remnants of these ships, some of which still have intact turrets, command bridges, broken masts, and twisted hulls, while others are partially submerged under sand banks.
Endre Sztellik, a guard at the Danube-Drava National Park, expressed concern over the disappearance of parts of the wrecks due to public interest. The water level of the Danube in Budapest was at 1.17 meters on Tuesday, significantly higher than the record low of around 0.4 meters in 2018.
Recent drought conditions in Eastern Europe have impacted crops and vegetation, as reported by the European climate service Copernicus. However, a long-awaited rainfall on Monday is expected to raise the Danube levels in Mohacs to around three meters by the weekend, potentially submerging the shipwrecks again.
In Poland, the Vistula River has also experienced record low levels, with sandbanks exposed in Warsaw and shallow waters allowing for unusual sightings like a moose walking across the river.
By Krisztina Fenyo and Fedja Grulovic
