The wreckage of a ship that sank during World War II is visible due to the unusually low water level of the Danube River near Vamosszabadi in northwestern Hungary.
The ongoing drought and the resulting low water levels are not causing restrictions on shipping traffic on Europe’s major rivers, but are also making it possible to look back into the past in many places. In the Rhine, so-called hunger stones and mysterious wooden piles are reappearing – and in the Danube, old shipwrecks from the Second World War are becoming visible again these days.
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As a video from the Reuters news agency shows, the Danube’s low water level is causing this unusual sight. Several German warships are currently clearly visible in both Serbia and Hungary – and pose dangers. Local authorities warn there could still be live ammunition in the Nazi legacies.
Ships belonged to German Black Sea Fleet
According to the report, the ships belonged to the German Black Sea Fleet and were sunk along the Danube River in 1944 while retreating from approaching Soviet troops. “The Germans left us a great ecological disaster that threatens us residents,” a pensioner from Prahovo, Serbia, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Serbian government has already issued a tender for the removal of the shipwreck and salvage of the munitions in March 2022, according to reports. The cost is expected to be around 29 million euros.
Nazi wrecks affect shipping
The wrecks are not only an ecological problem, but, depending on their location in the riverbed, can also significantly affect navigation at low tide – and not only in Serbia. In Hungary, too, German warship wrecks lie in the Danube – causing obstructions and a rare sight in equal measure.
