Nazi Warships Resurface After 80 Years as Historic Heatwave Exposes the Danube, Europe's Second Largest River

Record-Low Danube River Levels Across Central Europe
Nuclear Plant Shutdowns and Logistics Disruptions Trigger Crisis

As global heatwaves and droughts intensify, the water level of the Danube River in Central Europe has dropped significantly. The remnants of Nazi German warships, submerged 80 years ago, have now become visible.

According to international media reports such as ABC News on August 4 (local time), the receding Danube River near Serbia has exposed the bow of a German warship that was sunk during World War II.

The appearance of the German warship from World War II revealed as the Danube River in Serbia recedes. Photo by Reuters.

The warships belonged to Germany's Black Sea Fleet and were sunk in 1944 when the Soviet Union invaded German territory. At that time, the Nazis sensed defeat from the relentless assault of Allied forces encircling their homeland. In an effort to prevent the Soviets from seizing military supplies, hundreds of submarines, escort ships, and others were deliberately scuttled. As a result, dozens of warships lie submerged on the bed of the Danube River.

The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, originating from the Black Sea and passing through Germany and several Central European countries. Its main course stretches 2,800 kilometers.

This river functioned as a lifeline for countries like Germany and other European nations. Germany used the river to transport massive amounts of materials, while countries such as Hungary and Serbia use Danube water as cooling water for nuclear power plants.

However, with the water level dropping to a critical point, both cargo ships and nuclear power plants are now at risk of suspension. Previously, on August 3, Romanian authorities conducted a controlled explosion of rock on their section of the Danube due to historically low water levels caused by drought, as water was not flowing properly to areas housing nuclear reactors.

In Germany, passenger cruises and tourist ferries have been halted, and cargo vessels have reduced their load to just 20% of normal capacity. Transportation costs have tripled compared to a month ago, further disrupting supply chains. If drought conditions persist, there is a pessimistic forecast that Germany’s economic growth rate could be hit by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points in the third quarter of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.