What we know
What we know: The Danube River's water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging
Compiled Aug 7
What we know
- Water levels on the Danube River have dropped very low due to drought, exposing WWII-era German warship hulks
- The ships were part of Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet, deliberately sunk as Germany retreated from Romania near the war's end
- Historians say up to 200 German warships were scuttled near Prahovo in September 1944 under Soviet fire
- The scuttling was meant to slow the Soviet advance in the Balkans, but Germany surrendered in May 1945
- The Serbian government, with EU financial support, has long tried to address the sunken ships
- Some ships were removed by Communist Yugoslav authorities, but most remain because they carried explosives
- Low water levels have also forced power plants toward shutdown and prompted governments to conserve electricity
- Low water levels have nearly stopped large ship traffic on the Danube, which flows through 10 nations
What we don’t know yet
- The article was updated to correct that the exposed vessels are warships, not battleships as originally described
Open questions
- How long will the drought and low water levels persist?
- Will the Serbian government now proceed with removing the exposed ships?
- How is the disrupted ship traffic affecting regional trade or supply chains?
- What specific factors besides drought are contributing to the record low water levels?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.