A Drying Danube River Reveals Nazi-Era Vessels, and Hazards of Heat

The river’s water levels have fallen as extreme heat has afflicted Europe, exposing sunken German vessels from World War II that are impeding navigation. By Lynsey Chutel and Alisa Dogramadzieva Alisa Dogramadzieva reported from Belgrade, Serbia. Serbia this week started pulling a sunken Nazi-era fleet out of the Danube River, where lowered water levels caused by extreme heat have exposed some of the vessels and created a headache for captains trying to navigate around them. Near the end of World War II, Germany sank more than 200 of its own ships in the Danube in eastern Serbia, trying to block the Soviet Union’s forces as they advanced up the river. One or two rusted hulks have peeked above the water’s surface nearly every summer.

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