This is crazy!
As Reuters originally reported, drought in Europe which is the worst the continent has seen in a long time has exposed a graveyard of Nazi ships in the mighty Danube River. Just like how bodies have turned up in barrels in Lake Mead, Nevada, a hidden part of history has come to light, showing just how badly Russian troops shellacked the Germans as they fled from the eastern front of the European theater in WWII.
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Locals reportedly have been aware of the sunken ships for a long time since they’re an obstacle boats have to contend with whenever the Danube gets low. Even more exciting, the exposed ships still contain all kinds of live explosives and ammunition, so getting near them isn’t recommended.
Keep in mind that the ravages of WWII are still felt in Germany, with thousands of unexploded bombs hidden away by debris, earth, vegetation, etc. Considering how much bombing was done during the war as the Allies sought to break the Axis power, it’s really no wonder.
This area of over 20 dead Nazi ships is located in the Danube near Prahovo, which lies in modern-day eastern Serbia near the Romanian border. Thanks to the exposed dangers, everything from shipping to fishing vessels have had to carefully navigate the rive stretch, causing traffic backups. To keep everything flowing smoothly, Serbian authorities have turned to dredging away from the shipwrecks. However, in some areas there’s just over 200 feet of river width that’s navigable.
As you can see from the photos and video, some of the military ships have been surprisingly preserved after all this time. There seems to be no firm plan to remove them or their payloads from the Danube at the moment, although if the drought continues now might be the best time to do something about the hazards. The Serbian government was reportedly quoted a cost of 29 million euros to remove the ships, explosives, and ammunition. That’s about $30 million USD.
Images via Reuters
