APTOPIX Serbia Danube Sunken Boats

The wreckage of a WWII German warship emerges, due to the drought, in front of Djerdap II, a large dam on the Danube River, between Romania and Serbia, near Prahovo, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.

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The Danube River's water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging

The Danube River's water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging

Water levels on the Danube River have dropped so low due to drought that World War II German battleships are emerging into view. The Danube’s record levels also have forced power plants to the brink of shutting down, and governments across Central and Eastern Europe are taking steps to conserve electricity. The emerging ships belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet, deliberately sunk in 1944 to slow the Soviet advance in the final months of the war. Authorities are now trying to keep traffic flowing on the Danube as the dropping water levels create dangerous conditions.