More than twenty ships that were once part of Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet are breaking through the surface as the Danube River water levels have fallen to record levels, causing safety and transportation concerns on the vital waterway, ABC News reports.
Sometime in 1944, Germany relocated dozens of ships from their Black Sea fleet up the Danube to protect them from advancing Russian forces. At the end of World War II, the Nazis scuttled many ships near the Serbian port town of Prahovo, about 150 miles southwest of Belgrade.
Now, the re-emerging fleet is creating a host of problems. The ships appear to be laden with ammunition and explosives, making removing the wrecks highly dangerous. The low river level has also limited navigable channels in the river, with one section narrowed to a passage just 75 feet wide.
The Danube is a key power generator in Serbia on a lot of levels. The river powers many hydroelectric power generation stations, whose operation depend on high water. And the Danube carries thousands of tons of coal used at the nation’s coal-fired power plants, which account for about two-thirds of Serbia’s electricity.