Extreme summer heat and unusually low water levels have once again exposed dozens of German World War II warship wrecks in the Danube River near the town of Prahovo in Serbia. Hidden beneath the river for decades, the rusting vessels have reappeared as prolonged dry weather continues to shrink Europe’s second-longest river.
The wrecks date to the final months of World War II. In the autumn of 1944, German forces retreated across Eastern Europe as the Soviet Red Army advanced. During the withdrawal, Nazi commanders ordered troops to destroy military equipment rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. That order extended to the German Navy’s Danube fleet.
Ships sunk to slow the Soviet advance
Crews deliberately scuttled dozens of warships near Prahovo. The vessels were intended not only to prevent their capture but also to block the Danube’s shipping channel and slow the Soviet advance upstream. Although the strategy failed to halt the Red Army, the sunken ships remained on the riverbed, where they have continued to affect navigation for more than 80 years.
The area around Prahovo is believed to contain one of the largest concentrations of submerged German wartime vessels in the Danube. During periods of drought, twisted hulls, steel decks and other remains emerge from the water, offering a striking reminder of the war’s final chapter in the Balkans.
Recovery project targets dangerous wrecks
The wrecks also pose a practical problem. Many partially block the river’s navigation channel, creating hazards for commercial shipping on one of Europe’s busiest inland waterways. Low water levels during the summer of 2022 again exposed many of the vessels, prompting efforts to remove the most dangerous obstacles.
An international recovery project supported through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, with the European Investment Bank (EIB) as a strategic partner, is now working to clear the river. Recovery crews removed several wrecks in 2024 from a roughly 3-mile (5-kilometer) bottleneck near Prahovo, using heavy-lift equipment and steel cables.
In 1944 the Nazi army, retreating from Soviet forces, sunked 150-200 ships in river Danube to deny soviets military hardware loot
These ships are now resurfacing in River Danube Serbia due to the draught pic.twitter.com/DuXhSXWkOy
— Ehsans (@beeandwax) July 31, 2026
Before the project began, experts estimated that about 200 wrecks, including military vessels, cargo ships, tugboats and barges, remained scattered along this stretch of the Danube.
The operation is expected to continue through 2028. Recovery teams are using divers and specialized pumps to remove sand and silt before lifting the ships from the riverbed. However, not every wreck can be removed.
Some vessels are too large or too unstable, while others may still contain unexploded ammunition, making recovery especially hazardous. In those cases, engineers have buried the wrecks deeper beneath the riverbed to prevent them from obstructing shipping.
Project aims to improve navigation and trade
The project also carries major economic benefits. According to the EIB, navigation restrictions caused by the wrecks have cost Serbia an estimated €5 million (about $5.8 million) annually due to freight delays.
In July 2024, the bank approved a €16 million (about $18.5 million) grant to support the recovery effort as part of the European Union’s €30 billion (about $34.7 billion) Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.
The initiative aims to improve inland navigation, strengthen regional transport links and encourage more freight to move by river instead of by road.
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