Nazi warships, bones of woolly mammoth: Danube reveals historic relics as water level sees record-breaking drop

What is happening at Europe's Danube River? According to a CBS report, sunken World War II warships of the Nazis have brought a surprise. After prolonged summer drought and intense heatwave across Eastern Europe, water levels in the Danube River have dropped to near-record lows, revealing new sandbanks and dozens of shipwrecks along with Ice Age mammoth remains.

Nazi warship emerge on Danube

At least 20 German military vessels from the former Black Sea fleet are being reported to have resurfaced near the Serbian port town of Prahovo as the water recedes. Many of those ships, some believed to contain explosives, were deliberately scuttled by retreating German forces in September 1944 to prevent their capture by the advancing Soviet troops.

According to multiple media reports, at least 20 German military vessels from the former Black Sea fleet have resurfaced near the Serbian port town of Prahovo as the river recedes. Several of the ships, some still believed to contain unexploded ordnance, were deliberately scuttled by retreating German forces in September 1944 to prevent their capture by advancing Soviet troops.

While Yugoslav authorities salvaged some of the wrecks post-war, many remained underwater due to the dangers of the explosives they carried. The exposed vessels are being called a striking reminder of the region's wartime history, drawing attention in the region and on the internet alike.

Meanwhile, the unusually low water levels have also reportedly disrupted navigation along parts of the Danube, Europe's second-longest river.

For the unversed, the Danube flows through 10 countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

It is said that the authorities are currently working to ensure river traffic remains uninterrupted as the ships appear on the river. It is believed that sections of the waterway have also become increasingly difficult for larger vessels to navigate due to the low water levels.

Wooly mammoth remains found

Besides the wartime relics, researchers have also discovered a jawbone, fragments of tusks, part of a shoulder blade, and a femur with its articular head in Bulgaria. It is believed to belong to a woolly mammoth that lived during the Ice Age, a local museum director told AFP.

Officials at the Regional Historical Museum in Ruse said the fossils were discovered on the exposed riverbed. The bones are expected to provide fresh insights into the region's prehistoric past as they are well preserved and "unlike many previous discoveries ... were concentrated in the same place," said Nikolay Nenov, director of the Regional Historical Museum.

The Danube has witnessed exceptionally low water levels this summer.

In Budapest, Hungary, the river reportedly fell to just four inches earlier this week, which is way below the previous record low of 13 inches in 2018.

Previous finds

However, this isn't the first time that old vessels have been spotted on the river.

Back in 2024, multiple sunken Nazi ships equipped with explosives, had emerged in the Danube after another severe summer drought in the region. Dozens of scattered German ships had also appeared near Prahovo in 2022 due to low water levels.