Drought lowers Danube, exposing WWII ships, plant shutdowns

A punishing drought and record-breaking heat across Central and Eastern Europe have driven the Danube River to historic lows, exposing dozens of sunken World War II German warships while crippling river transport and forcing nuclear power plants to reduce operations. The crisis, unfolding in early August 2026, has revealed a stark intersection of historical legacy and contemporary climate vulnerability.

Near the Serbian port town of Prahovo, the receding waters have laid bare the rusting hulls of vessels belonging to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet. Historians say up to 200 warships were deliberately scuttled by retreating German forces in September 1944 in an attempt to slow the Soviet advance. The ships, some still containing explosives, have long posed a hazard to navigation. With European Union financial support, Serbian authorities began a project in 2024 to remove 21 of the most obstructive wrecks, a slow and dangerous process complicated by murky waters and potential live ammunition. The current extreme exposure is expected to aid these salvage efforts.

The low water levels are causing far more than archaeological curiosity, however. For the first time, Hungary and Romania...