Serbia has begun the removal of a sunken fleet of German vessels from the Danube River, a process spurred by record low water levels caused by this summer’s intense heat wave. The ships, sunk by Germany near the end of World War II to impede advancing Soviet forces, have reemerged in larger numbers than usual due to the river’s diminished flow.

In September 1944, as German forces retreated through Eastern Europe, they deliberately scuttled more than 200 ships—including minesweepers, patrol boats, tugboats, and various support vessels—in the Danube near what is now Serbia’s eastern border. This effort was intended to prevent the Soviet military from navigating upstream. Over the decades, a small number of these rusted wrecks appear seasonally as water levels fluctuate, but this year residents in the Serbian port town of Prahovo reported seeing at least a dozen vessels exposed, marking an unprecedented sight linked to hotter, drier summers affecting Europe.

The Danube stretches across ten countries from Germany to the Black Sea and serves as a crucial commercial waterway. Low river levels have complicated shipping along this vital corridor, affecting trade and navigation. On Thursday, Serbian authorities raised the first of these decayed Nazi-era ships, a major step in a cleanup initiative that began in 2020 and is estimated to cost around 23 million euros. President Aleksandar Vucic announced the plan to salvage approximately 80 of the sunken vessels, many of which may still contain unexploded ordnance, posing ongoing safety risks to river traffic.

“Today, for the first time in 80 years, we removed one of these ships,” Vucic said, emphasizing the need to clear the Danube to improve safety and navigation. He expressed the goal of restoring Serbia’s stretch of the river to conditions comparable to those seen in Vienna, where water quality is notably high. The lack of consistent rainfall and persistent heat waves have forced authorities to carve temporary channels to maintain traffic, with concerns that a further drop of 30 centimeters in water levels could effectively halt navigation.

Heatwaves and drought conditions have also impacted other countries along the Danube. Hungary faced operational challenges at the Paks nuclear power plant due to reduced river flow, while Poland experienced temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, prompting government warnings to protect workers. In Slovakia, police safely detonated a large British air mine from World War II that surfaced as waters receded.

Meteorologists in Serbia confirmed that the Danube’s water level is more than three feet below its normal depth for this time of year, adversely affecting agricultural crops such as wheat, soybeans, and sunflowers. Experts caution that meaningful recovery depends on sustained rainfall, which current forecasts do not predict.

Local residents familiar with river navigation have long tracked the appearance and disappearance of these historic wrecks. Some identified the remains of two submarines among the revealed ships. Historians and documentary producers view the vessels as underwater relics preserving untold stories from the wartime era.

As salvage operations continue, some river workers anticipate further discoveries from the riverbed amid the ongoing drought conditions, reflecting a mixture of historical intrigue and the practical challenges of managing one of Europe’s key waterways under climate stress.