Danube Drought Reveals Parts Of Wwii S Hidden History

In the middle of the mighty river that divides Serbia and Romania near the Serbian port of Prahovo, a rusted hull, a broken mast where the swastika flag flew, an upper deck where there was a command bridge, a barrel that could have been holding fuel – or even explosives – rest on a pebbly dune that has emerged from the water. The ships, some still laden with ammunition, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that were deliberately sunk by the Germans as they retreated from Romania as Soviet forces advanced. Historians say up to 200 German warships were wrecked in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube Gorge, known as The Iron Gate, on the orders of the fleet commander as they came under heavy fire from the Soviets. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to at least slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But it didn’t help as Nazi Germany surrendered months later in May 1945. The unusually warm weather across Europe this summer has been linked by scientists to global warming and other factors. Falling water levels have created hazardous conditions for shipping on many of the continent’s rivers, including the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river that runs through 10 nations. Authorities in Serbia have used dredging to keep the ships moving. The wrecks emerging from the depths are an impressive sight, but they have caused decades of trouble for those who use the river, and now the Serbian government, backed by the European Union, plans to do something about them. Some of the wrecks were removed from the river by the communist Yugoslav authorities immediately after the war. However, most of them remained, impeding shipping, especially in summer when the water level is low. For years there were plans to pull the ships out of the muddy waters, but the operation was considered too dangerous due to the explosives they were carrying and there were no resources to do it until recently. Now, the European Union and the European Investment Bank have agreed to provide loans and grants to finance the operation to remove some of the ships near Prahovo in order to improve the traffic capacity of the Danube. The total cost of the operation is estimated at 30 million euros ($30 million), of which about 16 million are grants. “These ships have sunk and have been lying on the river bed ever since,” said the EU ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Jufret, during a recent visit to the wreckage site. “And that’s a problem. It’s a problem for traffic on the Danube, it limits the ability to move, it’s a danger because some boats still contain unexploded ordnance.” Accompanying Giaufret was Alessandro Bragonzi, head of the European Investment Bank in the Western Balkans. He said the project consisted of removing 21 sunken vessels. “It is estimated that more vessels are under water, up to 40, but the ones currently hindering the conditions of the Danube, especially during low water periods, are 21,” Bragonzi said. Experts say the salvage operation will consist of removing the explosive materials from the sunken ships and then destroying the wrecks, rather than towing the ships out of the river.

title: “Danube Drought Reveals Parts Of Wwii S Hidden History Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Sidney Smith”

In the middle of the mighty river that divides Serbia and Romania near the Serbian port of Prahovo, a rusted hull, a broken mast where the swastika flag flew, an upper deck where there was a command bridge, a barrel that could have been holding fuel – or even explosives – rest on a pebbly dune that has emerged from the water. The ships, some still laden with ammunition, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that were deliberately sunk by the Germans as they retreated from Romania as Soviet forces advanced. Historians say up to 200 German warships were wrecked in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube Gorge, known as The Iron Gate, on the orders of the fleet commander as they came under heavy fire from the Soviets. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to at least slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But it didn’t help as Nazi Germany surrendered months later in May 1945. The unusually warm weather across Europe this summer has been linked by scientists to global warming and other factors. Falling water levels have created hazardous conditions for shipping on many of the continent’s rivers, including the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river that runs through 10 nations. Authorities in Serbia have used dredging to keep the ships moving. The wrecks emerging from the depths are an impressive sight, but they have caused decades of trouble for those who use the river, and now the Serbian government, backed by the European Union, plans to do something about them. Some of the wrecks were removed from the river by the communist Yugoslav authorities immediately after the war. However, most of them remained, impeding shipping, especially in summer when the water level is low. For years there were plans to pull the ships out of the muddy waters, but the operation was considered too dangerous due to the explosives they were carrying and there were no resources to do it until recently. Now, the European Union and the European Investment Bank have agreed to provide loans and grants to finance the operation to remove some of the ships near Prahovo in order to improve the traffic capacity of the Danube. The total cost of the operation is estimated at 30 million euros ($30 million), of which about 16 million are grants. “These ships have sunk and have been lying on the river bed ever since,” said the EU ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Jufret, during a recent visit to the wreckage site. “And that’s a problem. It’s a problem for traffic on the Danube, it limits the ability to move, it’s a danger because some boats still contain unexploded ordnance.” Accompanying Giaufret was Alessandro Bragonzi, head of the European Investment Bank in the Western Balkans. He said the project consisted of removing 21 sunken vessels. “It is estimated that more vessels are under water, up to 40, but the ones currently hindering the conditions of the Danube, especially during low water periods, are 21,” Bragonzi said. Experts say the salvage operation will consist of removing the explosive materials from the sunken ships and then destroying the wrecks, rather than towing the ships out of the river.

title: “Danube Drought Reveals Parts Of Wwii S Hidden History Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “James Moore”

In the middle of the mighty river that divides Serbia and Romania near the Serbian port of Prahovo, a rusted hull, a broken mast where the swastika flag flew, an upper deck where there was a command bridge, a barrel that could have been holding fuel – or even explosives – rest on a pebbly dune that has emerged from the water. The ships, some still laden with ammunition, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that were deliberately sunk by the Germans as they retreated from Romania as Soviet forces advanced. Historians say up to 200 German warships were wrecked in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube Gorge, known as The Iron Gate, on the orders of the fleet commander as they came under heavy fire from the Soviets. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to at least slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But it didn’t help as Nazi Germany surrendered months later in May 1945. The unusually warm weather across Europe this summer has been linked by scientists to global warming and other factors. Falling water levels have created hazardous conditions for shipping on many of the continent’s rivers, including the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river that runs through 10 nations. Authorities in Serbia have used dredging to keep the ships moving. The wrecks emerging from the depths are an impressive sight, but they have caused decades of trouble for those who use the river, and now the Serbian government, backed by the European Union, plans to do something about them. Some of the wrecks were removed from the river by the communist Yugoslav authorities immediately after the war. However, most of them remained, impeding shipping, especially in summer when the water level is low. For years there were plans to pull the ships out of the muddy waters, but the operation was considered too dangerous due to the explosives they were carrying and there were no resources to do it until recently. Now, the European Union and the European Investment Bank have agreed to provide loans and grants to finance the operation to remove some of the ships near Prahovo in order to improve the traffic capacity of the Danube. The total cost of the operation is estimated at 30 million euros ($30 million), of which about 16 million are grants. “These ships have sunk and have been lying on the river bed ever since,” said the EU ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Jufret, during a recent visit to the wreckage site. “And that’s a problem. It’s a problem for traffic on the Danube, it limits the ability to move, it’s a danger because some boats still contain unexploded ordnance.” Accompanying Giaufret was Alessandro Bragonzi, head of the European Investment Bank in the Western Balkans. He said the project consisted of removing 21 sunken vessels. “It is estimated that more vessels are under water, up to 40, but the ones currently hindering the conditions of the Danube, especially during low water periods, are 21,” Bragonzi said. Experts say the salvage operation will consist of removing the explosive materials from the sunken ships and then destroying the wrecks, rather than towing the ships out of the river.

title: “Danube Drought Reveals Parts Of Wwii S Hidden History Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-27” author: “Nellie Ingram”

In the middle of the mighty river that divides Serbia and Romania near the Serbian port of Prahovo, a rusted hull, a broken mast where the swastika flag flew, an upper deck where there was a command bridge, a barrel that could have been holding fuel – or even explosives – rest on a pebbly dune that has emerged from the water. The ships, some still laden with ammunition, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that were deliberately sunk by the Germans as they retreated from Romania as Soviet forces advanced. Historians say up to 200 German warships were wrecked in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube Gorge, known as The Iron Gate, on the orders of the fleet commander as they came under heavy fire from the Soviets. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to at least slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But it didn’t help as Nazi Germany surrendered months later in May 1945. The unusually warm weather across Europe this summer has been linked by scientists to global warming and other factors. Falling water levels have created hazardous conditions for shipping on many of the continent’s rivers, including the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river that runs through 10 nations. Authorities in Serbia have used dredging to keep the ships moving. The wrecks emerging from the depths are an impressive sight, but they have caused decades of trouble for those who use the river, and now the Serbian government, backed by the European Union, plans to do something about them. Some of the wrecks were removed from the river by the communist Yugoslav authorities immediately after the war. However, most of them remained, impeding shipping, especially in summer when the water level is low. For years there were plans to pull the ships out of the muddy waters, but the operation was considered too dangerous due to the explosives they were carrying and there were no resources to do it until recently. Now, the European Union and the European Investment Bank have agreed to provide loans and grants to finance the operation to remove some of the ships near Prahovo in order to improve the traffic capacity of the Danube. The total cost of the operation is estimated at 30 million euros ($30 million), of which about 16 million are grants. “These ships have sunk and have been lying on the river bed ever since,” said the EU ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Jufret, during a recent visit to the wreckage site. “And that’s a problem. It’s a problem for traffic on the Danube, it limits the ability to move, it’s a danger because some boats still contain unexploded ordnance.” Accompanying Giaufret was Alessandro Bragonzi, head of the European Investment Bank in the Western Balkans. He said the project consisted of removing 21 sunken vessels. “It is estimated that more vessels are under water, up to 40, but the ones currently hindering the conditions of the Danube, especially during low water periods, are 21,” Bragonzi said. Experts say the salvage operation will consist of removing the explosive materials from the sunken ships and then destroying the wrecks, rather than towing the ships out of the river.