Taking out Nazi warships: What the record low water level of the Danube revealed

In the work Danube near Djerdap, dozens of German warships sunk near the end were located of the Second World War, a large number of which are in the Prahovo port area.

It is mainly about the vessels of the German Black Sea Flotilla that were deliberately sunk near Prahov in the fall of 1944, during the retreat before the Red Army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the enemy and so that passage through the Danube would be difficult. Their remains have been a problem for navigation safety for decades, especially at low water levels.

Photo: Tanjug/ Zoran Milić

Large quantities of unexploded hand grenades, ammunition for anti-aircraft guns, depth mines and missiles of high destructive power were found on the retrieved ships.

Photo: FoNet

Bojan Glamočlija, director of the Center for Demining of the Republic of Serbia, told FoNet that so far three vessels have been pulled out of the riverbed, including a minesweeper, while four vessels have been undermined and pushed deeper into the Danube riverbed.

In addition to those ships, the extraction of the fourth vessel, which was cut into three parts, also began. A depth charge was found in its central part, which was removed and destroyed, Glamočlija said.

He explained that high-explosive explosives, which are used to fill ordnance, have a practically unlimited lifespan and that even after 80 years or more, they are dangerous and deadly, which is why great care is needed when removing and transporting them.

As he stated, lethal means of large mass, such as aerial bombs and large-caliber artillery projectiles, due to their weight, usually penetrate to greater depths in the ground and, while they are not moved, do not pose an immediate danger to the civilian population.

The power and destructive power of these weapons depend on their type, caliber and the amount of explosives they contain. We are talking about aerial bombs and artillery missiles of great destructive power, which even after several decades represent a serious danger if they are moved or damaged, Glamočlija pointed out.

Photo: AP photo/Darko Vojinovic

He warned that it is quite certain that due to the low water level, various unexploded ordnance, which are potentially very dangerous, can be found in the dried-up parts of the Danube bed, as well as other rivers.

It is possible that there are still unexploded mines

Citizens are advised to be careful if they come across objects that look like weapons, not to approach or touch them, but to immediately inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia by calling 192.

Considering that during the First and Second World Wars, as well as during other armed conflicts, war operations were conducted on the Danube and in its immediate surroundings, there is a possibility that there are still unexploded ordnance on certain parts of the river.

Photo: FoNet

Glamočlija reminded that Belgrade was bombed twice by the German aviation in 1941, while in 1944 the allied forces carried out 11 bombings, where the railway infrastructure and the area of ​​the railway station were particularly affected.

During the construction of the Belgrade complex, a large number of unexploded ordnance was found on the water, including six aerial bombs weighing 500 kilograms each. During the construction of the Ada Mall shopping center, a projectile of large mass was found, said Glamočlija and added that because of this, before carrying out works in certain parts of the Danube bed, extensive research is being carried out.

Source: FoNet

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