Serbia Lifts First Of Dozens Of Nazi Warship From The Danube River In Large-Scale Salvage Operation

Shipwreck — Image Credits: Goran Vesić/X

The Serbian government has initiated a large-scale salvage operation to recover and remove a fleet of Nazi vessels sunk in the Danube River during the final days of World War II.

The operation aims to clear the river of hazardous wrecks that have threatened transportation for nearly 80 years.

According to Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Transportation, and Infrastructure, Goran Vesic, the initiative began last week with the successful rescue of the first of dozens of German patrol boats.

A crane barge pulled the vessel from the riverbed, revealing undamaged wooden boxes containing explosive ordnance and other armaments.

Ammunition — Image Credits: Goran Vesić/X

The operation is aimed at the remnants of the Kriegsmarine’s Kampfgruppe Zieb, a flotilla of 200 German patrol boats and support vessels.

In August 1944, as German forces fled from the approaching Red Army in Eastern Europe, the flotilla’s commander ordered the vessels scuttling in the Danube near Prahovo, Serbia, to prevent them from falling into Soviet hands.

The scuttling of these vessels partially blocked the Danube, temporarily restricting Soviet riverine forces.

While the Soviets removed or repurposed some of the vessels later that year, most remained submerged in the river, buried in sediment, and degraded over time.

These wrecks have continued obstructing modern Danube navigation, especially during summer droughts and low-water times when the fleet resurfaces.

Serbia has agreed to remove dozens of these 80-year-old wrecks from the river to maintain navigation safety.

Minister Vesic described the two-phase salvage plan: in the first phase, 21 more wrecks will be lifted and removed during the next few weeks, followed by the rescue of another 80 vessels in the second phase.

Each ship is thoroughly inspected, including the breakdown of any explosive devices on board, which takes approximately ten days for each vessel.

Vesic announced that once the salvage process is complete, the public will have the opportunity to view part of the sunken Nazi fleet, which has made navigation on this section of the Danube difficult for the past eight decades.

The salvage operation addresses the safety concerns raised by these wrecks and serves as a reminder of the historical events that left them on the riverbed. Removing these vessels will allow for safer transit along this crucial waterway.

Reference: JPost

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