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World War II-era boat emerges from shrinking Lake Mead

A WWII ear landing craft used to transport troops or tanks was revealed on the shoreline near the Lake Mead Marina as the waterline continues to lower at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Thursday, June 30, 2022, in Boulder City.
L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
A WWII ear landing craft used to transport troops or tanks was revealed on the shoreline near the Lake Mead Marina as the waterline continues to lower at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Thursday, June 30, 2022, in Boulder City.

A sunken boat dating back to World War II is the latest object to emerge from a shrinking reservoir that straddles Nevada and Arizona.

The Higgins landing craft that has long been 185 feet below the surface is now nearly halfway out of the water at Lake Mead.

According to dive tours company Las Vegas Scuba, it was used to survey the Colorado River decades ago, sold to the marina and then sunk.

The boat is just the latest in a series of objects unearthed by declining water levels in Lake Mead.

Experts say climate change and drought have led to the surface dropping to its lowest level in about 20 years.