Riverine warships

[Marek T]

Hello everybody,

Can anyone help with identity and armament of those boats?


The photo was reportedly taken in Passau in late 1940s.
The numers on the bows run thus:


Thanks in advance,
Marek

[Marek T]

I suspect these boats are Hungarian Danube patrol boats. Does anybody know their history - please?

[Andreas von Mach]

There is a photo taken from the other side showing the Hungarian boats
GYOR , SOPRON and SZEGED in Passau in the book
C.Karoly & B.Laszlo
"Haditengereszek es Folyamorök a Dunan 1870-1945"

[Marek T]

Thanks, Andreas.

[Andreas von Mach]

You could view:
Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946

[Marek T]

There are no drawings nor photos of Hungarian warships in CAWFS 1922-1946.

[Dr_V]

QUOTE

Marek T : There are no drawings nor photos of Hungarian warships in CAWFS 1922-1946.

I have quite good photos of Hungarian warships in "Jane's Fighting Ships of WW2". I have some doubts that these 3 are Sopron, Gyor and Szeged.

Debrcen (and the other 2 of its class: Baja and Gyor) had quite high masts, not seen in your photo, but I think those could have been removed during the war. The superstructure (forecastle & bridge) are also different, much smaller (lower) in my photo and clearly separated from the funnel. But as my photo of the ship is from 1925, it's possible that the Hungarians had modified the upper structures during some refit/modernisations since.

Szeged was bsically similar, but her bridge was open and smaller. My photo of her is also from 1925.

As for Sopron, that was a very different ship, thaugh it was the same size and carried the same armament as Debrecen class. I have a photo from 1933 that undoubtably shows she's NOT one of these 3. She had a very small bridge with angled roof and no superstructures behind the funnel, plus a high foremast.

One interesting thing is the bow seen in the bottom-right side of the picture, strikingly similar to the one of Cosobanc, the depot ship of the Hungarian Danube flotilla.

And the guns (and turrets) of your 3 warships look very similar to what most Hungarian patroll boats carried (the 133 and 140 tons boats: 2x70mm in single turrets)...

Those differences and the fact that I don't know the ID numbers of Hungarian patroll boats are the reason for my reserve in trying to give you an answer till now. I'm still not convinced that you've got a photo of 3 Hungarian patroll boats, but this is the most probable answer. [/i]

[Marek T]

I am aware of great differences between the boats in our "mystery photo" and those of Hungarian river patrol boats published elsewhere. That is why I posted it as a "mystery".
However, the many ships were extensively rebuilt during the war and that could happen to Hungarian ones.
Also please note, that photo in "Jane's" do not necessarily show GYOR in 1933. It could be taken earlier and the "1933" indicates only when it was acquired by the "Jane's".

[Dr_V]

QUOTE

Marek T: Also please note, that photo in \"Jane's\" do not necessarily show GYOR in 1933. It could be taken earlier and the \"1933\" indicates only when it was acquired by the \"Jane's\".

The picture of Gyor is stated as "1933 official", meaning official release of this image by Hungarian authoritys at the specified date.

[Andreas von Mach]

The history of SOPRON (scrapped 1966 !!) was published
in Marine Gestern Heute 3/1979
In 1945 she was left in oberösterreichen Donau (upper Danube)
then from 1950 served as a merchant vessel.

Please note that there ships were many times rebuilt ,repainted , etc.

Some other infos should be in
Tamas Varfalvi "Nachkriegsschickale der Donauflotille"
Marine Gestern Heute 3/1976 p.46ff.
Unfortunately I don not have it.