The SOPRON
The pride of the Royal Hungarian River Forces was the Sopron, one of the most powerful and modern vessels to serve on Hungary's inland waterways. Built in 1918 at the Ganz–Danubius Engineering and Shipbuilding Works in Budapest, the vessel was originally launched under the name Stör, but was soon renamed Komárom.
In 1919, the ship took part in the defence of Hungary during the conflict with Czechoslovak forces. Following the reorganization of the Hungarian armed forces after the First World War, the vessel was renamed Sopron in 1920 and entered service with the Royal Hungarian River Forces (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Folyamerők).
A major modernization carried out in 1928 transformed the vessel into the flagship of the fleet. Its original steam engines were replaced by two 800-horsepower MAN diesel engines, making the Sopron the fastest and most powerful ship in Hungarian river service.
During the Second World War, the Sopron participated in the 1941 campaign connected with the reoccupation of the Southern Territories (Délvidék), operating on the Danube and Sava rivers. In the final stages of the war, during 1944–1945, the vessel took part in the defence of Hungary against the advancing Soviet forces.
At the end of the war, the Sopron was seized by the Allied forces and allocated to the United States as a war prize. Remaining in Germany, the ship entered civilian service in 1950 under the name Herta with the Fritz Willig Shipping Company. Twelve years later, in 1962, it was renamed once more—this time Irene—and continued working as a tugboat on the Rhine. Its long career finally came to an end in 1966, when it sank under circumstances that remain unknown.
From military service on the Danube to a second life as a civilian tugboat on the Rhine, the Sopron experienced nearly half a century of European history. Few vessels of the Royal Hungarian River Forces enjoyed such a long and remarkable career, making it one of the most fascinating ships in Hungary's naval heritage.
